New Zealanders worry about a 'chipocalypse' as potato supply drops

We don't want to ever live in a world where there is a "chipocalypse."

No wonder New Zealanders are concerned at the prospect, as 20 percent of potato crops have been lost due to extended periods of wet weather, according to the New Zealand Herald.

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Supermarkets have indicated to the newspaper there might be a shortage in potato crisps, as manufacturers have a smaller cut of potato crops in the country. Normal potato supply won't return until the new year.

When the chips are down, people are going to freak out — a bit — on social media.

Chris Claridge, Chief Executive of Potatoes New Zealand, told Radio Live on Monday it had been the third wettest year on record, made worse by the lack of extended dry periods.

Potatoes have drowned and rotted in the ground because of the rain, and farmers are unable to harvest them because the ground is too wet for tractors.

For this, you can blame climate change and lack of land availability for farmers due to urbanisation, but fortunately, there won't be an overall shortage of potatoes.

"You will have new potatoes for Christmas, I can guarantee that. But there will be pressure on processors, whose supply chains are a bit more complicated," he said. 

With the wet weather mostly affecting crops on the North Island, the chip manufacturers that are based on the South Island will "not be as affected and that "there will still be crisps on the shelf." 

Certainly a sage reminder of how important food security is, even if it's just chips.

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