Russia’s war heats up cooking oil prices in global squeeze

By DEE-ANN DURBIN, AYSE WIETING and KELVIN CHAN
Associated Press

ISTANBUL (AP) — Cooking oil prices have been rising worldwide since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and Russia’s war in Ukraine has sent those costs spiraling. It’s the latest fallout to the global food supply from the war, with Ukraine and Russia the world’s top exporters of sunflower oil. And it’s another rising cost pinching households and businesses as inflation soars. People in some countries are facing limits on how much vegetable oil they can buy at supermarkets and costs that show no sign of slowing. Restaurants and other businesses that rely on cooking oil are being forced to make the difficult choice to raise prices for customers or absorb the cost themselves.