Food Shortages

[planetgeli]

Tonic water has been missing from many shops here for weeks now, particularly the co-op. Winds up my gf no end as she drinks G&T. That's the CO2 thing. But for some reason Tesco have been short on milk delivery for some time too. My online delivery arrived today and we got tonic water but no milk.

 

[bimble]

Our food shortages are getting international coverage now, in America and in Indian newspapers, probably in Europe too. Sort of economics lesson tone of voice to them.

 

[Badgers]

Our food shortages are getting international coverage now, in America and in Indian newspapers, probably in Europe too. Sort of economics lesson tone of voice to them.

The BBC have it well covered I assume?

 

[Sasaferrato]

What do you think is this man right that to some extent this is going to be permanent?
I’m curious, seems like a pretty grim view he’s got but he knows how the industry is and not sure why he’d lie.

Customers face permanent food shortages fuelled by lack of lorry drivers, warns industry leader

The farm to fork supply chain is missing around half a million of the four million people that usually work in the sector, caused in part by EU nationals leaving the UK as a result of coronavirus and Brexit, an event hears.

news.sky.com

Food has become ridiculous, there will be food, just not 167 varieties of pasta.

 

[bimble]

Food has become ridiculous, there will be food, just not 167 varieties of pasta.

I see. Just in the UK though this much more rational system?

 

[Badgers]

If you voted for Brexit and the #ToryScum you voted for 'adequate food'




and rampant poverty

 

[Sasaferrato]

I see. Just in the UK though this much more rational system?

What I mean is that we have far far far too much in the way of choice, ten of this, twenty of that. It isn't necessary.

However, as I regard food as fuel, rather than a gourmet dining experience, I appreciate that others may disagree.

 

[Badgers]

I see. Just in the UK though this much more rational system?

The #ToryScum said food prices would fall. They (liars) never mentioned that food would be in limited supply.

 

[elbows]

What do you think is this man right that to some extent this is going to be permanent?
I’m curious, seems like a pretty grim view he’s got but he knows how the industry is and not sure why he’d lie.

Customers face permanent food shortages fuelled by lack of lorry drivers, warns industry leader

The farm to fork supply chain is missing around half a million of the four million people that usually work in the sector, caused in part by EU nationals leaving the UK as a result of coronavirus and Brexit, an event hears.

news.sky.com

Permanent is maybe not the best choice of words, I'd give myself more wiggle room by using terms like 'long lasting' instead.

I would expect the scale of labour shortages to vary over time, for example.

When envisaging something that is truly permanent, I usually require more factors to come together, all pointing in the same direction. This includes the sorts of things people had in mind when they pondered peak oil several decades ago, but got the timescales wrong and tended to have a very compressed sense of what either collapse or transition would actually look like. More recent versions of concern about energy and climate have much in common with that, but with broader timescales. But its still a bit surreal talking about it because in some ways people understand the scale of the problem, and the ramifications, but in other ways there has been incredible dishonesty about what the full implications of things like 'net zero' are. We've been in an era where some of the easier stuff has been done, the low-hanging fruit, but this decade I suspect we are moving to the next phase. Things like brexit and the pandemic are a preview as well as potentially being both catalysts for change and multipliers of similar systemic and supply woes.

But then I would say that because I've been waiting several decades to see this unfold already, and I am bound to weave new developments into my existing worldview of this stuff. For example when Biden spoke today about "a decisive decade for our world" and that we stand "at an inflection point in history", all the things that made me interested in peak oil and what the stories of this century would be rise up to the surface. And there is still plenty of potential for me to guess wrongly about timescales, alternatives, and which factors are really in the driving seat. (Biden stuff is from President Biden urges unity in first UN speech amid tensions with allies )

Someone used to promote their peak oil books etc with terms like "the long emergency" and thats certainly how I see many of these issues. But it will be messy and there are all sorts of different ways this stuff could be framed. It could be energy, climate, international relations, concerns about the 'death of democracy' or suspicions that we shouldnt rule out the possibility of witnessing 'neoliberalisms last gasp'. I suppose I expect to live through a medley involving many of these themes intertwined. Some of the narrow spin will be excruciating, and in order not to fall foul of my own biases and expectations I need to try hard to keep an open mind.

 

[bimble]

The man saying that he thinks the food shortages will be permanent he says the cause is entirely the lack of people filling the necessary jobs that the current system relies on. So if it’s permanent that’s because he thinks those jobs will never again be filled. Seems to me like that’s only one possibility with quite a few alternatives, various decisions that could make it not so.

 

[Dogsauce]

Tonic water has been missing from many shops here for weeks now, particularly the co-op. Winds up my gf no end as she drinks G&T. That's the CO2 thing. But for some reason Tesco have been short on milk delivery for some time too. My online delivery arrived today and we got tonic water but no milk.

Fuck loads of that in my Aldi last night but haven’t seen any ginger ale there for months (though Lidl and Asda had plenty).

