The Great Japan Potato-Chip Crisis: Panic Buying, $12 Bags
- Companies halt sales of some chip brands after bad potato crop
- Calbee says it doesn’t know when chips supply will be restored
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Demand for potato chips has surged in Japan this week, with products on offer for 6 times their retail price online after Japanese snack company Calbee Inc. halted the sale of some of its most popular chip brands.
Calbee’s pizza-flavored chips were going for about 1,250 yen ($12) on Yahoo Japan Corp.’s auction website Friday. One bag usually sells for less than 200 yen. Photos of near-empty shelves at their local supermarkets were trending on Twitter.