The war in Ukraine advances and sunflower oil 'disappears'

First the coronavirus, then the war. Just as the pandemic caused shortages of essential items, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has disrupted important food supplies, causing prices of staples like cooking oil to rise in supermarkets around the world. Before the war, Ukraine was the largest exporter of sunflower oil in the world. Now, the conflict has halted harvests and left many countries with limited supplies of edible oil at sky-high prices, deepening the food crisis in East Africa and leading to export restrictions in Indonesia. Some consumers, most recently in the UK, are having to limit their purchases of cooking oils as supermarkets and restaurants adjust to rising costs. “Supply chains, already disrupted by COVID-19, have been further affected by the war in Ukraine, causing shortages of some ingredients such as sunflower oil and driving up the price of substitute ingredients,” said Kate Halliwell, chief science officer for the Food and Drink Federation, which represents the ...