Why Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is likely to raise costs for restaurants and food manufacturers

The price of the metal nickel has been volatile for the past couple of weeks, given that a lot of it comes from Russia. And those recent price gyrations are going to be felt in the restaurant and food industries. That’s because nickel is an important component of much of the stainless steel that’s used to make food-prep vessels, surfaces, and utensils.

Stainless steel has a few special qualities. A big one is its cleanability.

“Stainless steel minimizes microstructural cracks, crevices or valleys, where bacteria can hide,” said Abby Snyder, a professor of microbial food safety at Cornell University.

She said that’s because stainless steel is durable, more resistant to sanitizers and high heat. It doesn’t easily crack. It’s hard to chip. It’s not absorbent.

These are just some of the reasons why the food industry relies on stainless steel.