Due to the sanctions introduced as a response to the Ukranian-Russian war, the entire EU could be facing a food crisis, the German leaders of the refrigeration industry noted.
The German refrigeration industry has expressed their concerns about the sanctions on gas in the EU. They suspect that without the necessary amount of gas provided for them by the state, the supply of deep-frozen food and even some drugs could be in danger. The sanctions introduced have already put a strain on the agricultural industry in the previous weeks. Some of the producers are concerned, since for a while they were worried about the price of energy, however, now they might face a complete lack of it. This would not mean that energy is far more expensive, it would mean that it is completely unavailable. Many factories producing frozen foods are trying to push the government to provide the necessary amount of energy for them, otherwise they would have to stop producing.
The sanctions introduced have already put a strain on the agricultural industry in the previous weeks
Gas Crisis in Germany
Robert Habeck, the Vice Chancellor of Germany has already explained that a gas crisis in Germany is imminent on the 23rd of June. He also had to introduce the second level of their plains against the gas crisis. This means that gas is a limited item in the country. They urged every industry and public institution to cut back on their gas consumption. The refrigeration industry expressed that they have been trying to do exactly that, however, it is getting harder and harder for them, they reached a level where they are unable to further reduce their consumption, since some of their products cannot be made with alternative energy sources.
The Sanctions on the EU
The EU is only affected by an increase of prices due to the war now. Agricultural products and food are getting more and more expensive in the past months. Only in May, the price of these products have increased by 23 per cent, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
The Effect in Hungary
István Nagy has stated that the agricultural prices would only stop increasing with the end of the war
Even though, the increasing prices are noticeable in Hungary, the government is doing everything in their power to prevent an approaching crisis. The inflation is being curbed by the introduced pre-stated food prices, which are in effect until October. However, the only action that would prevent the raising prices would be peace between the fighting sides. The Agricultural Minister of Hungary, István Nagy has stated that the agricultural prices would only stop increasing with the end of the war, and the rebuilding of the destroyed trade infrastructure. He also expressed that even though many countries in the EU are suffering from food shortages, Hungary is safely getting enough food.
In conclusion, if food shortages start to appear in Germany due to the sanctions, it is only a matter of time before the entire EU is affected by them as well. If food production stalls because of the lack of gas, a crisis is unavoidable. However, Hungary seems to have the situation under control.
Ádám Bráder graduated from the Faculty of Humanities of Eötvös Loránd University in 2021 as an English major specializing in English in the Media and Applied Linguistics. From 2017, he worked as an assistant editor at TV2’s news programme. After graduating, he continued his work as an online journalist, which led to him joining the Hungarian Conservative team in 2022.
