Sunflower shortage: why cooking oil has become so expensive

Shoppers are in for a shock as the cost of kitchen essentials hits record highs

Whether it's chips, stir-fry or curry on the menu, the financial shock from the war in Ukraine is being felt keenly in the kitchen as cooking oil prices hit record highs.

The cost had already rocketed even before Vladimir Putin's invasion, but now vegetable oil goes for 1.30 a litre at the supermarket, up 23p, or 22%, on a year ago. Sunflower oil - of which Ukraine and Russia are major producers - is up sharply too, by 17p to 1.34 a litre, according to NielsenIQ Scantrack data.