Great British Steak Bake off: Greggs facing supply shortage

Bakery chain Greggs is the latest company to experience disruption to its supply chain.

The firm said some stores were experiencing temporary disuptions that were impacting on the availability of some products.

Greggs, which is popular for its sausage rolls and steak bakes, would not say what products have been affected but made a point of denying media reports it has run out of chicken bakes.

A spokesperson said: “There are no current supply issues with our chicken bakes and our customers can continue to enjoy these as they usually would.

“Unfortunately, like others , we’re seeing temporary interruptions in supply for some ingredients which occasionally results in shops not being able to maintain full availability on all lines.

“However, we have a wide range of choices in our menu for customers happy to buy an alternative.”

Fast food giant McDonald’s said earlier this week it has run out of milkshakes in all of its UK restaurants due to supply chain problems.

The burger chain has also been left without bottled drinks across its 1250 outlets in England, Scotland and Wales.

A spokesman reportedly said the group is suffering supply chain issues, but is “working hard to return these items to the menu”.

Nando’s was forced to shut around 50 restaurants last week amid a chicken shortage. It blamed staffing shortages at suppliers and a reduced number of lorry drivers.

Rival KFC also warned recently that supply chain issues meant it was unable to stock some menu items.

Firms across a raft of sectors in the UK have been battling with a supply chain crisis due to a shortage of lorry drivers following post-Brexit EU immigration rules, Covid-19 restrictions and self-isolation rules.

The supply pressures have also been affecting supermarkets in recent weeks, while manufacturers have reported sharp increases in the prices of raw materials.

Business groups representing the retail and transport sectors have been calling for the Government to review plans not to grant temporary work visas to drivers from the EU.