世界杯正酣 英国啤酒却要“断供”

World Cup barbecues may be under threat as beers, fizzy drinks and meat producers warn of potential shortages caused by a lack of CO2.

The British Retail Consortium has written to major retailers informing them that drinks and meat supplies could be affected as at least one U.K. gas supplier has had to ration orders.

The shortages come as many prepare to party while they follow England’s progress in the football World Cup in Russia. Sales of alcohol and soft drinks are also expected to be boosted after the World Cup by what is forecast to be a long hot summer running through until August.

It is understood that most drinks manufacturers hold at least two weeks stock, while retailers are likely to hold more. But retailers have expressed concerns that stocks of fizzy drinks could run short in a few days during one of their busiest times of the year.

Tesco’s website already showed a number of its own-label fizzy drinks were out of stock Tuesday and its website warned of “a supply issue”. Morrisons said some Sprite and R Whites products were out of stock due to “limited supply.”

One industry source said Britvic, which also produces Pepsi and R Whites in the U.K., and Heineken were already being affected. Another said one small brewer, thought to be Brewdog, had also been hit.

Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said, “We are aware of a situation affecting the availability of CO2 across Europe, which has now started to impact beer producers in the U.K.

“We will continue to monitor the situation carefully. However, given the time of year and the World Cup, this situation has arisen at an unfortunate time for the brewing industry.”

Retailers told the Guardian that there were also fears about fresh food supplies as CO2 is used in packing fresh meat and salads, as well as in the slaughtering process for poultry and pigs.

“At the moment we are looking at ways to keep the supply chain moving and we have not heard that any of our members have stopped production,” said Fiona Steiger, deputy director of the British Meat Processors Association.

“Who’s going to watch the World Cup if there’s no beer?!” one fan in the U.K. told Global News.Words to Learn

相关词汇

【气泡沫的】

qǐ pàomò de fizzy to make a hissing or sputtering sound

【家禽】

jiāqín poultry domesticated birds kept for eggs or meat

由于二氧化碳供应不足，啤酒、碳酸饮料和肉类制造商警告说这些商品都可能面临短缺，世界杯烧烤野餐可能办不起来了。

英国零售商协会给几家大型零售商发信说，由于至少一家英国气体供应商不得不限量供应，饮料和肉类食品的供应都将受到影响。

很多球迷正准备开派对庆祝英格兰队在俄罗斯世界杯的战绩之时，却遭遇派对饮品和食品的短缺。据预报称，今年英国的夏天漫长而炎热，这种天气状况将持续到八月底，这也将在世界杯后刺激酒精饮品和软饮料的销量。

据称，大多数饮料制造商有至少两周的库存，零售商的库存可能更多。但在全年的这一销售旺季，零售商担心碳酸饮料的库存可能几天就会卖完。

在上周二，乐购网站就显示，其自有品牌的碳酸饮料已经售罄。网站还提醒这类商品有“供应问题”。莫里森超市称，由于“供应受限”，雪碧和R Whites等产品已脱销。

一位业内人士称，英国软饮料生产商Britvic和荷兰啤酒品牌喜力也受到影响。英国的百事可乐和R White就是由Britvic公司生产的。还有人说一家小的生产商，据称是酿酒狗啤酒，也受到影响。

英国啤酒和酒馆协会会长布丽吉德-赛孟兹说：“我们注意到欧洲的二氧化碳产量受到影响，现在也开始波及到英国的啤酒生产商。我们将继续密切监控目前的状况。然而，由于正值酷暑，又逢世界杯，供应短缺出现在这种时候对酿酒行业来说不太妙。”

零售商告诉《卫报》称，他们担心新鲜食品的供应也会受到影响，因为新鲜肉类和沙拉的包装、以及家禽和生猪的屠宰也会使用二氧化碳。

英国肉类加工协会副会长菲奥娜-斯泰尔格说：“现在我们正想办法维持供应链正常运转，我们还没听说哪家会员单位停产。”

一位英国球迷在接受《环球新闻》采访时说：“没有啤酒还怎么看球啊？” (Chinadaily.com.cn)