Food shortages averted for now as government secures deal with CO2 supplier. But the crisis is far from over

Ignore the PM’s optimism – the cost of living crisis looks unavoidable and the Covid recovery is destined to take a hit as well, writes James Moore

CO2 deal will keep fizzy drinks, chicken and other staples on the shelves (PA Archive)

A genuine threat of shortages of staples like chicken and bacon. Coke and Pepsi vanishing from the supermarket shelves. Empty bakery counters.

Imagine if someone suggested that was coming, say, 10 years ago and that, no, they weren’t floating an unlikely plot for a dystopian TV show or novel.

They’d have been laughed at, and then dismissed as a wild conspiracy theorist who’d spent too much time watching re-runs of The X-Files.