Though the pandemic has somewhat settled, certain foods around the world are now facing regional, if not global shortages.

Ramen noodles

Reuters reports that Japan’s low-cost soul food noodles is likely to become the latest casualty of the conflict in Ukraine. Traditionally eaten on New Year’s Eve for good luck – and every other day – noodles are made of buckwheat, and who produces a lot of buckwheat? Russia. While Japan produces its own, the country imports the lion’s share of buckwheat from abroad.

Russian buckwheat can still be imported, but instability and shipping disruptions are making its procurement unstable. Combined with the rising cost of living, rising commodity prices and the yen’s plunge, soba noodle makers and Ramen masters have no choice but to increase their prices. The once ultra cheap meal has almost doubled in price in some restaurants.

Related story: How to order (and enjoy) the perfect bowl of ramen in Tokyo 

Stock up on Sriracha 

The much-loved spicy condiment has also become scarce. The Huy Fong company that makes the hot sauce announced in June that chilli peppers continue to be in very short supply due to droughts in Mexico and other chilli-growing regions.

The situation is dire in the USA. One Los Angeles restaurant – a Vietnamese street food joint called Bé Ù Kitchen – begged patrons to bring in unopened bottles of the hot sauce in exchange for free food. Huy Fong reports that it won’t resume production of Sriracha until later this year at the earliest.

No more Dijon in Dijon

Don’t expect Dijon if you order steak in Paris. In France, mustard shelves are empty as the country faces Dijon mustard shortage. A staple in every French home, supermarkets have started rationing mustard purchases when deliveries arrive. Shoppers are allowed to buy just one pot per person.

Originating from the town of Dijon in Burgundy, the mustard dates back to 1634 and was created by combining brown mustard seeds with white wine. The seeds were co-planted with the region’s renowned grapevines, a practice introduced by the Ancient Romans to provide the vines with essential nutrients. But the use of French seeds to produce the condiment has been delocalised for quite some time. Dijon is now made with Canadian mustard seeds, with the country producing 80 per cent of the world’s supply. Unseasonal weather obliterated the Canadian crop, sending seed prices skyrocketing.

Dud spuds 

Chips, mash, gnocchi, vodka or dumplings, there’s so much to love the potato for. Farmers around the world are struggling to grow potatoes due to mother nature, and Australia is no exception. Due to the cold climate and frost in some parts of the country, potatoes are not growing the way they’re meant to, meaning only 50 per cent of potatoes produced are fit for sale.

It’s seen global fast food chains like McDonald’s and KFC face fries shortages. Late last year, McDonald’s in Japan temporarily limited sales of medium and large French fries to manage the shortage. KFC in Kenya ran out of fries completely in January and instead offered customers alternatives such as a portion of the national staple, ugali, or maize meal.

Why are these shortages occurring? 

“It reflects a combination of the impact from the war in Ukraine and associated sanctions – which has impacted grains along with fertiliser, adverse weather conditions (e.g. drought in parts of the US and Europe and of course flooding in parts of Australia affecting fruit and vegetables) and residual production disruptions associated with the pandemic,” explains Shane Olliver, Chief Economist at AMP Capital.

“It will ease in time – but much depends on the weather and war in Europe.”

This article originally appeared on escape.com.au. It has been reproduced here with permission. 

Related story: First it was hot chips, now a potato chip shortage is set to hit Aussie supermarkets