Lidl Malta rations basic items as staff blame Ukraine invasion

Lidl Malta is placing a limit on the number of basic items customers can purchase on a single trip, with shoppers told that a shipment of products got caught up in Russia. 

Several notices have been stuck along the tills of the bargain supermarket, with only a handful of products allowed per receipt. 

Clients can only buy five items of canned fruits and vegetables, while toilet paper, kitchen towels and napkins are limited to three pieces per item and per receipt.

One-litre bottles of vegetable oils are limited to three pieces per receipt, while five-litre bottles are limited to one item. 

Corned beef, baby food and flour are limited to a maximum of three pieces per item and per receipt. 

While Lidl Malta has not issued an official statement explaining the limits, customers at the supermarket's outlets were told that a shipment of products is caught up in Russia. 

Maltese importers and producers are scrambling to secure alternative supply sources due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The price of wheat has risen by almost 30% since the war broke out, and 60% since last January. 

One importer told MaltaToday that the rise in wheat prices will not be absorbed for much longer, while importers and producers held meetings with government officials this week to discuss the supply shortage. 

READ ALSO: Wheat prices up 60% since January, importers seek state support