A third of fish and chip shops could close due to oil shortages, experts warn

Prices of fish and chips are going up and a third of friers could be forced to close within six months due to oil shortages, industry experts have warned.

The UK sources most of its sunflower oil from Ukraine, but exports have been disrupted by supply-chain issues caused by Russia’s invasion of the country.

The news, first reported by The i, comes as shortages cause prices of cooking oil to rocket. According to the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF), fish and chip shops are having to pay more than double what they were months ago.

Andrew Crook, president of the NFFF predicts that around 3,000 of the estimated 10,500 fish and chip shops in the UK are struggling to keep up with rising costs and could close within half a year.

Crook, who owns Skippers Fish & Chips in Euxton, Lancashire, said the shop typically uses around 200 litres – 10 20-litre drums – of sunflower oil per week.

While one drum of oil cost him £30 at the beginning of the month, he is now paying £44 per drum.

“I’ve got 40 drums in my shop at the moment, and I probably won’t be able to get any more after that, so I’ll have to make it last,” he tells the Independent.

Prices of alternative oils, rapeseed and palm, have also surged. Indonesia, the world’s largest producer of palm oil, announced a ban on exports of the oil on 22 April.

Rapeseed oil price has been impacted by poor yields of the crop in 2021. Canada, the world’s top producer, recorded a 35.4 per cent national decrease in the production of the oil last year.

Crook said the surging prices pose a risk to both the livelihood of small businesses and British culture.

“The government doesn’t seem to realise that when its your business, it’s your way of life, it’s your lifestyle,” he said.

“It’s very difficult for small businesses to keep up with all the changes. It’s not just businesses and numbers of shops that will fall, it’s all these second or third generation family stories.

“It’s our responsibility to keep them going, but through no fault of our own we are at risk of failing.”

Skippers is one of many shops across the UK which has been forced to raise its prices for customers in a bid to stay open.

Crook previously raised the prices of his menu in March – a fish and chips meal increased from £7 to £8 – but he fears he may have to do so again, to £8.50, in the coming weeks.

“Nearly every shop is having to do it. We want to try and keep it as realistic as possible, but I have to try and protect my business and my employees jobs,” he said.

“The country will be a lot less rich if we lose all these independent takeaways. There’s something about independent businesses that make this country special, especially fish and chips, which is an iconic dish.”

The news comes as major supermarkters, including Tesco, Morrisons and Waitrose have introduced restrictions on how much cooking oil a customer is allowed to purchase.

Tesco is allowing shoppers to buy three bottles of oil at a time, while Morrisons and Waitrose have limited customers to two bottles each.