We’ve lost our f izz!
Britain may run dry of pop and beer because of CO2 shortage
WITH the spectacle of the World Cup, the picnic season here and the prospect of a barbecue summer, it is deflating news.
For Britain faces running out of beer and fizzy drinks as a result of a shortage of carbon dioxide.
The gas is also used in food production, meaning supplies of packaged meats and salads could be hit.
The threat is so serious that the Food & Drink Federation has asked the Government’s food department Defra to help businesses obtain CO2.
Some brewers have warned pubs that they are unable to supply lager or keg bitter and Wetherspoon, which has nearly 1,000 pubs, admitted: ‘There’s a good chance that some drinks won’t be available very soon.’
A spokesman said: ‘We’re aware of the situation and working with suppliers to minimise any disruption. But the fact is that there is definitely going to be a problem that will affect not just Wetherspoons but all pub and bar operators.’
Tesco’s website is showing that products including its own-label fizzy drinks, Schweppes lemonade and Dr Pepper are ‘currently unavailable’.
The gas shortage comes as pubs are hoping for an increase in trade as drinkers watch the World Cup.
It is understood to stem from a longer than usual break in production of ammonia, one of the key sources of food grade CO2 in Europe. Trade journal Gas World said it has been described as the ‘worst supply situation to hit the European carbon dioxide business in decades’.
It said the UK is being hit particularly hard as only one major CO2 plant was operating earlier this week and imports from the Continent had been affected by the shutdown of plants in Europe. A large number of plants that handle ammonia and produce the gas have been shut for longer than expected maintenance at what is a period of peak demand.
The journal said many CO2 users, especially beer and soft drinks firms, are desperate for supplies, with the shortage likely to last at least until the end of the month.
British Beer and Pub Association chief executive Brigid Simmonds said the CO2 crisis is already stopping beer production. ‘Given the time of year and the World Cup, this situation has arisen at an unfortunate time for the brewing industry,’ she said.
Sales of alcohol and soft drinks were also expected to be boosted by the forecast of a hot summer.
But the British Poultry Council said the threat of disrupted food supplies is more serious than any beer shortage.
It warned that up to 60 per cent of the UK’s poultry processing plants could be halted within days as CO2 is used in both the slaughtering and packaging processes.
Chief executive Richard Griffiths said: ‘We have never seen anything like this before, and it’s a situation that has become very serious very quickly. Some of our members have as little as a day’s supply of the gas left, while others have no more than a week or two.’
‘We have asked the Government to prioritise us and help keep the supply chain moving in order to avoid any knock-on effects in the longer term regarding animal welfare and gaps in food supply.’
The British Meat Processors Association said it was ‘very concerned’. Deputy director Fiona Steiger said: ‘Supply is running out and it’s pretty tight for some people. We don’t know when supplies will be back up. We’ve been told it could be about a month.’
The Association of Independent Meat Suppliers said it will meet Defra and the Food Standards Agency to discuss the implications for the food chain.
The Food & Drink Federation has called on the Government to
‘It will hit all pubs and bars’
get involved. Defra said yesterday: ‘The Government is aware that there are reports of a CO2 shortage affecting the food and drink sector, and that industry is working to find a solution.
‘Whilst 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 CO2 suppliers.’
However, the shortage of keg beer is being seen as an opportunity by some – the Campaign for Real Ale is using it to highlight the benefits of cask ale, real cider and perry, which are naturally carbonated and do not need added fizz, meaning supplies will be unaffected.
IT was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives when Andy Mitchell married his bride Meaghan in a £30,000 ceremony in Mexico.
But only 16 days later their marriage had hit the rocks after the new Mrs Mitchell was caught having an affair – which her husband claims began on her hen night.
Forty-year-old Mr Mitchell barely had time to enjoy his honeymoon before he discovered the 21-year-old woman in whom he had complete trust was keeping such a devastating secret.
This week he alerted the world to the betrayal after posting an advert on a public Facebook site to try to sell his tainted wedding rings.
Mr Mitchell, from Kelty, Fife, tells in excruciating detail the collapse of his fledgling marriage.
The taxi manager, who wants £400 for two rings, also posted on Facebay Fife images of texts he claims were swapped between his bride and her new man.
Mrs Mitchell yesterday admitted she had left Mr Mitchell for another man but insisted they had not slept together until after the wedding.
The Mitchells married in Akumal Bay Beach Resort in a £6,000 ceremony attended by friends and family. Photos of the wedding on Facebook show the apparently happy couple on the beach with their well-dressed guests.
But only a fortnight later Mr Mitchell made his very public online statement that the marriage was over.
Alongside a picture of the rings, he wrote: ‘Hi, recently I got married in Mexico on the 3rd of June and this was the wedding set I used while Meaghan Mitchell said her marriage vows. However, six days later I found out she started having an affair on her hen night and it carried on for eight weeks through our dream wedding.’
The previous day he had posted a series of what he claims were screenshots of his wife’s phone that appeared to show an intimate conversation between two people. He said he was more ‘shocked than hurt’ when he found out, adding: ‘We had no secrets. We trusted each other completely.’
Explaining how he found out, he said: ‘I managed to get her phone off her and locked her outside. I read all the messages and took pictures. We both knew the codes for each other’s phones. I checked all the messages, it had eight weeks of messages with this guy.
‘All her friends and family are embarrassed. They don’t want anything to do with her.’
Mrs Mitchell admitted going off with another man but insisted: ‘We did not have sex on our hen do – it was after the wedding. I didn’t do anything on my hen night. We know what we’ve done and take full responsibility.
Of her relationship with Mr Mitchell, she wrote: ‘I was young and naive when I first got with him.’
Mr Mitchell said the ‘dream wedding in paradise’ had turned into a nightmare back in Scotland. He added that he did not sleep or eat for three days after finding out his new wife had run off.
‘This has been my worst ever break-up,’ he said. ‘Everybody is embarrassed. She was sleeping in her car and now the two of them are staying in hotels in Dunfermline. Her mum is not speaking to her. All her friends do not want to speak to her. She’s only got this guy because she is so desperate.’
The fallout from their big day is in sharp contrast to their wedding, after which Mr Mitchell wrote: ‘Perfect location with the most unbelievable-looking woman I have ever seen in my life.
‘She looked sensational – no, sorry, in fact words can’t describe how beautiful she was – a wedding only most can dream about, and we made it reality.’
But only five days later he found out about the affair and took to social media again.
He wrote on Facebook: ‘Worst thing about it all is some struggled to afford Mexico, some couldn’t go and were gutted to miss the big day.’
Posting again on June 19, he claimed: ‘Last night she was greetin’ and begging for me to take her back.’
‘We trusted each other completely’