Tesco has joined Waitrose and Morrisons in limiting the amount of cooking oil customers can buy due to the supply disruption caused by the war in Ukraine.
Tesco has set a limit of three items per customer, whilst Waitrose and Morrisons have restricted shoppers to two items each.
Most of the UK’s sunflower oil comes from Ukraine, with the disruption to exports leading to shortages and increased demand for alternatives such as olive and rapeseed oil.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) stated that the restrictions are a temporary measure “to ensure availability for everyone”, and noted that retailers were working with suppliers to ramp up production of alternative cooking oils.
Speaking to the BBC, Ged Futter, founder of consultancy The Retail Mind and a former Asda buyer, stated that shoppers can be reassured that there are plenty of alternatives when it comes to cooking oils.
“We are used to an abundance of varieties, what we may see is that they become more limited,” he said
But he also warned that sunflower oil may soon be unavailable on the shelves. “These limits may delay things a bit, but in a couple of months, there won’t be any sunflower oil available to buy,” he suggested.
However, Ukraine and Russia are also major exporters of wheat with experts warning that items such as bread, pasta, and beer could face shortages and higher prices in the months ahead.
Tim Lang, professor emeritus of food policy at City, University of London, said: “We are talking about rationing sunflower oil today, but it could be other products soon.
“The Ukraine crisis is piling on the agony and reminding us – and the Government – that we cannot assume supermarket shelves will always be full.”
He stated that there was destabilisation coming into food system and it is time for the Government to “get a grip”.
Lang added: “It should not be up to supermarkets to decide what we can and can’t buy, the Government must be involved.”
Some have called for more support for farmers in the UK who are facing surging costs that could add to the shortage issues.
Food security expert Professor Erik Millstone of the University of Sussex said: “The combination of rising input prices for farmers with the supermarkets determination to keep their prices competitive to avoid losing market share could mean that incentives for farmers to increase production would evaporate.”
NAM Implications:
- A pal of mine as manager of a local Tesco…
- …when faced with an overstock of sugar, would load it onto pallets around the store and label it: Strictly two bags per shopper…
- …and watch it fly.
- Thus the rationing of cooking oil could have unintended consequences?
