Burger King on February 2 began handing out one-kilo bags of potatoes free of charge to customers picking up drive-through orders at restaurants in France. The giveaway campaign is in solidarity with the plight of potato farmers who, like restaurateurs and other foodservice operators, have suffered financially during the ongoing coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic that has spread from China to infect the entire world during the past year.
The fast food chain, which is a major buyer and seller of frozen fries, elaborates on the fresh potato giveaway at its french market website. The text has been translated to English as follows:
“It’s no mystery that at the moment the restaurant industry is not in its best shape. And when this sector is affected, it is also the case that thousands of farmers cannot sell their stocks. Among them are the potato growers who now find themselves with tons of potatoes on their hands.
“This is why we wanted to act and help them, by buying over 200 tons of potatoes from them and giving them to you, our customers…Say ‘yes’ to homemade tartiflettes, raclettes and shepherd’s pie, enjoy yourself and, above all, keep buying potatoes!”
Meanwhile, the head of France’s hospital federation on February 5 called for a new nationwide lockdown over concern that hospitals hardest hit by the Covid-19 health crisis may have to delay elective surgical procedures in intensive care units to accommodate priority coronavirus cases.
Prime Minister Jean Castex, however, while assessing that Covid-19 situation in the national is “fragile,” does not believe a renewed lockdown is justified now as the rate of infection has not significantly increased over the past two weeks.
