Breweries and other beverage companies are increasingly missing an important substance: carbon dioxide. Only 30 to 40 percent of the usual CO2 delivery amounts are currently available. Some companies are already reducing production or even have to cut back significantly.
The general director of the German Brewers’ Association, Holger Eichele, calls the development extremely worrying – especially during the largest folk festival in the world, the Munich Oktoberfest.
More and more companies in the beverage industry that are dependent on carbon dioxide have to significantly curtail their production. “This has dramatic consequences for many affected companies,” he warns.
Last but not least, the mineral water producers have serious problems. “In some places, production has already decreased,” says spokesman for the German Fountain Cooperative Tobias Bielenstein. Many manufacturers are currently receiving less CO2 than they ordered. This is due to the fertilizer industry.
“We’ve never had a situation like this”
“When gas prices rose sharply, fertilizer manufacturers scaled back their energy-intensive production,” says Bielenstein. “CO2 is a by-product of production.” So the connection is: less manure equals less carbon dioxide, less carbon dioxide: “We’ve never had a situation like this before.”
“Planning is currently impossible”
The director of the Augsburg brewery Riegele, Sebastian Priller, says the situation has deteriorated significantly since the beginning of the summer. “We also assume that it will get worse rather than better.” As long as energy costs remain high or continue to rise, there will be a further shortage. “And if the breweries run out of carbon dioxide, they can’t produce.” Planning is currently impossible.
The lack of carbon dioxide does not affect everyone equally: The Radeberger Group, which belongs to the Oetker Group with beer brands such as Jever, Clausthaler or Schöfferhofer, sees no problems yet: “Since we mainly use fermentation carbon dioxide from our own production in our breweries, we see no chance of short-term failures.”
However, the federal government needs to take urgent steps to ensure preferential delivery of affordable carbon dioxide to critical food industry infrastructure.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