Aldi has been quite sketchy over the last couple of months, they always tend to fill holes where things are missing with other stuff so it still looks full. There‘s often been quite a few things I’ve wanted that haven’t been in without the place looking empty, but on the last couple of visits it’s starting to look pretty bare in several spots. It might simply just be down to me going in at 9:30pm now to avoid maskless pricks, but the range is definitely getting slimmer. Vegan stuff used to occupy four fridge bays (Southville innit), now only two.

 

[scifisam]

Veggie products have been low in supply, except for that new one the Vegetarian Butcher, which, unfortunately, is shit. Veggie ready meals have to be grabbed as quickly as possible.

And before anyone says "just cook your own from scratch" or gives any other advice I'm disabled and work full time, and my daughter's autistic and can't cook from scratch without so much supervision that it's exhausting for us both, so not suitable for everyday meals. And we are not unusual in any of this.

 

[scifisam]

I don’t give a fuck about the Brexit tribes. I don’t identify as a Leaver or Remainer. Both campaigns were cunts. I very nearly didn’t vote. I only decided on the day to vote against the Nazi-inspired floods of immigrants poster. (Not for the patronising neoliberal Remain campaign). So the tribes narrative can go and fuck itself.

But whatever way people voted or didn’t vote, the deal the government struck is without a doubt a major contributor to the current shortages on the shelves. And they do exist, and they are predicted to get worse.

Yesterday’s story was meat supplies being around 10 days from collapse. Today’s story was CO2 shortages could hit meat and now vegetable supplies.

Anyone saying this is just a figment of Remoaners’ imaginations can try to keep themselves warm with that insight this winter when people are choosing between eating and heating, and the choice of food on offer is vastly diminished anyway.

Yes. A lot of the remain campaign almost seemed designed to drive to vote leave. Supercilious fucking wankers.

The only way I blame the Brexit voters is that this kind of fuck-up was what we should have expected under the Tory govt we had at the time the vote was passed (and were guaranteed to have for another four years), pretty much the same as the one we have now, which was one of the main reasons I voted remain.

Nobody should ever claim to be surprised that the Tories fucked up the Brexit terms, but that's what really counted, not just leaving.

 

[ska invita]

Tonic water has been missing from many shops here for weeks now, particularly the co-op. Winds up my gf no end as she drinks G&T. That's the CO2 thing. But for some reason Tesco have been short on milk delivery for some time too. My online delivery arrived today and we got tonic water but no milk.

yeah i was in south wales recently - no tonic water - in fact in the tesco i went to (a big one) no drinks in plastic bottles at all in that section of the shop. supposedly drinks like these are the low hanging fruit of what not to stick on a truck as they are bulky (and low value i guess)

 

[mr steev]

During the pandemic, the Fareshare food redistributer network initially provided small projects with free food (and also would deliver only ambient food if that was what a group wanted) , then they started charging a fee. Recently, in our area at least, they have stopped providing ambient food to organisations that can't also take refrigerated and frozen food.

I run a surplus food project and work with fareshare. They still co-ordinate free food collections from back of stores (I've just done my back in collecting a car full of stuff from a tesco). The membership fee is for deliveries or collections from their depots, which we also get. What we get has always been a bit random. Two weeks ago I asked for a bigger order with more ambient and was told that they may struggle and would make it up with fresh and chilled, last week the same order was mostly ambient. Last year DEFRA were also supplying stuff to Fareshare, but that stopped a few months ago.
There are so many things at play it's hard to predict what's available and what isn't.

 

[Sprocket.]

Warburton's can fuck the fuck off.

#ToryScum donors

The problem though with #ToryScum donors, warburtons not being there, is the half hour walk I have to and from the local coop, to find that the popularity of warburtons not being there means the shelves are bereft of any other supplied bread.

 

[mentalchik]

I work for one of the big four supermarkets and we have not really experienced any noticable shortages at all ??? Milk and bread deliveries are a bit wobbly but talking to the drivers that's more to do with driver shortages....what i have noticed, as i do daily shopping (don't have a car carry everything in a rucksack) is that prices are creeping up steadily and have been for some time...things no longer go up by pence but jump up by pounds

 

[LDC]

...prices are creeping up steadily and have been for some time...things no longer go up by pence but jump up by pounds

Yeah I was talking to a furniture seller and maker yesterday about all this and he said he's said some of the prices for stuff he gets in and sells has increased massively, sometimes by as much as 50-100%. Didn't get the time ask to why he thinks this is, but sounded out of his control rather than he was doing it himself to make more money.

 

[danny la rouge]

I work for one of the big four supermarkets and we have not really experienced any noticable shortages at all ??? Milk and bread deliveries are a bit wobbly but talking to the drivers that's more to do with driver shortages....what i have noticed, as i do daily shopping (don't have a car carry everything in a rucksack) is that prices are creeping up steadily and have been for some time...things no longer go up by pence but jump up by pounds

Yes, prices are definitely up hugely. I can see it in the weekly shop totals. We’re trying to be (even) more careful but the totals are still going up considerably.

I don’t know where you are but apparently the shortages are localised, and yes delivery related.

