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Date Published: 10/03/2022
ARCHIVED - Not so sweet: Spanish confectionery sector running out of oil for cakes and desserts
Bakeries in Spain only have enough sunflower oil to last another two to four weeks
Russia’s ongoing military offensive in Ukraine is beginning to strangle European economies, with the cost of oil, gas and fuel reaching unprecedented highs and a supply shortage of grains from the besieged country threatening the agricultural sector. The confectionery industry in Spain has become the latest casualty, and has warned that without an injection of raw materials from abroad, it only has reserves to last another few weeks.
In recent days, several of the major supermarkets have begun rationing the sale of sunflower oil as panicked customers have cleared the shelves. Around 70% of the sunflower oil imported by sweet and bakery companies in Spain comes from Ukraine, and if this stock isn’t replenished soon the industry simply won’t have the ingredients to make its pastries, cookies and chocolate treats, warned Rubén Moreno, General Director of the Produlce association.
“The substitution of all the sunflower oil used in the food industry in Europe by the same product is not feasible. There is nowhere to find it,” Mr Moreno said.
Regarding possible substitutes, the most viable options are palm oil, rapeseed oil and coconut oil. According to sources in the sector, olive oil would be easy to obtain in Spain, but due to its strong flavour and composition, it simply would not work.
“We are at the mercy of the market, of what can be found in such a short time and, furthermore, of what can work with a new recipe. It is a perfect storm,” the director explained.
And while the Organisation of Consumers and Users (OCU) this week reassured consumers that a supply crisis is in no way imminent, confectionary companies are painting a very different picture. As demand for the same product increases, prices will inevitably go up, but this is not the main issue. If bakers and chocolatiers aren’t able to get their hands on sunflower oil, they have stressed, there will almost certainly come a time, when supermarket shelves are empty of pastries, biscuits and even certain breads.
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