CO2 crisis will force shops to tighten food use-by dates
SELL-BY dates on packaged food will be shortened as a result of the carbon dioxide shortage, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.
The gas is used in the vacuumpacking process for meat, poultry, cheese, salads and ready meals as a preservative.
Industry insiders say that to prevent a shortage of such products, they will have to be given a shorter shelf life, as factories could possibly dilute CO2 with other gases in order to eke out supplies.
As a result, shoppers are being warned to pay close attention to what they buy, with consumer groups saying they could be “caught out” by the shorter dates.
Supplies of beer and fizzy drinks could also run low but shoppers have been told there is no need to panic-buy despite what has been described as the “worst CO2 supply situation in Europe for decades”.
One industry source said: “In the short term, we are likely to see the shortening of use-by dates on anything that is vacuum-packed as opposed to lack of supply of products – that is the more pressing concern.”
James Daley, of the consumer group Fairer Finance, said: “It is important retailers are really clear with customers about the change. If someone is used to buying something regularly, and the date is usually a standard time away, then they will not necessarily be checking the use-by date.
“It is incumbent on retailers to be clear if use-by dates are shortened – the responsibility lies with them.”
Sell-by dates are expected to be shortened by one day on average. Some retailers have already reported issues
with supplies of certain goods in parts of the UK. Wetherspoons has warned it will run out of popular brands of beer, and the British Poultry Council has said 60 per cent of chicken production will need to be suspended within days.
The shortage has arisen because CO2 is a by-product of ammonia fertiliser production plants, many of which have closed for maintenance over the summer while demand for ammonia from farmers is usually low. Gas is expensive and difficult to import, meaning food producers depend on local suppliers.
Food and drink industry bodies have held urgent talks with the Government, supermarkets and other sellers to find ways of avoiding empty shelves.
“We should not panic buy,” Mr Daley said. “People should stay calm. We are fortunate to have a great selection of different foods to choose from.”
Some Twitter users, however, said they had already started panic buying. A shop worker said she was “telling customers not to panic buy, yet I’m panic buying”, while others were stockpiling beer ahead of England’s World Cup match against Panama tomorrow.
Tesco said it was “working with our suppliers to help minimise disruption for our customers” while Sainsbury’s said it was making sure it had “contingencies in place”.
A Government spokesman said: “While this is an issue for industry, the Government is in contact with the relevant companies and trade associations, including those within the food and drink sector and main carbon dioxide suppliers.”