Indispensable for many dishes, such as the essential fries, it has become increasingly rare and expensive since the start of the war in Ukraine.
A bowl of fries, cod fritters or even patatas bravas… The preparation of these small pleasures, offered by restaurateurs, requires sunflower oil. But Russia and Ukraine account for no less than 78% of world exports of this oil.
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A dependence on the production of these two countries which today puts restaurateurs in the face of the difficulties of supplying this component. “ Professionals are stocking up on this oil as long as they can and are starting to turn to alternatives “says Pascal Mousset, head of the GNI union in Île-de-France, which has three restaurants in the capital. This is what Romain Vidal, director of the restaurant Le Sully in Paris, did: I anticipated because I knew sunflower oil came from Ukraine and Russia. I have three months in advance and I recommend as soon as my supplier can deliver it to me. A strategy also adopted by the fast food chain Big Fernand:We managed to secure stocks of sunflower oil to ensure the production of our recipes. We are therefore not afraid of a shortage for the time being while putting in placethis in all our restaurants advanced operational processes to reduce our oil consumption as much as possible», declares the French company.
The price of a liter of sunflower oil multiplied by two
But it was still necessary to think about it and have the financial means to buy such a quantity of oil, while prices are soaring. “ The liter of sunflower oil went from 2 euros to 4 euros. I try to buy some every day. It’s first come, first served “, highlights Thomas, manager of the restaurant Le Tapas in Montpellier. In an attempt to stem any rush towards this product, Metro, a food wholesaler for professionals, took the decision on March 14 to limit the sale of sunflower oil to 50 liters per customer per day. which corresponds to the average act of purchase of our restaurant customers. The objective is to smooth the availability of products for everyone as long as possible. “, explained the company in a press release.
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The other option for professionals is to turn to alternative components. “ Restaurant owners are moving towards rapeseed or peanut oil. They make mixtures so that it is resistant to high temperatures, especially for frying. But the price of all oils has increased “, highlights Pascal Mousset. An increase in the components which is likely to be felt in the prices offered to consumers. “ I won’t have a choice. I haven’t yet passed on this increase, I’m waiting for the end of May to be sure that it really fits in time », Recognizes Thomas, restaurateur in Montpellier.
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Several professionals are even considering revising their charts to reduce their dependence on oils. “ We are going to modify some of our dishes so that the price impact for the customer is not too high “, confirms Pascal Mousset of the GNI.
But for some like Sébastien Leroy, who sells fries and sausages in Normandy markets, it is difficult to envisage a change in products. Complicated indeed to imagine a sandwich accompanied by green beans instead of fries… “ We wanted to opt for cooking with beef fat or peanut oil, but many consumers are allergic. We try to buy as much sunflower oil as possible but we had to increase the price of some of our portions of fries“, he explains. His family trays of fries have indeed increased by 50 cents.
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