RODNAE Productions | PEXELS
The war in Ukraine, the world’s largest exporter of sunflower oil, has resulted in a global shortage of the ingredient.
Before the war, Ukraine and Russia together provided about 75% of the world’s supply of sunflower seed oil.
According to a report at the New York Times, the disruption is already having far reaching effects, fueling a severe food crisis in East Africa and leading to export restrictions for Indonesia, while other countries’ citizens find their grocery purchases formally limited.
Supermarket chains in Spain, Greece, Turkey, Belgium and other nations have limited cooking oil purchases, sometimes describing the moves as precautions in the face of increased demand, according to local news outlets.
