The UK Government has agreed a deal to restart carbon dioxide production amid a growing crisis over the widespread food shortages.
Carbon dioxide is crucial for the food and beverage industry, with industry experts warning that supplies of essential food and drink items could run out in a matter of days due to the CO2 shortages.
The gas is also essential to some NHS operations, sparking concern that procedures including invasive surgeries could be delayed, worsening the backlog of patients waiting for operations.
So what is the Government doing about the CO2 shortages? Here’s what you need to know.
What is the Government doing about the energy crisis?
The UK Government is to pay out millions of points to restart CO2 production at CF Industries’ Teesside plant, according to a report by the BBC.
They will reportedly meet the fertiliser plant’s full operating costs for three weeks “whilst the CO2 market adapts to global prices.
Environment Secretary George Eustice told the BBC that the short-term deal with US-owned CF Industries “will not be a loan, it will be a payment to underwrite some of their fixed costs”.
Only one of the two closed CF Industries’ plants will reopen under the new deal, with the Cheshire site set to remain closed. CO2 production at the Teesside site will take about three days to restart.
Around 60% of the UK’s commercial carbon dioxide supplies previously came from the two large CF Industries fertiliser factories, which produce CO2 as a by-product.
Both were forced to pause production due to soaring gas prices, with their closure dealing a huge blow to the supply of CO2 to the food and drink industry, worsening the current energy crisis.
What food and drink items are affected by the CO2 shortage?
Carbon dioxide is widely used within the food and beverage industry. Here are the main uses:
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Ensuring the humane slaughter of livestock, including chickens and pigs
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Bottling and adding the fizz into carbonated drinks, including cider, lager and soft drinks
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Creating the dry ice that keeps products chilled in transit
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Extending the shelf-life of numerous food and drink products, from salads to fresh meat and poultry, by changing the atmosphere within food packaging
The sudden carbon dioxide shortages have meant that Britain faces imminent shortages of meat, fruit, vegetables, cheese and a number of frozen foods, as well as fizzy drinks and beer.
The British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) issued a warning earlier this week that CO2 supplies could run out in just two weeks, with UK-wide supermarket shortages just days away.
Nick Allen, chief executive of the BMPA, told The Mirror that some poultry plants have already run out of carbon dioxide, and that around 85-90% of chicken and pig slaughterhouses would be forced to cease working without the gas.
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