America's Biggest French Fry Producer Forced to Make Significant Cuts as Inflation Takes a Toll
The company that stocks McDonald’s with its french fries is paying the price for Americans’ inflation-induced turn away from fast food.
Lamb Weston, North America’s king of fries and a major supplier to fast food chains, is cutting jobs amid falling profits, according to CNN.
The company will lay off about 400 people, which amounts to 4 percent of its workforce at a time when its share price has fallen 25 percent this year. It is closing a production facility in Washington state as well.
About 80 percent of french fries consumption in America comes from fast food chains, according to the company.
I remember a time when I would eat at fast food places because I didn’t have much money.
Look how much fast food prices are up despite inflation only being up 31%.
McDonald’s prices up 100% since 2014. pic.twitter.com/BpgvpgBh0b
— 💯 Cary Kelly 💯 (@CaryKelly11) September 7, 2024
McDonald’s is Lamb Weston’s largest customer, making up about 13 percent of its sales.
The company said promotions that offer low prices are cutting back what consumers buy.
“Many of these promotional meal deals have consumers trading down from a medium fry to a small fry,” Lamb Weston CEO Thomas Werner said during an earnings call.
We cannot reward incompetence and deceit.
2 years ago, Kamala Harris cast a tie-breaking vote in the senate for the “inflation reduction act”.
Kamala casting the tie-breaking vote on the ‘Inflation Reduction Act’
She’s responsible for inflation.
We are now over $35 Trillion… https://t.co/g1JcvBlFNf pic.twitter.com/U4PHeHLLrU
— Eloisa Elias (@eloeliasds) October 2, 2024
Consumers are also shunning fast food.
Lamb Weston says that fast food traffic overall dipped 2 percent in the last quarter after a 3 percent drop the quarter before that.
In a recent post on its website, Lamb Weston said that over the past quarter, its net income dropped 34 percent.
North American sales were down $31.7 million a 3 percent decline over the same quarter in 2023, the company said.
A Biden-Harris one-two punch to Americans’ wallets.
This administration’s historic inflation is hurting everyone.https://t.co/go5aV9ZvKU
— Senator Eric Schmitt (@SenEricSchmitt) July 29, 2024
In May, the House Republican Conference noted that fast food prices have soared during the Biden-Harris administration.
Republicans said that as of May, the price of a medium order of french fries at McDonald’s was up 167.6 percent
The price of a Big Mac meal rose 103.5 percent since President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took office, while the price of a Hamburger Happy Meal rose 140.6 percent, the GOP study said.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
