Is there a threat of a toilet paper shortage ?: Klöckner warns of Corona hamsters

Is it starting again? With the increasing corona cases, supermarket chains are reporting an increasing demand for toilet paper – like in spring. The federal government urges consumers to exercise restraint: "There is no reason to buy hamsters," says Consumer Protection Minister Klöckner.

In spring, shelves in supermarkets with products such as toilet paper and pasta were swept empty by the day – the corona pandemic caused uncertainty among consumers as to whether the supply was guaranteed. Now the number of new infections reported daily and large supermarket chains such as Aldi and Edeka are increasing due to increasing demand for certain products such as toilet paper. Recently, photos of empty shelves with toilet paper have been making the rounds in social networks.

Julia Klöckner, Federal Minister for Agriculture and Consumer Protection, is now appealing to consumers not to buy larger quantities than usual despite the increasing number of corona infections. "There is no reason to buy hamsters," she told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

"The supply chains work – that still applies," said the CDU politician. At no time during the pandemic was the food supply in Germany at risk. "Those who hoard not only act illogically, but also with lack of solidarity. And in the end a lot ends up in the bin." On Friday, Chancellor Helge Braun said that consumers "don't have to worry" about retail supplies.

Klöckner added: "From the lockdown-like situation in the spring, we have important empirical values ​​to ensure that economies in the pandemic can be successful." Politics and business now know how "provision and supply can be organized responsibly". "The conviction not to close borders without prior agreement is also important so that the European exchange of goods works in times of pandemics." Concerns about bottlenecks are unfounded. "If everyone goes shopping normally, you don't end up standing in front of empty shelves yourself."

.