Tesco shoppers slam 'bleak' sign of the times as olive oil becomes latest kitchen staple to be security tagged after price of 'liquid gold' soars to up to £18 per bottle
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Tesco shoppers have slammed the supermarket for a 'bleak' sign of the times after the retailer put security tags on yet another kitchen staple - its entire range of olive oil.
A photograph taken by a shopper showed almost full supermarket shelves containing bottles of the precious oil covered in netting and with a security tag attached.
The shopper, called Jackie, posted the photograph on her X account and wrote: 'What has the world come to?'
The 'liquid gold' is becoming increasingly expensive due to tough weather conditions in the Mediterranean hitting olive growers, driving up prices there and abroad.
Social media users were quick to pile in with outrage at the latest sign of the cost of living crisis.
The 'liquid gold' is becoming increasingly expensive due to tough weather conditions in the Mediterranean hitting olive growers, driving up prices there and abroad
Tesco is just one of the UK's supermarkets which have been forced to put up oil prices in response to rising costs
Others pointed out that it wasn't just the expensive branded olive oil subject to the new security measures: own brand oil and sunflower oil were also seen to be tagged.
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Although some of the more expensive bottles cost up to £18 each, some as cheap as £6.60 also appear to be subject to the new security measures.
It comes amid an increase in shoplifting in recent months as hard-pressed families struggle with the cost of living crisis.
Other items previously photographed with tags include baby formula, steaks and even blocks of cheese.
Some online pointed out that the netting did not look as secure as some other shop security techniques, however.
One user said: 'Feels like scissors solve this problem pretty easily.'
A second added: 'They're gonna find a lot of these cut/ripped off and hidden around the store strictly out of SPITE.'
A third simply said: 'This is so bleak.'
The security measures could be partly due to the rising price of olive oil across Europe.
Pictured: The price of the cheapest bottle of 500ml olive oil in each UK supermarket.
Ignacio Silva, chief executive of Deoleo, the world’s biggest olive oil seller by revenue, told the Financial Times this week prices have risen so high in Europe that many consumers have stopped buying olive oil altogether.
Droughts and heatwaves in Spain in particular have hit production. In the last two years just 2.4 million tonnes were produced globally, compared to a normal annual production of 3.2 million tonnes.
It's meant that Spanish olive oil prices have tripled in the last three years, with Portugal and Greece also seeing year-on-year prices rising by more than 60 percent.
The UK has seen similar rises, with forecasters in May predicting the cost of a litre of olive oil would soon top £16.
ONS data shows the average price of a litre bottle of olive oil had already soared by 39 percent in the year to March to just over £8.
The price has more than doubled since 2018 and continues to rise.
Tesco has been contacted for comment.