As if the impending heat weren’t enough, this summer we also risk not being able to quench our thirst with a cold carbonated drink. Assobibe, which represents producers of soft drinks in Italy, raises the alarm: on the market for raw materials, carbon dioxide for food use is starting to run out.
The low availability of CO2 is a further effect of the increase in energy costs and transport difficulties, which make its natural extraction or its industrial production more complex.
The problem of its availability adds to the boom in the costs of energy, plastic, aluminum, cardboard and glass which have been out of control for months, putting the summer season at risk for many operators.
Companies in difficulty
“The companies are in a moment of extreme difficulty – said the president of Assobibe, Giangiacomo Pierini – to the increases in energy costs of 550% now there are also the problems of obtaining carbon dioxide, while from January it will also be operational the Sugar Tax, which will lead to an average increase in taxation of 28%. We ask the government to act at least on this, because the tax must be eliminated ”.
In recent days, the alarm on the availability of carbon dioxide was also raised by Alberto Bertone, president and CEO of Acqua Sant’Anna, who even announced the temporary closure of the production lines:
Carbon dioxide unobtainable
“I had to stop the sparkling water lines, 30% of our production – said Bertone – carbon dioxide has become unobtainable, the suppliers with whom we have a contract have explained to us that it is no longer convenient to produce it and they in turn have the plants stopped ».
The problem of the lack of Co2 for food uses had already manifested itself at the end of 2021 in the United Kingdom, “but then we were able to plug it – says the CEO of Sant’Anna – this time instead we are in full emergency, we were able to recover a small load that will arrive to us from Holland, but will serve us for a few days, perhaps only one ».