Supermarket chains in the north and north-east have started rationing the amount of cooking oil customers can buy amid shortages of supply from Ukraine.
Retailers including Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose have put up signs alerting customers to the issues.
Notices in the Morrisons on King Street in Aberdeen say shoppers are limited to just two bottles.
Ukraine is the largest exporter of sunflower oil in the world, and together with Russia, the countries produce approximately 80% of the global supply.
However, logistical disruptions from the Black Sea following Vladimir Putin’s invasion, have caused an array of issues with trade, with stock of sunflower oil reportedly running low.
Tom Holder, spokesman for the British Retail Consortium (BRC), told The Independent: “The war in Ukraine has disrupted supplies of sunflower oil to the UK. Some retailers have introduced limits on the number of bottles customers can buy as a temporary measure to ensure availability for everyone.
“Where sunflower oil exists as an ingredient in products, retailers will be substituting it with other safe oils, such as rapeseed oil. Retailers are also working with suppliers to ramp up production of alternative cooking oils, to minimise the impact on consumers.”
Shortages of veggies due to ‘heavy rainfall’
Meanwhile, Asda has also enforced ration on vegetables shopping due to “weather conditions of heavy rainfall”.
Customers have been restricted to buy only a specific amount of cabbage, celery and tomatoes, while some signs put up in stores warn of “low availability”.
One of the signs in Asda in Elgin said: “Due to low availability, each customer can only purchase five items, we’re working hard to keep our shelves stocked.”
The Irish Times has reported a combination of torrential rain and rising fuel costs has led to shortages in a Europe-wide shortage of lettuce, peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes.
