This is one of the first visible effects of the war in Ukraine on consumers. This Thursday, the Leclerc brand decided to limit the number of bottles of oil per household in our department.
In the Leclerc oil section, a poster states this:
“In order to serve you better, we limit the number of bottles of oil to a maximum of three per checkout”.
The reason is stated below:
“Due to the global shortage and anticipation, E. Leclerc Réunion is now making the decision to limit the number of bottles of oil to three bottles per household per cash register in order to avoid overstocks and thus control our stock.
We want all Reunionese families to benefit from this essential product in the coming months.
We therefore call for individual and collective responsibility. We will keep you informed of the evolution of the situation.
No more sunflower oil on the shelves, customers surprised
For the brand’s customers who come shopping at the Rainy River, it’s a cold shower, there is no more bottle of sunflower oil. †I had heard of it, but I didn’t think it was there” is surprised Géraldine before adding “I’m going to buy olive oil. I usually cook with both, but honestly more with sunflower oil. We’re going to make it anyway, we don’t have a choice.”
Same surprise for Véronique “I’m very, very surprised, I really am. I did not expect that. And for the oils that are left there are no prices listed so I didn’t take any oil, I’ll try to look elsewhere if there is one. Before it was Covid it is now war in Ukraine. If I can’t find it, well, then we eat healthy, we steam†
Ludovic will do the same, after doing most of his shopping with Leclerc, he will try another brand to find sunflower oil because without his precious golden liquid he is a bit lost”we’re going to look in another shop because I can’t even cook without oil, that’s unheard of!†
Solange and Catherine, they take things philosophically’we make do with what’s left, which is the olive oil. It is more expensive but we use no less of it than sunflower oil and then we do not use oil with every meal. Even if it takes a few months, we’ll get through it. For every problem there is a solution†
And for Loane and Williams, the alternative is not olive oil.”we’re going to cook with butter, it probably won’t taste the same but we don’t have a choice†
Short of flour, pasta, wheat in a few weeks?
In mainland France, the effects of the war in Ukraine are beginning to be felt. The shelves of oils, flours or pasta in stores have been subject to supply tensions for several weeks, among other things, mainly due to the behavior of consumers stocking up. In France, the bosses of the wholesale distribution want to reassure and indicate that there is no shortage for the time being. However, given the current context, many uncertainties remain. For wheat, Ukraine’s agriculture minister estimated at the end of March that the Russian invasion risked cutting the next grain crop in half.
Some consumers on the island of Reunion are beginning to wonder if they should stock up. †We may be purchasing certain products in larger quantities. We saw with the Covid that it was not the solution but okay, the fear of missing something is stronger“says Peter.
†I think we’re going to do some stocks to close out the month and then we’ll see later…‘ said Ludovic.
Géraldine follows her principles and refuses to consume too much “Honestly, no, I’m not going to stock up. We’ll take something else, we’ll adapt. We always manage to find something to eat†
Sunflower oil dropper
With regard to sunflower oil, the Leclerc brand has decided to implement this policy in all its stores. One of the employees told us “it’s been a few weeks since the shelves have been filled drop by drop. In the morning it is still possible to find a few bottles of oil but in the afternoon it is over†
Another member of the board was more radical”the management put up this poster this morning, the department manager told us he didn’t know when he would get sunflower oil again so nothing more until further notice†
Some observers indicate that the problem of shortage of sunflower oil could arise after the summer, as Ukraine is the largest exporter in the world. Some have already taken the lead by resorting to olive oil… but the addition will be a bit saltier.
Florice Houngbo
