Opinion : Is the CO2 shortage a taste of things to come after Brexit?
Have you heard about the shortage of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) gas and the effect it could have on products available in the shops?
In yet another example of the fragility of modern society it seems that the closure, for planned maintenance, of several factories producing the gas could result in shortages of food in the shops.
The gas is pumped into packs of cooked meat, cheese, salad and other perishables to keep the items fresh and extend the shelf life. Of course this begs the question just how ‘fresh’ is the ‘fresh’ food available in the shops. After all the product is only being kept suitable to eat by the chemical gas.
Of course fizzy soft drinks, as wells as the dreadful alcoholic drinks, are given their ‘fizz’ by CO2. No fizz equals no fizzy drink.
CO2 has revealed itself as a major behind the scenes player in the modern food and drink industry. If the gas goes short look what happens.
So what will happen in a few months time when we leave the EU? Tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, oranges and other fruits all come from the EU, suppose there were to be a shortage of food after Brexit? It’s very possible….
We live in a wonderful, yet fragile society, where the just in time supply mechanism is the king. One hiccup and the house of cards we call modern society falls as shown by the CO2 crisis.
As for my good self, well, it just so happens that very recently yours truly visited a large supermarket in the Cressex area and purchased hundreds of tins of all my favourite fizzy drinks not to mention enough packed meat, with long sell by dates, to keep me out of hunger for several weeks.
I know what you’re saying, ‘He’s stockpiled it all for himself – the rotter!’. Well in a way you are right however in my defence the drink and food was purchased for the party I am hosting when England win the 2018 World Cup on Sunday 15th July 2018.
What do you think?
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