Sunflower oil price keeping you from frying up your faves? Why canola may do the trick

The price of sunflower oil is on the rise and it’s not about to change any time soon considering that Ukraine and Russia are responsible for 60% of the world’s production.

A recent monthly price survey of 44 grocery items produced by the Household Affordability Index by Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group (PMBEJD) showed that cooking oil, along with cake flour, had the steepest price increases of all the basic food items.

Sunflower oil is the preferred fat, a versatile oil used for deep frying as the high smoke point means it can withstand high temperatures and produce really crispy chips and batter and is great for browning and searing of food as well. What would life be without the foods South Africans love — slap chips, amagwinya/vetkoek and samosas?

Taking a look at what oil alternatives we have on the local market, the closest to sunflower oil is canola. Considered to be a healthier option, canola is growing in popularity because it’s free of cholesterol, low in saturated fats and high in omega fats. Yet when it comes to cooking, because of its medium smoking point, canola may be just as good for frying and browning but does not quite match the crispy results that deep frying in sunflower oil offers. 

Because of the health benefits and increased demand for it, more SA farmers are turning to canola and if you’ve ever driven in the Western Cape in late summer/autumn, particularly in the Overberg and Swartland regions, the winter rainfall areas where it grows particularly well, it's easy to spot canola because of the beautiful fields full of bright yellow flowers. Canola is a brassica and part of the same family as cabbage and cauliflower.

But more importantly, for hard-pressed consumers how does it compare in price? A quick scan across the online supermarket platforms which reflect recent increases in sunflower oil, reveals some brands of canola are cheaper, others on a par and some even slightly more expensive. But with increasing oil prices due to the ongoing Russian/Ukraine conflict, fried food is about to become a lot more expensive.  

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