Sunflower oil crisis because of the Ukraine war: French fries and chips soon scarce?

Manufacturers sound the alarm

Created: 03/22/2022, 10:48 am

By: Anna Lehmer

The Ukraine war not only has an impact on gas and coal, sunflower oil is also becoming scarce.

French fries and chips could therefore soon become scarce.

Munich – empty shelves, full shopping trolleys: Germany is again in the hamster buying fever.

It feels like déjà vu at the beginning of the pandemic, only this time the toilet paper is not the object of desire.

Instead, people buy sunflower oil by the gallon, which could become scarce due to the Ukraine war.

The Ukraine with 51 percent and Russia with 27 percent are the world's most important export countries for sunflower oil.

Germany covers 94 percent of its sunflower oil needs with imports.

For consumers, this could mean that chips and fries will soon be in short supply.

Ukraine is the most important exporter of sunflower oil: will chips and chips soon be scarce?

The Association of the Oilseed Processing Industry in Germany (Ovid) warns of a sunflower oil crisis: "The stocks will probably last for a few weeks," said Ovid Managing Director Gerhard Brankatschk of the dpa.

There are currently no supplies from Ukraine.

Sunflower oil and flour are already sold out in Spanish supermarkets, or the supply is limited.

But there is no reason to worry, the supply of cooking oil and other food is safe in Spain, the umbrella organization for wholesalers and supermarkets Asedas confirmed.

In Germany, too, there is no reason to buy hamsters, because there are no fears of food shortages.

The German Trade Association emphasizes that there is enough food for everyone if everyone buys as much as is needed.

French fries and chips manufacturers are sounding the alarm because of the shortage of sunflower oil

However, the situation is different for sunflower oil, the most important supplier of which is Ukraine.

"It will be difficult for this special oil, sunflower oil, in the next few months," said the Vice President of the German Trade Association (HDE), Björn Fromm.

Many consumers are therefore concerned about empty supermarket shelves.

And the producers of chips and French fries are also sounding the alarm.

"French fries consist of six to eight percent sunflower oil," explains Horst-Peter Karos, Managing Director of the Federal Association of Fruit, Vegetable and Potato Processors (BOGK), to RTL / ntv.

The calorie bomb potato chips even contain up to 12 percent oil.

Sunflower oil: Alternatives such as rapeseed oil available

Alternative deep-frying oils are available, but their stocks are diminishing every day.

For example, refined rapeseed oil is a good choice, which is stable to heat and at the same time relatively neutral in taste due to refining, i.e. the removal of unwanted substances.

Rapeseed oil offers the advantage that Germany is one of the largest producers in the world and so less has to be imported.

With 3.7 million tons per year, however, the country is well behind the market leader Canada (20.4 million tons).

You also have to first check how rapeseed oil in the large industrial deep fryers behaves in the long term with the deep-frying stability, Horst-Peter Karos explains to RTL.

Ukraine War: High Energy Prices and Missing Ukrainian Drivers

Due to the increasing scarcity of sunflower oil, not only the price of this good is increasing, but also that of the alternatives.

In the case of rapeseed oil or palm oil - if available at all - noticeable price increases would make themselves felt, according to the BOGK in a press release.

In addition, manufacturers are burdened by high energy prices and massive cost increases in agriculture.

And as if that weren't enough, there is also the loss of Ukrainian drivers and workers employed in the logistics industry and agriculture.

French fries and crisps manufacturers: Can production be guaranteed?

For Horst-Peter Karos it is therefore clear: For the companies in the BOGK it is not just a question of the prices at which production can be carried out now and in the medium term.

Rather, manufacturers should ask themselves whether the production of food or processed potato products can be guaranteed at all for consumers.