To be surprised that some friends are buying extra food because of Brexit?

[abacucat]

I suspect that specific foods may get be in short supply for a short period of time, but there will still be plenty of food in the shops. It is not going to be Armageddon. So this seemed an over reaction to me. Or am I going to be that person in the disaster movie who is laughing saying everyone is over reacting, who ends up dead when the disaster finally hits?

There is enough food to feed the whole world but yet people starve to death, it’s not the amount of food that’s the issue it’s supply and our supplies WILL be impacted if we crash out if The EU even if it’s temporary. We won’t starve here but we may have to adapt our expectations - we expect everything to be available at all times and I doubt it will be
As for medicines, I sit on the board of an NHS Trust and believe me there are very legitimate concerns

You think most of the imported labour actually work the heavy machinery no they are the ones in the little trailer type bits anyway you went off on a tangent I said like pick your own. Not harvest the whole field for a farmer for free.

There are multiple farms close by that I could get to and give a helping hand in exchange for some veg or hell animal husbandry for some meat/milk I don’t need eggs as I have my own hens. Farmers don’t work just 9-5 so there is no reason even working people couldn’t give a hand, send a coach of the unemployed rather than letting Poundland have them. Make it easier for people to do seasonal work while on benefits like UC. There are options just people don’t like them because shock horror farming is hard graft for little money but expect cheap food in their corner shops at their convenience.

Well bully for you chillpizza as long you're ok eh? However pick your own will only be doable for a tiny proportion of people. Millions of people live nowhere near multiple farms and sending a coach load before/after work?? Please don't talk bollox!

I'll be quite happy to pick my own except i don't have a car and public transport tends not to go near farms.

What about people already working two or three jobs in an inner city. How will they find time to travel to the country to pick some food?

Its certainly the case that those in rural communities might find it easier to get food directly from farms. But its likely to come at an increased cost.

I thought about this last year and decided to plant some crops in the garden. I now have 2 small lettuces. Don't think it's going to see us through a few weeks of food shortages unfortunately!

My OH thinks I’m nuts but I don’t really care. I’ve bought dried goods, tons of tomatoes and rice and pasta, extra cans of fruit, gotten extra frozen veg until the garden kicks in. Thankfully we have a 1930s house with a massive garden so the far end is now an allotment and we already have fruit trees.

Closer to the time I’ll get extra flour, sack of potatoes and yeast. Apparently we import a lot of our milk/dairy products so I might invest in a yogurt maker. Oh and I discovered you can freeze butter, I didn’t know that!

Frankly I don’t trust the government to be in the least organised, as proved by their awarding the extra ferries contract to a company with no track record or indeed ferries! I’d rather be prepared, and it’ll all get eaten anyway. Even now my family are trying to raid the stash, it’s going to be like Christmas but me shouting ‘No that’s for Brexit!’ for the next three months

You can freeze eggs too. I do them into ice cubes perfectly fine for baking or scrambled eggs.

For those saying we can eat locally produced foods - for milk, eggs etc, there's also the issue of food for the animals.

In WWII there was a shortage of eggs, which were heavily rationed. Before the war, the UK didn't import eggs, the vast majority of eggs eaten in the UK were laid in the UK. The problem was the chicken feed. That was imported, and so at the start of the war, when it became clear we couldn't import the fed, the hens were slaughtered.

It's all good and well saying we can drink British milk, eat British eggs, eat British meat, that does rather presume there's enough farm animals in the UK already and that we have enough feed for them.

Honestly, stockpiling isn't crazy, it's just practical for what I hope is just a few weeks while the UK creates new systems.

oh and definately think about particular brands you prefer.

eg. My DC1 only likes one type of squash. He's happy to drink water, but if he's having squash, it's only one type he really likes. So while I'm sure there'll be other options in the shops, just in case there's not his favourite, I'll buy an extra couple of bottles in March to keep us going.

DH has requested we stock pile he's prefered chocolate bar as that's imported...

Most of us could do with eating about a third as little as we eat for a start. Secondly everyone could go vegan which would probably solve a lot of the supply issues.

That's true OrdinarySnowflake I understand the weather in 2018 led to a fodder crisis, it's one of the (many) things people who aren't involved in the agri sector wouldn't think of.

I have stockpiled a few things, baked beans and tuna. Basically food that we can eat without serious cooking if things got really bad. I will probably buy a few more things during the run up to March if no deal is in sight. I honestly don't know whether to take it seriously or not. I also wonder whether I should be giving things to my parents who pay less attention to this stuff.

Everybody should go vegan is a sweeping statement. Anyone caring for sick, frail and elderly people will know that.

How will going vegan help when a lot of our fresh fruit and veg is imported? In fact a lot of our meat is british, I know we import meat but things like British beef is something we actually do produce.

Apparently there may be a glut of British lamb which would have been exported but will be given high tariffs under WTO, making it unexportable. So we will be eating a lot of lamb. Although it is then likely that the following year there will be no lamb as it won't be profitable to produce.

Ive been stocking up for the past few months and it's not because of supply it's because I know prices will rise even more than they have been. I also fear job losses within the family. I've mainly focused on protein, rice, tinned veg, jams, honey, cereals, bread flour and yeast, wine, coffee and tea-just the essentials

Also candles and matches, torches and blankets. Logs and coal

No NDAs or state sponsored reassurance from my consultants

My medical team are pretty worried. I'm dependent on a lot of different medication, much of which comes from the EU

What would a Brexit vegan diet consist of in early spring?

Potatoes, carrots and parsnips.

We produce a lot of meat. Many parts of the country are completely unsuitable for growing crops or vegetables.

Actually vegan recipes are part of my preps (I'm a prepper). So having tinned jackfruit and packets of tofu are what I have in in case my pressure canned or frozen meat runs out. Or we just fancy a change .

Farmers don’t work just 9-5 so there is no reason even working people couldn’t give a hand, send a coach of the unemployed rather than letting Poundland have them. Make it easier for people to do seasonal work while on benefits like UC.

Oh yes, I expect that's the government's plan.

It probably is, actually.

@Xenia
Secondly everyone could go vegan which would probably solve a lot of the supply issues.
I challenge you to go vegan in March ONLY using UK ingredients
(no pulses, no tomatoes, no soya / almond milk, no peppers, no lettuce, no tofu, no citrus, no grapes, no stone fruit etc etc etc)

they are stark raving.

prices will not rise, especially not the sort of stuff you would be stockpiling.

I always have heaving cupboards, currently trying to eat it down. Mumsnet has me on alert to not run my supplies down too much before march.

What is everyone doing about water? Today i got some bottles of still i would never usually buy for brexit purposes. How much do i need to have in?

everyone could go vegan which would probably solve a lot of the supply issues.

Altho' vegetarian/vegan diets can be adapted for people with CKD, it's not straightforward and the advice is not in place nor standardised.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29982610

And, I know people with stomas who aren't ready to manage a high volume diet. Nor, tbh, would I fancy getting a low-calorie, low-nutrient density, high volume diet into some malnourished older people with low appetite.

It can be done but vegan/vegetarian diets don't suit everyone and there are quite substantial groups of people for whom there would need to be guidance.