Bun Shortage: McDonald's Can't Sell Big Macs Here

(RTTNews) - McDonald's Corp. (MCD) has suspended sales of Big Macs in Venezuela as the fast food chain is unable to source buns - one of the key components of a burger. Venezuela is suffering from food shortages recently due to an ongoing economic and political crisis.

Arcos Dorados (ARCO), the world's largest McDonald's franchisee, said it was not able to supply the middle bun that separates the burger's two meat patties. The company operates McDonald's restaurants throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

While the company is working to resolve the problem, it will continue to offer menu options, including the Quarter Pounder, CBO and a cheeseburger called the McNífica.

This is not the first time that a McDonald's item has been taken off the menu in Venezuela. In 2015, McDonald's was forced to stop selling french fries in the South American country for several months due to shortage of potato. Restaurants replaced French fries with alternative options like yuca fries.

Venezuela is reeling from a huge shortage of food and other items. Following the deepening humanitarian crisis, the country temporarily opened its borders to Colombia over the past two weekends.

On Sunday, Venezuelans flooded into Colombia to buy basic foods and toiletries. Demand for sugar and toilet paper was reported to be very high.