According to the consumer advice center, the so-called hamster purchases are unnecessary (and please don't bring up the old gags about buying hamsters, we haven't laughed about them in 2020).
However, the food supply in Germany is considered safe. Although there may be short-term delivery bottlenecks for individual products, these can be easily compensated for by alternative products. Panic buying is therefore inappropriate. According to the Lower Saxony Consumer Center, they exacerbate the problem and can lead to unnecessary food waste.
“It is understandable that short-term supply bottlenecks, for example for flour and sunflower oil, unsettle many consumers. However, panic buying is neither necessary nor recommended,” explains Anneke von Reeken, nutrition expert at the Lower Saxony Consumer Center. On the one hand, there are good alternatives, on the other hand, stockpiling is a lack of solidarity. They exacerbate temporary shortages and often lead to unnecessary food waste due to their limited shelf life.
Olive or rapeseed oil can be used instead of sunflower oil. “Rapeseed oil is available at a similar price and the fatty acid pattern is balanced with many omega-3 fatty acids and is even superior to sunflower oil,” explains the nutrition expert. Refined rapeseed oil can be used for both hot and cold cuisine. It is even ideal for very high temperatures when frying. Refining removes unwanted substances. The oil is stable to heat and relatively tasteless. Cold-pressed oils, on the other hand, should only be used for cold cuisine, such as salad dressings.
Grains and flour: avoid food waste
In contrast to sunflowers, Germany grows grain itself and produces flour in sufficient quantities. Self-sufficiency is therefore secured, and panic buying is also unnecessary here. “Freshly ground flour also has significantly better baking properties than flour that has been stored for a long time,” explains von Reeken.
The limited shelf life and loss of quality also speak against long storage, says von Reeken: “The shelf life of flour depends on the degree of grinding. Wheat flour 405 has a shelf life of around 18 months, wholemeal wheat flour only six to nine months." Another reason not to stock up too much: Pests, such as the flour moth, can nest, especially in dry products such as flour. The affected food must then be completely disposed of.
Panic purchases: No supply bottlenecks for meat and milk
No shortages are expected for animal products such as milk and meat. However, prices could continue to rise because Ukraine is an important supplier of animal feed: around half of the feed corn used in Europe, as well as other feed components such as sunflower cake, come from there.
The energy crisis also affects food prices. Rising electricity costs for cold storage facilities are making dairy and meat products more expensive.
Further information on possible delivery bottlenecks for food and alternative products can be found at www.verbraucherzentrale-niedersachsen.de/stiege-lebensmittelpreise .
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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )

