Spike in lettuce prices forced Australian food giants to replace leafy vegetables with cabbage, but now the skyrocketing price of cabbage starts to threaten major fast food outlets.
Earlier this week, KFC announced blending lettuce with cabbage to reduce the prices of burgers.
The new change surprised everyone when other fast-food outlets such as Oporto and Subway also made changes to their menus by substituting lettuce for green leafy vegetables.
But now the soaring cabbage prices start to fear Australia’s fast food chains, with prices reaching up to $9 and beyond.
Supermarket giants Woolworths is selling half cabbages for $3.50 a pop, while the whole cabbages are out of stock.
Coles is selling a whole head of organic cabbage for $10.00, whereas Drumhead and mini red cabbages are advertised for $5.92 each online.
While at Harris Farm Markets, a regular head of cabbage fetches $11.29.
The rising prices of leafy vegetables could force Aussie fast food chains to overhaul their menus again.
Craveable Brands, which includes Red Rooster, Oporto, and Chicken Treat – have not said anything about the price hikes, but the brands confirmed that there is no issue with lettuce/cabbage mix on their burgers.
While KFC has also not said anything about the jump in vegetable prices.
The rise in prices of grocery items is caused by recent flooding in New South Wales. The continuous rainfall and low sunlight have affected most of the crops, resulting in poor supply and quality of fresh produce.
Earlier, the nationwide shortages of lettuce compelled major fast food giants to mix lettuce with cabbage to reduce the cost of burgers.
The fast food franchise Subway also warned its customers about the unavailability of lettuce at the salad bar.
Other leafy vegetables such as broccoli and baby spinach prices are also soaring and sellers are struggling to find stocks.
