OSLO SPEKTR (Nettavisen):
– War affects everyone because we put enormous pressure on supply lines around the world. Cost increases are everywhere. Demand for soy and palm oil, which destroys rainforests, is growing, says Ole Robert Reitan, owner of Rema.
Watch a video with Reitan on how Rema 1000 affects the war in Ukraine:
He emphasized that there are major challenges throughout the value chain. Higher oil prices also increase the store’s transportation costs. Reitan knew to say that Rema 1000 also lacks workers.
– Many factors come into play, which ultimately lead to price pressure, Reitan stated, but emphasized that predictions are more serious than reality at the moment.
Reitan: – Many dishes need to change the recipe
The owner of Rema did not answer specifically which food products need to change their recipe, but stated that sunflower oil is an important ingredient in many foods, in addition to the fact that Rema 1000 sells millions of liters in bottles.
Sunflower oil is one of the most important ingredients in Nougat, cookies and crisps.
– Sunflower oil is currently the biggest uncertainty. We need to change some recipes. I have to go back to what products are relevant, he says.
He said the shortage also creates problems for the packaging of these products.
“It is our absolute goal to get sunflower oil back into most products, he said, and hoped they would return to stable production as soon as possible.
Rema announces changes to Norwegian food products
– Fear is great
In his presentation at the NHO conference, Reitan stated that crisis preparedness and fear are high, and there are challenges with both raw materials and stocks.
He said that as an international food producer, he is humbled by Rema 1000’s social mission of ensuring that people have food on the table. He emphasized that food and fuel are essential in a war situation.
– It is important to produce food where it is. The war situation we are in now is proof of that, said the owner of Rema and pointed out:
– I am a globalist, but what we have experienced in the last two years with both the pandemic and the war shows that all food production is good. Norway must ensure that we produce what we can, but also import what we can. This will contribute to the green shift and value creation, he said.