OUR NEXT NATIONAL CRISIS...

[samhexum]

Dwindling supplies of carbon dioxide from ethanol plants are sparking concern about shortages of beer, soda and seltzer water – essentials for many quarantined Americans.

 

 

Brewers and soft-drink makers use carbon dioxide, or CO2, for carbonation, which gives beer and soda fizz. Ethanol producers are a key provider of CO2 to the food industry, as they capture that gas as a byproduct of ethanol production and sell it in large quantities.

 

But ethanol, which is blended into the nation’s gasoline supply, has seen production fall sharply due to the drop in gasoline demand as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gasoline demand is down by more than 30 percent in the United States.

 

The lack of ethanol output is disrupting this highly specialized corner of the food industry, as 34 of the 45 US ethanol plants that sell CO2 have idled or cut production said Renewable Fuels Association Chief Executive Geoff Cooper.

 

CO2 suppliers to beer brewers have increased prices by about 25 percent due to reduced supply, said Bob Pease, chief executive officer of the Brewers Association. The trade group represents small and independent US craft brewers, who get about 45 percent of their CO2 from ethanol producers.

 

“The problem is accelerating. Every day we’re hearing from more of our members about this,” said Pease, who expects some brewers to start cutting production in two to three weeks.

 

In an April 7 letter to Vice President Mike Pence, the Compressed Gas Association (CGA) said production of CO2 had fallen about 20 percent and could be down by 50 percent by mid-April without relief, CGA CEO Rich Gottwald said in the letter. Meat producers are also feeling the pinch, as they use CO2 in processing, packaging, preservation and shipment.

 

 

Orion Melehan, CEO of Santa Cruz, California-based LifeAID, a specialty beverage company, said two of his production partners are looking for alternative CO2 sources.

 

“It does have us up at night figuring out what our options are,” Melehan said. “It highlights the laws of unintended consequences.”

 

A spokeswoman for National Beverage Corp, whose products include LaCroix, said the company sources from a number of national CO2 suppliers and does not anticipate a supply issue.

 

Coca-Cola Co, SodaStream owner PepsiCo Inc, wine and beer seller Constellation Brands Inc and several bottling companies did not respond to requests for comment BASTARDS!

 

Walker Modic, environmental and social sustainability manager for Bell’s Brewery, said the Comstock, Michigan-based brewing company had “not experienced any curtailments or changes in the source of our CO2.”

 

Denmark-based Carlsberg Group said that the company is “almost self-sufficient.”

 

“We, in line with our sustainability program, create our own CO2 and capture it during the brewing process,” spokesman Kasper Elbjorn.

[+ Travis69]

I will not be pleasant without my Diet Coke.:mad:

[+ purplekow]

I am a drinker of Diet Coke but during this crisis I have given it up. I am drinking lots more very cold water and it seems to be doing quite well for me. I do miss the caffeine rush occasionally but I can go to coffee for that if need be. I used to drink four to five cans of Diet Coke per day.

[Guest]

@samhexum thank you for finding something upbeat!

 

but pfew...I drink only water kombucha now...

 

@purplekow, I’m nearly 8 years into kicking my 8 Diet Coke/day habit. Haven’t had one since. If you’re past the backlash insomnia, congrats! In about two months, you’ll have unexplained gastro issues from the chemical detox...

[Walker1]

Jokes aside, if this continues longer , we could be in for some trouble. I tried to order some non essential items from Amazon and my delivery date was June2nd to June 26th. If I chose express delivery, it would be May 22- May 28th and today is 4/22. I have never seen dates like that on Amazon. I don't know how long of this we can take, before the whole supply chain crumbles.

[+ Pensant]

I am a drinker of Diet Coke but during this crisis I have given it up. I am drinking lots more very cold water and it seems to be doing quite well for me. I do miss the caffeine rush occasionally but I can go to coffee for that if need be. I used to drink four to five cans of Diet Coke per day.

Good for you. That shit is toxic.

[+ Pensant]

Jokes aside, if this continues longer , we could be in for some trouble. I tried to order some non essential items from Amazon and my delivery date was June2nd to June 26th. If I chose express delivery, it would be May 22- May 28th and today is 4/22. I have never seen dates like that on Amazon. I don't know how long of this we can take, before the whole supply chain crumbles.

I hear you, although I ordered a Homedics UV light bag for preshipment on May 7 and was just alerted that is has shipped and will be here Monday. I want to not only sterilize my phone and keys daily, but also my N95 masks.

There are real concerns about supply lines. I’m heading up to my island place north of Seattle at the end of May and might weather the storm up there since there are plenty of farms and butchers there and it will be distant from any civil unrest, which is a distinct possibility, esp. if there’s the predicted resurgence in the fall.

[+ Keith30309]

Jokes aside, if this continues longer , we could be in for some trouble. I tried to order some non essential items from Amazon and my delivery date was June2nd to June 26th. If I chose express delivery, it would be May 22- May 28th and today is 4/22. I have never seen dates like that on Amazon. I don't know how long of this we can take, before the whole supply chain crumbles.

I’ve observed the same thing - Amazon estimated delivery times far longer than ever before. That said, when I have ordered things the actual delivery times have been much better. I grabbed a sale on a new iPad and the initial estimated delivery was mid-May and it arrived yesterday. Likewise with an unusual candle - estimated delivery was May 15 and now scheduled to arrive tomorrow. It seems like they queue non-essential behind the current orders for essentials and give you a worst-case date but then are able to actually fulfill much more quickly.

[samhexum]

I used to drink four to five cans of Diet Coke per day.

I’m nearly 8 years into kicking my 8 Diet Coke/day habit.

 

AMATEURS!!!

[mike carey]

Jokes aside, if this continues longer , we could be in for some trouble. I tried to order some non essential items from Amazon and my delivery date was June2nd to June 26th. If I chose express delivery, it would be May 22- May 28th and today is 4/22. I have never seen dates like that on Amazon. I don't know how long of this we can take, before the whole supply chain crumbles.

I rarely order things for delivery, so I had been unaware of anything similar happening here, but there was a story on the news this evening. They didn't canvass supply chain issues, of which I'm sure there are similar ones to the Amazon issues that have been described in this thread, rather it was about the effect on Australia Post. They are seeing parcel delivery traffic that have been running at Christmas levels for six weeks. They spoke of a 470% increase in 'department store' parcel dispatches, whatever that means, over normal levels. There had already been increases during the drought and the summer fires as city people were ordering things from small retailers in the bush to help the businesses through what were hard times, but this has supercharged mail order stuff. Australia Post are reducing their letter delivery to every second day in metro areas and switching their postmen to delivering parcels on the other days. They are also cutting out signatures on delivery where they can as a distancing measure.

[samhexum]

I’ve observed the same thing - Amazon estimated delivery times far longer than ever before... Likewise with an unusual candle - estimated delivery was May 15 and now scheduled to arrive tomorrow.

 

So that's who's buying the Gwyneth Paltrow vagina candle!

[+ LIguy]

Hmmmm...I ordered a prostate Massager from Amazon and it was delivered in 5 days.