A third of fish and chip shops in the United Kingdom could close if the shortage of essential ingredients like cod, haddock and sunflower oil is not addressed by ministers, an industry chief has warned.
The National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF) claims that since the outbreak of war in the Ukraine, makers of the great British dish have had to close, raise prices or change their menus.
The United Kingdom is deeply dependent on seafood from Russia, the world leader in exports of cod, as well as potato fertiliser used to make chips.
In 2020, Britain imported a third of all whitefish into the UK at a cost of £200million.
Added to this pressure, the NFFF have said, is sunflower oil – half of which comes from Ukraine – which has also seen its supplies disrupted.
This has had a knock on effect on palm and rapeseed oil that has also risen in price as it is more in demand, according to the Times.
The NFFF has also warned that the government’s hope to put in place sanctions on Russian whitefish will put more of a stress on the ‘sad’ situation.