KFC Australia swaps lettuce for cabbage amid crisis

Fast food giant KFC has been forced to put cabbage in its burgers and wraps in Australia as the country is struggling with a shortage of lettuce

The firm told customers it is using a mixture of lettuce and cabbage after floods destroyed lettuce crops, Qazet.az reports.

It comes as shoppers in Australia have been hit with soaring prices for some fresh fruits and vegetables.

Social media users have posted photos of lettuces costing over $7.18, three times the usual price.

On its website KFC Australia said: "Due to the recent floods in New South Wales and Queensland we're currently experiencing a lettuce shortage. So, we're using a lettuce and cabbage blend on all products containing lettuce until further notice."

"If that's not your bag, simply click 'Customise' on your chosen product and remove Lettuce from the Recipe," it added, signing off with a smiley face emoji.It is not the first time this year that the company has been hit with shortages of food items.

In January, KFC Australia had to modify its menu due to a lack of its key ingredient, chicken.

That was caused by a shortage of staff at Australia's biggest chicken supplier, Ingham's, due to the "rapid spread of the Omicron variant across eastern Australian states" at the end of last year.