5 hard-to-find products now 1:44
London (CNN Business) -
McDonald's has been forced to stop selling smoothies and bottled drinks in nearly 1,300 UK restaurants.
It's that Brexit-related staff shortages and supply chain delays caused by the pandemic continue to plague businesses.
"Like most retailers, we are currently experiencing some supply chain issues. That affects the availability of a small number of products. Bottled drinks and smoothies are temporarily unavailable in restaurants in England, Scotland. and Wales, "a spokesman for the fast food giant said in a statement on Tuesday, confirming the news first published by The Independent.
"We apologize for any inconvenience and thank our customers for their continued patience. We are working hard to get these items back on the menu as soon as possible," the spokesperson added.
This is what is most expensive now in the US 1:19
McDonald's is the latest in a series of British companies that have seen their supply chain strained by the pandemic and Brexit, which has contributed to worker shortages and introduced new trade barriers with the European Union.
Last week, Nando's closed 45 of its UK restaurants due to a shortage of the chain's signature peri peri chicken.
The effect of the pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has increased pressure on food producers and restaurants, who have struggled to find enough workers.
In recent months, the staff shortage has been compounded by British regulations requiring people to isolate themselves if they come into contact with someone infected with the coronavirus.
advertising
The shipping crisis is worsening and it may bring global shortages and affect your wallet
New rules came into effect last week.
Now fully vaccinated people in England are no longer legally required to isolate themselves if they come into close contact with a positive case of COVID-19.
But other factors mean that the problem has not disappeared.
The shortage of truck drivers has contributed to the disruption of supply in Britain.
The Road Haulage Association states that the UK is missing around 100,000 truck drivers, 20,000 of whom are EU citizens who left the country after Brexit.
There are also worker shortages in other parts of the food supply chain.
America is having trouble finding workers and things are going to get worse.
For what is this?
James Hook, who runs farms that supply a third of the chickens sold in the UK, told CNN Business in June that his company had double the usual vacancies.
Last week, the British Poultry Council blamed Brexit for staff shortages that could spell a turkey shortage at Christmas.
Delta variant could delay economic recovery 1:03
Ranjit Singh Boparan, founder of 2 Sisters Food Group, said last month that his company has experienced a 15% labor shortage across its entire 16,000-strong workforce.
He attributed it to a "perfect storm" of Brexit, the pandemic and the government's inaction in the face of the crisis.
"The operating environment has deteriorated so profoundly that I see no other result than a major food shortage in the UK. The supply of chicken and turkey is threatened," Boparan said in a statement.
Lower production
Dairy producers have also come under pressure.
Arla, which supplies milk to UK supermarkets, told the BBC in July that the company has been suffering from a driver shortage since early April.
"Our assessment is that we are in a crisis of driver shortage. Therefore, we ask that industry and government work together to recognize that we are in a crisis and really address the problem," CEO Ash Amirahmadi told the BBC .
Gap to close all its stores in the UK and Ireland
The supply chain lockdown is hurting the wider UK economy.
British companies saw a sharp slowdown in production growth in August, according to data released Monday by IHS Markit.
Companies reported widespread business activity constraints due to staff shortages and supply chain problems, with damage to both the manufacturing and service sectors.
"Analysis of the feedback provided by respondents suggests that the incidence of reduced production due to staff or material shortages was fourteen times higher than usual and the highest since the survey began in January 1998." IHS Markit said.
McDonald's United Kingdom
