A flagship product in our diet could well be subject to a shortage following the war in Ukraine. Supermarkets have already started rationing it.
Our consumption habits may well undergo changes. The war in Ukraine, which has become a global emergency, is beginning to impact our daily lives. Beyond the violence of the fighting, the repercussions of the Ukrainian situation affect thee consumer sector and global industry. The rise in the price of fuel is the first manifestation of this. It would also seem that agri-food products are affected. It is already visible on the shelves of supermarkets in France.
Rising prices and rationing of consumer goods remind us of a time – not so long ago – of empty supermarket shelves. If pasta, toilet paper and hydroalcoholic gel are present in our baskets, we could say goodbye to a flagship product in our kitchen. The situation in Ukraine could reduce stocks of‘sunflower oil. This traditional and popular oil is produced, for the most part, by Ukraine and Russia. As the production of sunflower oil could no longer fulfill its pre-war quotas, its worldwide marketing was gradually slowed down. A potential shortage is looming in the near future, as indicated Dominique SchelcherPresident of System U, for France Info “Most of the sunflower oil that circulates in the world comes to 76% from Russia: in two or three months, we will run out of sunflower oil, especially for everything that goes into recipes for ready meals”. The consequences will therefore extend beyond the bottles of oil.
An upcoming sunflower oil shortage
As the agri-food market and industries were strongly impacted by the war in Ukraine, Europe decided to take measures to avoid a shortage. The European Commission lifted, on March 23, the obligation to cultivate on fallow land. If France is not yet affected by the difficulty of access to sunflower oil, our Belgian neighbors are subject to an oil quota. In Belgium, the food giants Lidl and Colruyt encourage their consumers not to rush on sunflower oil, limiting to 5 liters of sunflower oil per personinforms an article of TrimFemina. Germany, the Netherlands and Spain are also reportedly experiencing sunflower oil rationing, the same source said.
Sunflower oil is not yet the subject of a shortage in our French supermarkets, but we must not give in to the fear of lack. The confinement taught us well, ffood stock area is useless. No need to rush on the sunflower oil still available. The product can very well be substituted with delicious, equally effective alternatives. You can rely on olive, rapeseed, peanut, grapeseed or avocado oil.