Experts claim the current trend of panic buying loo roll is comforting at time of crisis

SALES of oil, beans, lentils and toilet paper have sky rocketed as coronavirus continues to spread. And factories in Catalan have had to double the production of loo roll to meet the demand.

“Demand for our products has increased recently, but our company has business continuity plans to guarantee the supply of products”, sources from the Swedish multinational Essity, which has its headquarters in Catalonia in Sant Joan Despí (Barcelona), told Efe.

But while images of empty supermarket shelves are becoming the norm, experts claim the bulk buying of toilet paper is more an issue of control than a preventative measure or health precaution.

Toilet roll does not have any sanitary or preventive effect against coronavirus, but experts in consumption habits point out that, being a hygiene product, buying it makes people feel more relieved in a crisis situation.

Others say that, as its absence on the shelves is more noticeable because it is so bulky, people react by buying more. According to psychologists, it represents control, because it is used for tidying and cleaning.