In supermarkets and discounters such as Rewe, Aldi and Lidl, customers often find themselves in front of empty shelves. Oil and flour are scarce, now the next bottleneck is imminent.
Kassel – Empty shelves at Aldi*, Lidl*, Rewe* and Co. are currently not uncommon. The food shortage is one of the consequences of the Ukraine war*. Hamster purchases of flour, oil and pasta do not exactly improve the situation. Supermarkets and discounters react to this and regulate the sale of these foods. This could soon be the case for another staple food.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, twice as much oil was bought in the week from March 7th to 13th, 2022 as before the start of the Ukraine war. Sales of flour have even tripled. Rice could also soon become scarce on the shelves in supermarkets. No wonder, since the popular food is a good alternative to pasta, bread and other grain products.
| belongs to the cereal species |
| Oryza sativa und Oryza glaberrima |
| 19 |
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Aldi, Lidl, Rewe: The next staple food could become scarce
In addition, rice has a long shelf life and contains some healthy ingredients. In addition to magnesium, iron and zinc, rice contains vitamin E. Rice also provides potassium, fiber and other minerals that are important for muscle building and blood formation, among other things. Now the food seems to be becoming even more popular with consumers: According to Manager Magazin, 74 percent more rice was bought in the second week of March than in 2021. This is shown by data from the market research institute IRI.
After pasta and flour: Rice could become more expensive at Aldi, Lidl, Rewe and Co
If consumers also hoard rice, this could result in Aldi, Lidl, Edeka* and Co. then having to regulate the sale of rice as well. Grocery prices in supermarkets have risen anyway*. Rice could also be more expensive in the supermarket. This is also due to the cost of transporting food: Crude oil prices have risen as a result of the Ukraine conflict*. There were already problems with the supply chains at the beginning of the Corona * pandemic, when toilet paper, flour and yeast were scarce.
First Corona, then the Ukraine war: You cannot always prepare for emergency situations. The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) has drawn up an emergency list for such cases:
| water | 20 Liter |
| Cereals, cereal products, bread, potatoes, pasta, rice | 3.5 Kilograms |
| vegetables, legumes | 4.0 Kilograms |
| fruit, nuts | 2.5 Kilograms |
| dairy products, milk | 2.6 Kilograms |
| Fish, meat, eggs, whole egg powder | 1.5 Kilograms |
| fats, oils | 0.357 Kilograms |
| Sugar, ready meals, honey, iodized salt, pretzel sticks, etc. | At will |
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Experts: Food crisis due to Ukraine war not ruled out
At the beginning of March 2020, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach warned of an impending food crisis* in view of the Ukraine conflict. He urged people to eat less meat. This means that more grain and soy can be grown. Lauterbach had referred to a Twitter post by Bernd Ulrich. He is deputy editor-in-chief at Die Zeit. In his tweet he spoke of a global food crisis.
Eggs could also become scarce in supermarkets shortly before Easter: due to the Ukraine conflict, energy and animal feed prices rose. As a result, farmers will be able to care for and keep fewer chickens in the coming months – and will no longer be able to maintain the supply of eggs from Germany. (ter) *hna.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
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