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Potato shortage causes 'chipocalypse'

Potato Chips - Level 0

There is a potato problem in New Zealand. Potato chip lovers are calling it a "chipocalypse". A very wet winter has hit potato farmers. In some areas, farmers lost a third of the potatoes used to make potato chips. Companies will make fewer potato chips. The price of potato chips will be higher.

The Potatoes New Zealand group said: "It started raining in March, and it…hasn't stopped. We've had the entire year's worth of rainfall already." The ground never dries out. He said potatoes need to breathe, but they are drowning and rotting. A big supermarket said it was working to make sure potatoes are in the shops.

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Potato Chips - Level 1

There is a shortage of potatoes in New Zealand. This means there could be fewer potato chips until next year. Potato chip lovers are calling this a "chipocalypse". This is from the words "chip" and "apocalypse". New Zealand has had a very wet winter. This has hit potato farmers. In some areas, a third of the potatoes used to make potato chips has been lost. This means companies will make fewer potato chips, and prices for potato chips will be higher.

The Potatoes New Zealand group told a radio station: "It started raining in March, and it just simply hasn't stopped. We've had the entire year's worth of rainfall already….It's continuous, so the soils never get a chance to dry out." The group said potatoes are alive and need to breathe, but they are drowning and rotting because they are under water. A big supermarket said: "We are working…to manage supply as much as possible."

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Potato Chips - Level 2

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There is a shortage of potatoes in New Zealand. This means there could be a lack of potato chips (crisps in British English) until next year. Potato chip lovers are calling this a "chipocalypse". They joined the words "chip" and "apocalypse" to make this new word. The chipocalypse is because of a very wet winter. This has hit potato farmers. In some areas, a third of the potato crop has been lost. The wet weather has hit the potatoes used to make potato chips. This means companies will make fewer potato chips. It also means prices for potato chips will be higher.

New Zealand potato farmers told a news station about the problem. The Potatoes New Zealand group said: "It started raining in March, and it just simply hasn't stopped. We've had the entire year's worth of rainfall already, so the rainfall is 25 per cent above average….It's continuous, so the soils never get a chance to dry out." The group said potatoes are alive and need to breathe. He added that the potatoes are drowning and rotting because they are under water. A big supermarket chain said: "We are working closely with our suppliers to manage supply as much as possible."

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Potato Chips - Level 3

Potato chip lovers in New Zealand could be in for a big shock. New Zealand is facing a possible potato shortage in the next few months. This means there could be a lack of potato chips (crisps in British English) until next year. Newspapers are calling this situation the "chipocalypse". They combined the words "chip" and "apocalypse" to make this new word. A possible chipocalypse is because of a very wet winter in New Zealand. This has hit potato growers. In some areas, a third of the potato crop has been lost. The wet weather has particularly hit the potatoes that are used to make potato chips. This means makers will make fewer potato chips and prices for potato chips will be higher.

A spokesman for New Zealand potato farmers told the Radio Live NZ news station about the problem. Chris Claridge, head of Potatoes New Zealand, said: "It started raining in March, and it just simply hasn't stopped. We've had the entire year's worth of rainfall already, so the rainfall is 25 per cent above average and while that might not sound like a lot what it means is it's continuous, so the soils never get a chance to dry out." He added: "Potatoes are actually alive. They need to breathe, and so effectively they drown, and then they start to rot because they're submerged in water." A major supermarket chain said: "We are working closely with our suppliers to manage supply as much as possible."

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