The foods being ignored by UK coronavirus panic-buyers
The government has urged people not to panic-buy in light of the coronavirus outbreak.
Despite this, people are still clearing the shelves of household items like pasta, rice and toilet roll.
Products like Loyd Grossman’s pasta sauces and Uncle Ben’s rices are proving to be unpopular amongst panic buyers, though.
People who are gluten- or dairy-intolerant may also be able to pick up their staples, as there’s still plenty of dairy-free milk and gluten-free products lining the shelves.
It seems that people are opting to bulk buy the cheaper priced items, with Loyd Grossman’s pasta sauces coming in substantially more expensive than other sauces.
The same goes for rice packets, with people choosing the cheaper supermarket-branded rice packets over Uncle Ben’s, which is 40p more expensive.
Read more: This picture sums up Britons' online grocery struggle during the coronavirus crisis
As far as handwashes go, people cleared out all handwashes on offer aside from a gin and tonic-scented handwash that was left propping up the shelves.
Once again, it’s one of the higher-priced items on the shelves.
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While milk and long-life milk are long gone, shoppers can still get their hands on oat milk and other milk alternatives.
Pre-cooked meat is nowhere to be found, while soups and broths are still available.
People have started using Twitter and local Facebook groups to locate the items they most need.
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The most sought-after items tend to be essentials like nappies and toilet roll, while Calpol and paracetamol are the most hard-to-find items in the pharmacy department.
“Someone is selling 2 calpol for £35 on Facebook. You lot have lot the plot,” One angry person wrote on Twitter.
Someone is selling 2 calpol for £35 on Facebook. You lot have lot the plot.
— ⵙⵉⵀⴰⵎ 🇲🇦 (@DindaMok) March 18, 2020
Other people are asking for advice on what to do if they can’t manage to locate the products they need.
“Unable to buy Paracetamol for love nor money. Asked the chemist if my GP can prescribe? No, not since Christmas as it can be got over the counter (minor meds). How do I manage a medium fever at home, with my kids, with no access to paracetamol (OR CALPOL) PLEASE HELP,” somebody else wrote.
#covid19UK Unable to buy Paracetamol for love nor money. Asked the chemist if my GP can prescribe? No, not since Christmas as it can be got over the counter (minor meds). How do I manage a medium fever at home, with my kids, with no access to paracetamol (OR CALPOL) PLEASE HELP
— Zeta Pleaidian LUFC Corbenista (@Zed_Grain) March 18, 2020
The government has assured the British public that there is no reason for people to be panic-buying, and that with many people unable to get key household items, now’s the time to cut back on stockpiling.
