Crumpets are the latest victims of a shortage of carbon dioxide that has affected food and drink production across the UK.
Warburtons said it had been forced to suspend crumpet production at two of its four bakeries, in Enfield in London and Burnley in Lancashire, because it did not have enough gas for use in packaging designed to keep the products fresh.
The company told the trade journal the Grocer that it was producing “nowhere near” its usual 1.5m crumpets a week.
A spokeswoman for the baker told the Guardian: “We are working hard to ensure availability but we are already experiencing shortfalls and this will only continue to get worse unless supply is returned to normal very soon.
“Faced with the tough trading conditions that we were all already battling, it’s fair to say this is a most unwelcome challenge to be dealing with right now.”
Brewers, fizzy drinks, poultry processors and pig slaughterhouses have been affected by shortages of CO2 over the past 10 days – caused by a longer than usual summer break in production of ammonia, one of the key sources of CO2 in Europe.
Some JD Wetherspoon pubs are temporarily without draught John Smith’s and Strongbow, while Booker, the UK’s biggest grocery wholesaler, has begun rationing beer, cider and soft drinks because of a shortage in supplies and heavy demand driven by the heatwave and World Cup fans.
Coca-Cola has “temporarily paused” some production because of the gas shortage.
The problem is expected to ease next week as one major ammonia plant in the UK is expected to restart on Friday and another on 7 July.
