It is still difficult to measure the extent of the shortages that will result from the sanctions against Russia. But the question of oils has been on the table since the beginning of the invasion. Among the first exporters of this commodity to Europe, Ukraine does not see the end of the conflict, and there is no question of getting Russia out of the sanctions regime.
Fries, crisps, margarine, ready meals or biscuits… Sunflower oil is essential in the composition of many foods popular with French consumers. To cope with the shortage of oils, especially sunflower, manufacturers of everyday consumer products have asked the authorities for “derogations” to sell products “revisited” without changing the labels. But the NGO Foodwatch claims in a press release on Friday a “full transparency”.
What is the impact of the war on supplies?
The numbers impress. “Two-thirds of French sunflower imports come from Ukraine, mainly for the manufacture of oil and meal [résidus solides issus du pressage de l’huile, ndlr] for animal feed, details Foodwatch. “The sunflower oil used in cooking is oil from oleic sunflower, which is mainly produced in Ukraine”, confirms Jean-Philippe Puig, managing director of the Avril group, the French number 1 in vegetable oils and proteins (Lesieur, Puget).
“France is also a producer, but more of erucic sunflower, non-food, which is used in oleochemicals” and therefore imports a large part of its sunflower food, he adds. “Lesieur only uses sunflower produced in France, but this is not the case for private labels.”
On the availability of oils, Bertrand Ouillon, general delegate of the French Interprofession of the valorization of the potato (UGPT), wanted to be reassuring: “A priori, our manufacturers are covered in oil, at least until this summer”, he assures, citing “rapeseed availability” and explaining that professionals work “on alternatives to sunflower, blends of oils”.
Where do you find sunflower oil?
Pretty much everywhere. Among the 800,000 tonnes of edible vegetable oils consumed each year in France, according to Terres Univia, the inter-professional body for vegetable oils and proteins, sunflower oil is first and foremost the best-selling cooking oil in France, in front of olive oil. It is found in margarine, crisps, fries, in sardines in oil but also in many prepared dishes.
Several sectors are also worried about the impact of these shortages. Starting with the bakery. Many traders are already reporting rationing by their suppliers, while the bulk of the impact has yet to be felt. The prices themselves have soared. Between April and October, the ton for harvest 2021 traded between 460 and 550 euros. That of harvest 2022 exceeded 1000 euros this week. Consequently, sunflower oil prices are expected to more than double. And reverberate both in the bottles on sale in supermarkets and in dishes and food.
What can I substitute for sunflower oil?
This is the sensitive question, raised by Foodwatch this Friday. In the absence of this commodity, “Manufacturers are therefore turning to substitute ingredients, such as rapeseed oil, palm oil and GMO soybean meal from Latin America”, explains the NGO.
Fediol, the European vegetable oil and protein meal industry association, confirms these fears: “There were rapid reactions from operators, who decided to reformulate their recipes, with a view to replacing sunflower oil with rapeseed oil. In the case of frying oils, there have been substitutions of sunflower oil against palm, soy and rapeseed oils.
Manufacturers have therefore, explains Foodwatch, “asked for waivers to sell these revisited products without changing the labels.” If the NGO says it understands “the exceptional nature of the situation”, however, she believes that “consumers should be aware of these ingredient changes”. She started a petition “demanding full transparency”, via information “on shelves” some stores “and online, for each product transparently and without delay”.
The government recently confirmed that manufacturers have requested “flexibility” on labeling rules. “This is a subject on which we continue to work with consumer associations and professional federations” to define the criteria for exemptions, a government source said on Thursday.
How will consumers be notified?
The speed with which the sunflower crisis has arisen has taken the food retail sector by surprise, the manufacturers claim: “Changing the labeling takes a long time and the products could no longer be offered for sale in the meantime”, as long as the packaging states, for example, ‘100 % sunflower oil’, says an industry source.
Bertrand Ouillon, of the UGPT, confirmed the requests for derogations from the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF), which monitors the proper information of consumers, “because we must specify the origin of the oils”. The president of the Cérélia company, Guillaume Réveilhac, also explains that “The DGCCRF is giving us this flexibility to simply inform on the packaging that these vegetable fat complexes are subject to evolution. It is declarative, we need this functioning. Enough to reassure consumers and associations?