London is preparing for food shortages in a secret scenario

The British government is preparing in a secret review for the possibility of food shortages that could occur if the war in the Middle East lasts longer, The Times wrote. There may be a shortage of products whose production uses carbon dioxide, which allows food to be stored longer.

The government prepared a “worst case scenario” assuming that the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and hostilities would last until June.

In this case, the lack of critical supplies of carbon dioxide (CO2) would primarily hit agriculture and the hospitality sector. The shortages could cover products such as packaged pork and poultry, but also baked goods and lettuce, the daily calculated. Breweries that use CO2 for production will also suffer, while the FIFA World Cup starts in June, the newspaper noted in a text published on Wednesday.

The Times explained that CO2 is used (as a stun agent) in the slaughter of almost all pigs and more than two-thirds of chickens in the UK, and the sector is not likely to have large stocks.

According to the authors of the analysis, carbon dioxide reserves could drop to 18%. current state, and high gas costs will lead to a decline in the production of ammonia and fertilizers throughout Europe, the by-product of which is CO2.

Experts assumed that factories could be asked to increase CO2 production by stopping other types of production. During the work, emergency regulations were also discussed that would force factories to cooperate, and which could be adopted in just a few days.

British officials plan to prioritize health care and nuclear energy: a collapse in CO2 supplies could threaten human lives by running out of dry ice to cool blood, medicines, transplanted tissues and vaccines. Power supplies could also be at risk.

The COBR committee (also called COBRA), convened in exceptional situations or serious disruptions in the functioning of the state, was responsible for preparing the analysis, the newspaper emphasized. Officials from the ministries of health, defense, business, environment, energy, housing and the ministry of finance participated in work on the scenario.

A government spokesman told The Times that action had already been taken in March to strengthen the UK's key CO2 supplies. – We continue to work closely with business groups to counter the effects of events in the Middle East – said the spokesman.

The daily emphasized that the so-called reasonable worst-case scenarios does not mean predicting future events. Such scenarios are “a planning tool used by experts”.

After the American-Israeli attack on Iran, Tehran began shelling, among others, civilian, especially petrochemical installations in neighboring Arab countries where US forces are stationed. He also blocked the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world's imports were exported. world crude oil and LNG. (PAP)

os/adj/