POLL | Do you reuse your cooking oil?

The price of cooking oil has again been thrown into the spotlight after gunmen robbed a warehouse of a “substantial quantity” of the product.

The raid in Kempton Park, Johannesburg, saw stock of 2l Sunfoil cooking oil stolen.

“The robbers held up the staff at the facility and proceeded to load three trucks, understood to be stolen , with substantial quantities of 2l Sunfoil sunflower cooking oil,” The Willowton Group said.

One of the three truckloads was recovered in Vanderbijlpark on Wednesday night and a number of suspects arrested.

The company offered a reward of R100,000 for information that could lead to the successful apprehension of the perpetrators and/or recovery of the stolen goods. It asked the public not to buy the stolen stock.

While many people were shocked at the robbery, others said it was understandable, given the price of cooking oil. A few shared their tips on how to save cooking oil by reusing it.

Sunflower oil prices spiked globally earlier this year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The  two countries account for about 62% of world sunflower oil exports.

It has since dropped slightly, with a 2l bottle of Sunfoil, the same brand and quantity as that which was stolen, costing between R82 and R108 on special.

The Competition Commission said in May it is monitoring the spike in sunflower and other edible oil prices and will take action if retail prices are not justified by rising costs.

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