 

[bluescreen]

Yeah I was talking to a furniture seller and maker yesterday about all this and he said he's said some of the prices for stuff he gets in and sells has increased massively, sometimes by as much as 50-100%. Didn't get the time ask to why he thinks this is, but sounded out of his control rather than he was doing it himself to make more money.

Container prices have skyrocketed so that affects imported goods.

Shipping crisis: I'm being quoted £10,000 for a £1,600 container'

A shortage of shipping containers, rising costs, and congestion at ports are holding back imports from China.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Badgers]

Container prices have skyrocketed so that affects imported goods.

Shipping crisis: I'm being quoted £10,000 for a £1,600 container'

A shortage of shipping containers, rising costs, and congestion at ports are holding back imports from China.

www.bbc.co.uk

Have the BBC not edited that?

 

[danny la rouge]

Yeah I was talking to a furniture seller and maker yesterday about all this and he said he's said some of the prices for stuff he gets in and sells has increased massively, sometimes by as much as 50-100%. Didn't get the time ask to why he thinks this is, but sounded out of his control rather than he was doing it himself to make more money.

Yes, a mate of mine is a roofer. He’s worried the firm he works for will struggle for jobs as the price of materials push projects out of affordability for customers. Not commercial customers maybe but homeowners who are having an extension might decide not to bother. Without Covid assistance now, that will lead to job losses.

 

[JoeyBoy]

There's sort of shortages where I live, the milk and the bread in the local Co-Op has always run out by the time I call in on my way home from work. I've started shopping in the morning and bringing it home before I go now

 

[bluescreen]

Have the BBC not edited that?

I don't know - it's an old story. The principle remains. Here's a more recent one (august 10)from the FT (paywall), citing an increase of $6,000 per container since April, so it's gone up from below $2,000 pre-pandemic to nearly $14,000 now.

There’s yet another surge in shipping costs

All is not well in the market for ocean freight. Again

www.ft.com

 

[bluescreen]

Here's a chart from Xeneta (shipping data specialists) quoted in that FT article, showing increase in costs of a 40ft container.

Obvs that's not affecting food prices, but does affect furniture and all the other stuff we import from the far East.

 

[mentalchik]

Yes, prices are definitely up hugely. I can see it in the weekly shop totals. We’re trying to be (even) more careful but the totals are still going up considerably.

I don’t know where you are but apparently the shortages are localised, and yes delivery related.

Northampton !! I reckon my daily shop has crept up by nearly a fiver a day

 

[hash tag]

Despite some people/posters mocking the empty shelf photos etc. #Projectfear there are really noticeable shortages.

Know a fair few people who work in the food industry, both retail and hospitality. They all agree this is not 100% down to Brexit but it is the main factor. Shipping from EU to GB is such an expensive hassle a lot of companies have stopped importing.

Couple that with the (totally unexpected but planned for by the #ToryScum) lorry driver shortage. Also the terrible treatment of said drivers, it is not a surprise.

Look...

There is food available. The country (#ToryScum foodbanks aside) is not starving but the quality and range of foods available are becoming more prevelant.



Disgraced Prime Minister de Pfeffel Johnson said we have the best 'insert thing' in the world. Fuck the #ToryScum and the selfish, idiot cunts who vote for them.

Don't forget there is a CO2 shortage which will effect drinks, packaging and the killing of animals

Why the CO2 shortage has sparked fears that UK food supplies could be affected

Trade bodies have warned that without an urgent resumption in carbon dioxide production, diners could start to see some items disappear from menus

inews.co.uk

 

[platinumsage]

The CO2 shortage is being resolved thanks to us all paying an American company to make fertiliser at a loss.

 

[Cloo]

I hadn't noticed anything around here until about a fornight ago - bottled water (which we don't buy), balm tissues and tissues in general (but not loo roll), Tesco own-brand Shreddies (this has made our son very cross with Brexiteers)

I presumed there might be short-term food shortages at the beginning of Brexit due to rules changes, but I'll admit I didn't expect that trouble would start later and be longer lasting. Re the stuff about 'permanent/long term food shortages' headlines which sound very scary, what it is acttually talking about 'not being able to just expect to find everything you want in stock every week', rather than 'two dozen people fighting over the last available rat burger in Lidl'

But where people just think about shops, whereas actually there's whole other loads of business this will effect because they can't get the raw materials they need, and catering etc.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Yes. A lot of the remain campaign almost seemed designed to drive to vote leave. Supercilious fucking wankers.

The only way I blame the Brexit voters is that this kind of fuck-up was what we should have expected under the Tory govt we had at the time the vote was passed (and were guaranteed to have for another four years), pretty much the same as the one we have now, which was one of the main reasons I voted remain.

Nobody should ever claim to be surprised that the Tories fucked up the Brexit terms, but that's what really counted, not just leaving.

So you don't think that intransigence by the other 27 countries in the EU had anything to do with it? We voted to leave the institution, creating a large gap in its finances, we can hardly expect them to do us any favours.

You make it sound as if Britain set the Brexit terms, we didn't.

Those who voted leave have a lot to answer for.