The sunflower oil shortage and what it could mean for Ireland’s favourite crisp

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, there are reports of supply issues for an array of produce, including sunflower oil.

And if you've spent any time at all looking at a packet of Tayto, you'll know sunflower oil is a key ingredient in the beloved snack.

Tayto Crisps, image via Shutterstock 

In a statement to BBC News earlier this week, Edible Oils, which is the leading bottler of cooking oil for UK retailers, says it only has a few weeks of sunflower oil stock left. According to Sky News, Ukraine and Russia supply 80% of the world's supply, and the conflict has caused huge disruption to imports. Kim Matthews, commercial director at Edible Oils, told the BBC:

From a UK consumer perspective, sunflower oil is the biggest oil. It's used more than anything else. It's a fast-moving situation. "We're still trying to see if we can get some more but it's looking very tight.

Kim added that the shortage could last for over a year, as usually Ukrainian farmers would be sowing seeds now for harvest in October and November. In the UK, the Food Standards Agency has issued advice to consumers that some food products labelled as containing sunflower oil may instead contain refined rapeseed oil, in an attempt to to maintain the supply of certain food products containing ingredients that have become difficult to source due to the conflict in Ukraine. Lovin reached out to Tayto for comment on whether the price or availability of their products would be affected by the supply issues of sunflower oil. Header image via Shutterstock  READ NEXT: REVIEW: Spending the night at Killyhevlin's Woodland Lodges