In recent days, some store shelves in Germany have started to shine empty again. There is a shortage of cooking oil in particular, but increased demand for other durable food products such as flour, pasta and rice is also evident. According to the Lebensmittel Zeitung, these items are increasingly being purchased in large quantities by aid organizations and individuals for shipment to Ukraine. Hygiene items and child care products are also increasingly being purchased and then transferred to the war-stricken country.
Many stores in Germany are restricting sales
Supermarkets Aldi, Lidl and some Rewe stores have announced that purchase limits have been imposed on selected products. This particularly applies to sunflower and rapeseed oil, as well as flour.
Sale only in small quantities
The Rewe supermarket in Frankfurt limits sales of vegetable oils, flour, toilet paper, paper towels, rice and pasta to a maximum of two per household. Lidl sells only five canned goods per household.
Food oils are imported largely from Ukraine and Russia
However, the reason for the shortage is not just the increased demand for certain food products. According to the association of oilseed processing companies in Germany (Verband der ölsaatenverarbeitenden Industrie in Deutschland, Ovid), Ukraine with 51% and Russia with 27% are the most important exporters of sunflower oil in the world. Germany meets 94% of its domestic edible oil demand through imports, and the outbreak of war has caused supply problems.
Source: www.t-online.de, www.insidegermany.co