sunflower and rapeseed oil
Edible oils in some places scarce or rationed
03/13/2022 12:29 p.m
Not long ago, toilet paper was hard to come by. Cooking oils in particular are probably being hoarded as part of the Ukraine war. Consumers are increasingly faced with empty shelves. Some supermarkets are already reacting to the increased demand and are rationing the products.
After pasta and toilet paper in the spring before last, edible oils now seem to trigger a buying reflex in consumers. This time it is not about arming yourself against the consequences of Corona, but against supply bottlenecks as part of the Ukraine war. Because the country – just like Russia – are the world’s most important export countries for sunflower oil. However, rapeseed, linseed and soya are also imported primarily from the Ukraine and can currently only be supplied to a limited extent. Which in this country leads to empty shelves in supermarkets and increased demand from customers.
Psychologists also explain the hoarding of certain products by the fact that people want to fight their helplessness with some kind of actionism out of fear. Nevertheless, at this point a gentle admonition: Also if war scares you, there is no reason to stockpile cooking oils. Besides that, this is antisocial. After all, there are also people in our country who neither have a forklift nor sufficient strength to stock up on pallets of goods that are currently in high demand. Every bottle of oil that is now casually picked up in stock increases the feeling of having to replenish one’s stocks. Which then leads to what is known as a buying panic, leaving simply nothing left for some. So please let it be.
Unfortunately, the pantries are still being filled with sunflower and rapeseed oil. What initially led to increased prices for the products, but meanwhile some supermarkets have switched to rationing suntan and rapeseed oil.
Sometimes the price almost doubles
For example, Aldi Süd limits the sale of oil from its own brand “Bellasan” to four bottles per customer. This is reported by the Lebensmittel Zeitung (LZ). If not a limit per customer, there will definitely be higher prices for cooking oil. According to research by the online magazine “Chip”, cooking oil currently costs at least 1.80 euros. For comparison: last year cheap oil was available for less than one euro.
There could also be higher prices and possibly further rationing for other foods. For example, with pasta, rice, jam, chocolate and mustard. Because here, too, the basic raw materials for the production of food – such as wheat, mustard seed, rapeseed and soya – come from the Ukraine. German industry associations warn that deliveries from Ukraine can hardly be replaced by another country.
The war is also likely to have an impact on meat and milk production in Europe: in addition to sunflowers and rapeseed, more than two thirds of the soybeans produced in Europe come from Russia and Ukraine. These products are important raw materials for feed production for German cattle, pigs and poultry.
In addition to the tense situation in Ukraine, there are other reasons that are currently affecting the deliveries of certain products: crop failures, staff shortages due to Corona or the increased production costs due to high energy prices.
You should have this at home as an emergency supply.