Frozen food in Britain is under threat due to lack of carbon dioxide

Producers of frozen foods demanded that the problem be resolved quickly.

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Britain faces the prospect of running out of frozen food, after a sudden shortage of carbon dioxide plunged producers into a crisis. Online retailer Ocado warned that it could not deliver frozen goods due to a shortage of dry ice made with gas, while one of the country's largest meat producers urged the government to step in to get supplies back up and running. And ministers held urgent meetings, recently, with the heads of energy companies, after the high prices of carbon dioxide gas, which led to the sudden closure of a major producer its factories in the north of England, last week.

The factories, operated by the US giant CF Industries, produce about 60% of Britain's carbon dioxide.

This gas is also used in animal slaughterhouses, as it is a preservative in packaging fresh food and transporting frozen goods.

The material is in demand by hospitals and the nuclear power industry.

On its website, Ocado warned that it had limited capacity to deliver frozen foods, and blamed it on "a UK-wide shortage of dry ice, which is used to keep goods frozen during delivery".

The chief executive of Kranswick, the meat producer, Adam Koch, said his company is just days away from running out of carbon dioxide.

"It will run out in seven to 10 days without a doubt," he said, adding, "This is a serious situation, because, along with the shortage of staff and processing difficulties, it adds more pressure to the already very difficult situation."

This crisis echoes the 2018 shortage, which was caused by the random closure of a number of fertilizer plants in the UK and Europe.

At the time, there were fears Britain might run out of soda during the World Cup, while some bakers were forced to suspend production of mini pies.

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