McDonald's has temporarily stopped selling milkshakes in the UK

McDonald's locations in England, Wales and Scotland are temporarily no longer serving milkshakes and bottled drinks due to supply chain and logistic issues.

In a statement emailed to Paste BN, McDonald's said supply chain problems were impacting the availability of a small number of items, and they are working hard to return the items to menus as soon as possible.

McDonald's is not alone when it comes to supply chain concerns. All over the UK, there is a shortage in HGV (heavy goods vehicle) truck drivers, who are critical to delivering supplies to restaurants and chains for meal preparation. 

There are a few possible reasons for the shortage in HGV drivers:

• Around 30,000 HGV drivers tests were cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic, according to a BBC report.
• Many drivers were notified by the NHS to isolate after a potential COVID exposure, according to a BBC report.
• The latest Brexit deal led 25,000 EU truck drivers to return to their home countries, according to the Financial Times.

Industry leaders and lobbyists have been calling on the British government to allow more immigrant drivers to fill this labor shortage, but the government has instead decided to focus on streamlining the HGV driver certification process and increase the number of tests, says the BBC. 

Supermarket chains in the UK like Tesco are offering bonuses over $1,000 to incentivize truck drivers to continue delivering goods. 

Michelle Shen is a Money & Tech Digital Reporter for USATODAY. You can reach her @michelle_shen10 on Twitter.