Hospitality businesses report incidents of cooking oil theft as prices rise

Hospitality businesses have fallen victim to cooking oil theft in recent weeks amid fears of further price rises.

 

Ukraine is the largest exporter of sunflower oil in the world and the war in the country has limited supply and pushed up costs.

 

Simon Beauchamp, manager of the Golden Ring fish and chip shop in Crowthorne, reported a case of cooking oil theft to Thames Valley Police last month after he discovered CCTV footage of the incident.

 

He told The Caterer: “I suppose with everything that’s going on there’s much more need for [oil]. It can be regenerated into biodiesel with the fuel crisis, and it can also be regenerated into a reusable oil, especially when you use high-quality oils like 100% palm oil as we do.”

 

Beauchamp said he was concerned that thefts will continue. He added: “We have to store the oil in the shop now, which is not a great because it’s a smelly, dirty product.”

 

A spokesperson for Thames Valley police confirmed that “two 120-litre drums of waste oil worth £400 were stolen from a locked rear carpark” at the Golden Ring.

 

In a separate incident, Lincolnshire Police said that Nencho Borisov, 37, and Krastyo Asenov, 35, both from Wood End in London, “admitted stealing £50 worth of cooking oil from the Cod Squad [fish and chip shop] in Surfleet on 2 April”.

 

And on 13 April Uni Kebabs in Southampton posted footage of two men stealing cooking oil from their premises on Instagram.

 

Hampshire Constabulary confirmed that 11 barrels of new cooking oil had been stolen and the matter was “under investigation”.

 

Police were also called to Rownham Services on the westbound carriageway of the M27 after reports of cooking oil theft from a restaurant on 18 April.

 

Hampshire Constabulary said: "With the help of the dog unit, the vehicle involved was located in Ringwood and a 49-year-old man and a 50-year-old man from London were arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage under £5,000. The vehicle was also seized.

 

"Both men were dealt with by way of a community resolution, with no further action to be taken."

 

Shaun Allen, chief executive of Prestige Purchasing, told The Caterer that the price of oils and fats had risen 57% year-on-year and commodity prices for oils had increased by over a third in the last six months.

 

Businesses are having to take steps to deter thieves. Malcolm Howell, director of waste oil collection and cooking oil service Cater Oils, said he had invested in trackers on his barrels due to concerns over the issue.

 

Oliver Tucker, head chef at the Pig hotel in Brockenhurst, installed a 100-litre tank to store oil after thieves began targeting the venue last summer.

 

He said: “Now, [the thieves] can’t just swap the barrels out and you wouldn’t notice. We also started asking for credentials every time someone came to take the oil away.”

 

Photo: Wut_Moppie/Shutterstock