Expected Power Outages and The Impact On The Food Supply

The energy supply is being hit from multiple directions. Any one of which would be enough to cause shortages. Abandoning the use of energy sources such as coal and oil while renewable sources such as solar and wind are failing to replace them effectively is one such reason. Another is the sanctions placed on Russia since February, which have caused Russia to stop exporting it's oil to europe and instead sell it to India and China. Those sanctions have had a serious and negative impact on our own economy.

The alternative media has been warning of coming power shortages for some years. Now, these warnings are finally coming from main stream news. So with that being said, let's look at how power shortages can effect our food supply.

Refrigeration Loss

Much of our food is kept fresh inside refrigerators before being sold to us, the consumers. Food is often kept refrigerated before it reaches the super markets, not to mention the fridges at the super markets themselves. A long term power outage, perhaps one long enough to out last any back up generators, would see much of that food go to waste.

Supply Chain Issues

A power outage can lead to a domino effect when one business is affected. Businesses that rely on each other to create a strong supply chain can quickly come crumbling down. If a manufacturer or processing plant's equipment is down they won't be able to provide the promised goods. The logistics company that was supposed to transport the stock can no longer manage and route their drivers using software. Super markets waiting for their produce have to throw out all of their frozen and refrigerated goods. A single power cut may not cause too much trouble. However from what we're being told now, it sounds like there may be more than one.

No Internet and decreased productivity

All businesses along the food supply chain use the internet to conduct their business. From ordering products to managing inventory and staff. Usually with a power outage, comes an internet outage as well. Rendering many companies useless until power is restored.

Conclusion

A single, short term power outage isn't usually a problem. But consider what you might do if the UK was suffering from consistant, or long term outages which were having an impact on the supply chains. There is no harm in being prepared.