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?

The main reason being those who have stocked up and bulk buyed far more than they reasonably need!!

No, stocking up is fine. If a load more tins sell from the supermarkets this week they'll just order more. The problem will be when a No Deal is announced ( if it is) and when Brexit finally happens. As someone said upthread, look at how we act when we know the shops will be shut for a day on Christmas. Look how we acted when it snowed last spring. Look how we acted when there was a petrol shortage. Better to buy some just in case things gradually, then have an "Oh shit, everyone's buying up all the beans" moment at the same time as millions of others.

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

Other vegans?

I don’t know why you wouldn’t stock up, particularly if we leave without a deal. There’ll be no food coming from the continent and nobody to pick the food here. There are already serious shortages of pickers. Just in case, I’ll be stocking up on:

Dried milk
Pulses - energy rich but don’t take up too much space)
Rice/pasta
Flour
Yeast
Tinned/frozen veg
Tinned ham/tuna

If everything goes ok in the end, well it’ll get eaten anyway.

I hate that we’re in this situation.

Everyone is talking about petrol shortages.
I dont understand WHY there will be petrol shortages.
It doesnt come from the EU so what is the problem? genuine question as i dont understand it?

Actually refinery supply chains in the EU are highly integrated. This is what the UKPIA (association of the the big UK petroleum refiners) says:

"There is significant intra and inter UK-EU trade in petroleum products and petrochemicals (raw substance to product) which cross the English Channel several times. Complex, highly integrated supply chains have been developed within the EU customs union - 67% of petroleum product exports from the UK in 2016 were to the EU, with just under 50% of imports sourced from EU Member States.

... A hard Brexit or no-deal scenario could severely disrupt refiners’ supply chains. Ready access to a wide range of products in close proximity to a refinery (or downstream business) increases supply chain efficiencies and lowers costs to consumers. Part of the strength of the region’s market – in a highly competitive global environment as acknowledged in the European Commission’s Refining Fitness Check – is that refining companies have strongly integrated their operations across national borders within the single economic area. This is only possible where products and intermediates can move tariff-free and quickly across borders."

My view is that there will be some supply disruption which combined with human behaviour (panic buying) will result in some shortages in a no deal Brexit.

As another poster pointed out, the No Deal info for consumers website is due to go live next Tuesday. Which means the media will have a feeding frenzy (pardon pun) on the issue which will (also ironically) add fuel to the "it's all hysteria/self fulfilling prophecy " nonsense.
If you haven't already started, making some sensible plans now before it becomes a talking point is a good idea.
Another one happy to be wrong and to donate tins etc to a food bank if it's all fine.
Pop over to the Preppers topic for some non-panicky , budget friendly ideas.

I don't know anyone who is stockpiling.
Amongst friends and family no-one ever mentions Brexit tbh. Certainly no panic or angst.
However, I've started our little stockpile. Started with washing powder, other cleaning products etc and sanpro, and stocking up my vitamins / supplements etc.
I figure that even if unnecessary that will save me money as I won't have to buy them for a few months.

@DarienGap don't tell anyone that you are stockpiling or their plans will be "well we can all go around to @DarienGap , if it gets tricky ".

Susanwalker
I have 6 months supply of loo paper! Thinking about upping this as it’s not going to go off.

If we do a no deal, we’ll be leaving under WTO rules and things will carry on pretty much as they have been. There’s far too much scaremongering going on.

Seeetypea do you understand “just in time”
Stockpiling by individuals will actual improve the situation, not make it worse. The more people that stockpile the less panick purchasing in the even of shortages

If we do a no deal, we’ll be leaving under WTO rules and things will carry on pretty much as they have been

You clearly do not understand what happens when you move to WTO rules if you think everything will carry on as it is!!!

Not to mention we haven't even managed to sort out WTO schedule yet.

If we do a no deal, we’ll be leaving under WTO rules and things will carry on pretty much as they have been.

Neither statement is true.

If the UK leaves the EU with no deal, 750 Agreements with other countries are ripped up and the UK has to start from scratch. The UK can then begin negotiating with other countries. Apart from anything else, there will be a customs border around the UK delaying all goods in and out of the country.

Things will not carry on as before - the whole point of Brexit is that things will change. What Johnson, Farage, Redwood and Fox didn't tell you is that as well as the tiny possibility for things to be better after Brexit, there is the far more significant risk that things could change for the worse.

Tofty so why are the government preparing for lorry gridlock in Kent?

@ToftyAC , your ignorance is scary.

