Vending

Soft drink shortage threatens the UK

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September 23, 2021

Soft drinks may no longer be available in the U.K. on account of insufficient CO2 supplies, according to the British Soft Drinks Association.

Two of the country's biggest fertilizer plants have decided to suspend operations indefinitely due to "rocketing" natural gas prices, the association said in a prepared statement.

"Some soft drinks manufacturers have only a few days of CO2 supply left in reserve. As it stands, most CO2 suppliers are currently not scheduling beyond 24 hours in advance, meaning there is no visibility as to U.K. stocks and no certainty around deliveries," the association stated. "The government must add the wider food and drink sector to the priority CO2 supply list on the grounds of maintaining product supply to consumers and protecting British jobs."