Currently, consumers are facing runaway inflation (7.4%), mainly derived from the pandemic and its impact on the global supply chain. Logistical constraints have increased delivery times and reduced supplies of everything from lumber to cream cheese to computer chips and much more. The fastest acceleration in the price of consumer goods since 1982. But consumers looking for a respite should seek patience.
Now another catastrophic global event further fractures the supply chain: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And this time an essential victim is claimed in the food world: sunflower oil.
The largest exporters, faced. It could be said that sunflower oil has become what it was just two years ago, toilet paper, when part of society began to accumulate huge amounts of paper, after the confinement and state of alarm decreed by the Government to cause of the pandemic. In this case, the Russian invasion has increased fears of a possible oil shortage. The two leading countries are key and thousands of Spanish companies will be particularly vulnerable.
Ukraine is the world’s largest exporter of sunflower oil, responsible for up to 46% of sunflower and safflower oil production, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity. The second largest producer is Russia, which exports about 23% of the world’s supply.
what touches us. A few days ago, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food analyzed the cereal sector and its impact after the threat from Russia. He explained that Spain imports from Ukraine annually an average of 2.7 million tons of corn, 22% of Spanish imports. It also imports 233,000 tons of sunflower seeds, 68% of Spain’s imports of this product, as well as approximately 500,000 tons of sunflower oil.
“The paralysis of these imports, together with the increase in the price of these raw materials, can cause situations of great tension in supplies in the short term,” explained the Ministry.
battered food. A problem that will worsen in the industry that uses this material for its production, such as industrial sweets. In fact, this sector warns without hot cloths: they only have reserves to maintain their activity for two or four more weeks. Companies like Produlce are already trembling over the phenomenon. According to the company, 70% of the sunflower oil imported by industrial sweet and pastry companies comes from Ukraine and “there is nowhere to find it.”
No pastries, muesli or fried tomato. As explained in this article, the war puts the Galician canneries in check, which is at stake for 56% of their production, which is the one that uses oil mainly from the Ukraine, while the remaining 44% is packaged in olive oil. olive. It should be noted that mussels or sardines are bathed in sunflower oil. But the truth is that there is a huge amount of unexpected products that are also prepared with this vegetable fat and that, predictably, will rise in price.
in the database Open Food Facts You can consult the products for sale in Spain that include this ingredient. Beyond chips, snacks and industrial pastries, there are striking preparations: Muesli, Alioli, whole wheat bread, fried tomato, seitan, mayonnaise, paella, cookies, prepared lasagna, vegetable burger and endless other products.
#Consumption 🥫/ Prices on sunflower oil are increased and the sale of sunflower oil and seeds is limited, a maximum of 5 liters per customer. Poster seen in a “Hiperber” supermarket in #Catral. pic.twitter.com/PsRm66Nyg3
– Moises Cruz Ballesta (@ballesta_cruz) March 9, 2022
Supermarkets already limit sales. Large Spanish supermarkets such as Mercadona, Makro, Consum or Salvamás have already begun to ration sales of sunflower oil due to the conflict in Ukraine and the increased demand for the product derived from consumer fears of a possible shortage or rise in prices. . Mercadona has decided to limit its customers to a maximum of five liters per person per day, either in several smaller bottles or in a single large one. Consum, for its part, will do the same, with one bottle per consumer. And in El Corte Inglés, three bottles.
Eroski is another supermarket that has made a similar decision and will only allow five bottles per customer per day. Savings has also been added to the list and will only allow the purchase of two one-liter bottles or one five-liter bottle per person. On social networks, some users publish images of the cartels that can already be seen in establishments.
Are there substitutes? Regarding possible substitutes, the most viable options are palm oil —in fact, it was already used and replaced by sunflower oil—, rapeseed oil (rapeseed oil) or coconut oil. According to sources in the sector, the olive oil would be easy to obtain in Spain, but due to its flavor and composition, they say it would not be the right one. It’s a perfect storm. In case of finding a solution in this race against time, the industry is already working to avoid another obstacle: adapt the labels with the change.
There is a European regulation that requires mandatory indication of the oil used. If there is an urgent change in the formula, it will be impossible to change labels and packaging. Especially since it is possible to use different oils even depending on each batch, because there is no alternative that can supply the entire production. The biggest challenge is the redesign and that the printers are capable of making hundreds of thousands of references throughout Europe.