Pubs and Restaurants Impacted By Co2 Crisis

CO2 shortage: Breweries stockpile carbon dioxide to keep beer flowing amid gas price rise and HGV crisis

Bottled and keg beers most at risk, cask ales less so, as food and drink supply problems in Pubs and Restaurants spread.

Breweries producing bottled and canned beers face disruption if they are hit by shortages of carbon dioxide, an Pubs and Restaurants industry body has warned.

Beer is one of several food and drink staples that may face shortages within the next few weeks, after the surge in gas prices led to plants that produce CO₂ shutting down.

Industry bodies said the supply chain, already impacted by the ongoing shortage of heavy goods vehicles (HGV) drivers, could further collapse when the shortage hits.

CO₂ generates the fizz and the head for lagers, beers and ciders.

James Calder, chief executive of the Society of Independent Brewers, explained: “The vast majority of small breweries produce fresh cask beer – and for those brewers this latest shortage of CO₂ won’t have an immediate impact – but for the increasing number making keg, bottled or canned beer it will come as an additional worry.

“Two thirds of the beer that small independent brewers produce is sold as cask beer, which has a naturally occurring carbonation and does not rely on added CO₂.

“But as more and more brewers have shifted production to bottled and canned beer to capitalise on drink-at-home sales during Covid the impact could be greater than in the past.

“The shortage comes as an additional and unwelcome challenge for small brewers trying to recover from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, told i: “As the threat of disruption to the availability of CO₂ continues to grow, so does the potential impact on brewers and pubs and restaurants.

“We continue to liaise with suppliers and are urging the Government to support those manufacturing processes we depend on for the majority of our CO₂ to resume operations.

“Brewers have resilient supply chains and beer drinkers and pub goers can rest assured there is still plenty of beer to go round.”

Felix James, co-founder of Small Beer, said his company does not bottle beer on site so luckily does not require huge quantities of CO₂ as others may do.

“That said, to make sure that we have enough of what we do need, we have been stockpiling for some time now, simply because it hasn’t been as readily available, but that’s been more to do with a shortage of HGV drivers than a lack of CO₂ itself,” he told i.

CO₂ is an essential component in food supply chains as it is used to stun animals humanely before slaughter, and vacuum-pack products including bread to extend their shelf life, as well as providing the fizz for alcoholic and soft drinks.

It is by-product of making fertiliser – which has been in short supply internationally since two of the largest fertiliser producers, Norway’s Yara and US group CF Industries Holdings, ceased production over the rise in gas prices.

Miles Jenner, managing director of Harvey’s Brewery in Lewes, East Sussex, said the company was not struggling yet and current supplies will suffice, as it brews a craft edition beer which does not need pressurised CO₂ to be dispensed.

“Having said that, it does affect all our kegging and bottling lines,” Mr Jenner told i, meaning it realistically could be become an issue over the next few months.

“The moment there’s any question of shortage, there’ll be immediate rationing and panic buying and all the rest of it. So we just have to roll with it when it affects us,” he said.

The price of natural gas has sharply risen, increasing by more than 70 per cent across Europe throughout August alone.

Low solar and wind output, maintenance issues, depleted stocks following a cold winter and reduced supply from Russia have also been blamed for the global rise in prices.

The original version of this article was first published on INews

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Vaccine Passport Plans Ditched for Events and Nightclubs

England vaccine passport plans ditched, Sajid Javid says

Plans to introduce a vaccine passport for access into nightclubs and large events in England will not go ahead, the health secretary has said.

Sajid Javid told the BBC: “We shouldn’t be doing things for the sake of it.”

It was thought the plan, which came under criticism from venues and some MPs, would be introduced at the end of this month.

Contract Catering Industry Giant Dies age 86

Tributes paid to ‘giant of the hospitality industry’ Marc Verstringhe

Marc Verstringhe, contract catering industry giant and the co-founder of Catering & Allied (C&A), has died at the age of 86 following a short illness.

Former industry colleagues have paid tribute to a “true gentleman” whose creative and visionary leadership helped transform the world of the contract catering industry over 50 years.

Verstringhe, the son of a hotelier, was born in the seaside resort of Knokke-le-Zoute in Belgium in 1934 and spent five years living under German occupation during World War Two. He often recalled how from an early age he learned the “value of freedom, a resistance to subjugation and a love for life”.

