Several supermarkets in Lanzarote have decided to limit the sale of sunflower oil after the outbreak of the war between Ukraine and Russia, to avoid a possible massive purchase by consumers, which in some cases was already beginning to be noticed.
From HiperDino they explain that it is a "preventive" measure and that in no case are they having supply problems as a result of the war, despite the fact that Ukraine is the largest exporter of sunflower oil in the world.
In their establishments in Lanzarote you can already see posters informing the consumer that you can only buy one 5-liter bottle of sunflower oil per person or two units if purchased in other smaller formats.
In addition, the Spanish Association of Distributors, Self-Services and Supermarkets (ASEDAS), an organization of manufacturers and distributors with more than 30,000 companies, emphasizes in a statement that there is no shortage, it is simply a precautionary measure in the face of anomalous consumer behavior.
They also clarify that there are numerous alternatives to oil from Ukraine and that the efficiency of the Spanish food chain would allow these products to be supplied to the market.
This is not the first time that people have excessively hoarded specific products to prevent a possible shortage, since in March 2020 supermarkets experienced the same situation with products such as toilet paper. At that time, establishments in Lanzarote called for calm, explaining that they had enough stock, but not enough time to replace it, which left that image of empty shelves.