The UK is reportedly wargaming a food shortage scenario over concerns the war with Iran will continue to impede global trade in the longer term.
The BBC quoted an unnamed government source who said the government was planning for a situation in which the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz and breakdowns in the supply of carbon dioxide impeded food supply.
Carbon dioxide is used in food preservation and for the slaughter of some animals.
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Chicken and pork were among the most likely food staples to be affected, the BBC reported.
The government hosed down fears, with spokespeople saying shortages were not a current concern.
"Right now, people should go on as they are," Business Secretary Peter Kyle told Sky News.
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He said carbon dioxide shortages were not currently an issue.
Industry figures, meanwhile, said price rises were more likely than empty shelves in the shorter term, but conceded to the BBC that the ongoing disruption could affect trade over an extended period.
The UK has flicked the switches back on at its Ensus bioethanol plant, which was shut down last year, in order to boost local carbon dioxide production.
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In Australia, farming groups have warned that increasingly expensive fuel - particularly diesel - is affecting producer output, with crops and goods becoming more expensive to transport to shops.
The NSW Farmers Association yesterday called on supermarkets to take on some of the shared burden of those costs, rather than shovel them onto producers or consumers.
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