In 1954, after completing National Service with the Belgian forces in Germany and an apprenticeship at the Norfolk hotel in Knokke, he moved to the UK to take a role as restaurant manager at the Lygon Arms in Broadway, Worcestershire.

Verstringhe’s career progressed rapidly. In 1960 he joined Sutcliffe Catering Group as a unit manager and by 1971 he was group managing director. By 1973 the company had grown to almost 1,000 units employing around 10,000 staff.

In 1975 Verstringhe left Sutcliffe and teamed up with former colleagues Jop Koops and Kit Cuthbert to launch C&A in the UK, which Verstringhe was to lead as chairman for the next 25 years, alongside sister company Holland Catering in the Netherlands.

At C&A Verstringhe was highly respected for his management style. He believed that directors should not work in “ivory towers” but stay close to clients, and insisted people work “with” not “for” the company. He saw traditional workplace canteens as a thing of the past and spearheaded the move towards offices providing staff restaurants inspired by high street trends. C&A was also at the forefront of promoting healthy eating, and by 1985 had launched nutritionist-led ‘Hungry Health’ seminars, while vegetarian options were integral to menus.

Wendy Bartlett, executive chair of Bartlett Mitchell, said the biggest compliment she received was when people compared her business to C&A.

She said: “Marc was a true gentleman – he was always so supportive and genuinely enthusiastic about new start-ups, us at Bartlett Mitchell and our journey. He was an amazing believer in women in business and, in my mind, instrumental in putting quality into the world of food in the workplace.”

Verstringhe was a passionate believer in business education and in 1972 pursued the advanced management programme at the Harvard Business School faculty at University College, Swansea.

He was awarded the 1989 Foodservice Caterer of the Year at the Cateys, and later went on to become a regular judge.

Alastair Storey, chairman of Westbury Street Holdings, BaxterStorey and Springboard, said that C&A was ahead of its time and Verstringhe’s influence ran deep in hospitality.

“Apart from being a lovely man, Marc made a huge contribution over many decades to the hospitality industry,” Storey added.

“He loved excellence and his knowledge of food and wine was amazing. Marc was always willing to help the industry and was a great mentor to many of us. It is impossible to think of Marc without smiling, as his kindness and generosity were accompanied by a delightful sense of humour and warmth. We have all been fortunate to have had him as a friend and colleague.”

By 1995 Verstringhe had become honorary president of the European Catering Association, where he worked with David Battersby of Hospitality and Leisure Manpower to create the Ecarus workplace learning and professional development scheme, which has helped hundreds of young people.

That same year Verstringhe and his partners began an exit strategy from C&A, entering into a partnership with Elior to create Eurocaterer. In 2000 the remaining shares were sold to Elior. By this time C&A had become a multimillion-pound business with 220 contracts employing around 2,000 staff.

Retirement was not part of Verstringhe’s vocabulary and he continued to provide consultancy services and remain heavily involved in a number of industry organisations. He founded the MESV charitable trust, was a fellow of the Institute of Hospitality, a director of the Academy of Food & Wine Service and a judge and ambassador for the Gold Service Scholarship.

Alistair Sindall, head of professional development at the Institute of Hospitality, praised Verstringhe as a very well-respected fellow who will be sadly missed.

Edward Griffiths, trustee and chairman of the judges for the Gold Service Scholarship, praised Verstringhe as a “bastion” of the contract catering industry.

He said: “I first met Marc while setting up the Roux catering services in 1986, and I remember his reaction not being that of a competitor, but one of interest and admiration that more food and service quality would be joining the sector.

“He was always interested in sharing views, helping others and talking passionately about good food and wine. He was both a gentle man and a gentleman, and inspired respect from all sectors, always ready with a dose of good humour.”

“A distinguished man of great urbane charm, and a measured, empathetic and inspirational leader to so many who worked for him in Catering & Allied.”

Battersby said: “Throughout his career Marc also showed himself to be a most warm and kind individual with boundless energy and ideas. He was always generous with his time and cared deeply about the wellbeing of all those he came to know. Sadly, with his passing, we have all lost a most remarkable and special person. Although Marc is no longer with us, his ‘can-do spirit’, the impact of his many achievements and his drive to create partnerships between education and business will live on.”

Verstringhe passed away on 21 August 2021 and is survived by his wife Carole, sons Simon and James, and four grandchildren.