If we do a no deal, we’ll be leaving under WTO rules and things will carry on pretty much as they have been.

It boils down to:

1. Everything is going to remain exactly the same
2. If not, it's all the EU's fault because they're mean

So, beginning to wonder if it's reading comprehension issues, wilful ignorance, complete delusion or something else some posters are suffering from here?

Absolutely boggles my mind that so many are apparently absolutely certain they know (in fine detail) how WTO, JIT and import / exports work and still can't see there may be one or two issues, even when actual experts are saying there will be. If it wasn't so worrying, it would be a fascinating study.

Amazing how many armchair WTO and trade and logistics experts we had in the UK and we didn't ever realise! Just think what we could have done as a nation if you'd all come forward before now!

I am less concerned about the long term Brexit scenario than the short term JIT supply chains.

It's an irritating side effect of the systems in place currently.

The shop doesn't have a big storeroom out the back.

Building up your cupboards now is the OPPOSITE of selfish and irresponsible.

I would prefer us to remain. I voted that way and will do so again if there’s a further vote. If we had a say on any deal to leave I’d vote for whatever allowed the closest relationship with the EU.

But...

We can’t live our lives in constant fear. And fear is all this thread is really about. It’s like the (weirdly compelling) preppers board: people witter on there about the aftermath of unspecified global calamities, meals to make with pickled eggs and how to develop bushcraft skills. It’s simultaneously comical and depressing, like wild conspiracy theories.

I think some people just get a kick out of the drama. Like pretending they’re the sensible ones in some bad disaster movie.

It is perfectly possible to trade with EU member states, and to do so quickly, whether a country is in the EU or not. The EU is not 18th century Japan. The terms might be worse, but that’s the leavers’ fault.

Everyone is talking about petrol shortages. I dont understand WHY there will be petrol shortages

Mistigri
Actually refinery supply chains in the EU are highly integrated

UKPIA's stance seems more to do with efficiency, costs and competitiveness - consumer prices might increase, rather than petrol stations running dry - unless there is scaremongering of course.

A hard Brexit or no-deal scenario could severely disrupt refiners’ supply chains. Ready access to a wide range of products in close proximity to a refinery (or downstream business) increases supply chain efficiencies and lowers costs to consumers Part of the strength of the region’s market in a highly competitive global environment as acknowledged in the European Commission’s Refining Fitness Check is that refining companies have strongly integrated their operations across national borders within the single economic area.This is only possible where products and intermediates can move tariff-free and quickly across borders

A UKPIA spokesperson said "While Government has set out measures that will give some transition time even in a “No Deal” scenario this Notice underlines the need for a continuing close relationship*

Not a short-term panic then.

You can't stockpile petrol like a tin of beans - unless you use your car infrequently, you will have to fill up again pretty quickly.

Kissing I kind of agree but..

Snow last year meAnt we couldn't get milk or bread by the first day. By day two the soup making vegetables were sold out, lol!
Of course we were not going to starve but it's EASIER if you don't have to trail round different shops looking for the item your child or pet want.

Oh and I discovered I REALLY want a milky drink at times!

It’s created a cycle that started after the vote people started panicking buying other people started taking photos of empty shelves posting online this started a media frenzy and now we’re here people stockpiling food it is a bit ridiculous really but people are really scared of brexit

UKPIA's stance seems more to do with efficiency, costs and competitiveness - consumer prices might increase, rather than petrol stations running dry

Yes, although bear in mind that it's also in UKPIA's interests to avoid panicking consumers (and it would be pointless because, as you say, people can't stockpile fuel - although they can for eg make sure tanks of fuel oil are topped up).

I work in a related industry and I have first hand evidence of sales people from UK suppliers talking about needing an extra 10 days to ship products covered by REACH to European customers if there is a no deal. (My view is that this is probably optimistic, but I admit to a pessimistic bias due to past professional experience).

I love all the posters benevolently treating us to a drive-by spritz of their in-depth expertise in agriculture, food supply chains and global trade using empty hackneyed slogans that somehow they're certain are fresh and new, and have never been seen until they descended from Olympus to bestow them upon the thread. They mostly don't seem to come back at all, let alone when their points have been addressed by others (like, say, rice being grown in Europe). Funny that.

Another one happy to be wrong and to donate tins etc to a food bank if it's all fine

A House of Lords sub-committee reported last year that, Those who can afford it will be able to buy high-quality local produce.Those who cannot afford that option may well base their diets on cheaper, imported food

Perhaps the poor could eat more ugly fruit and veg -
A study showed that as much as 4.5 million tonnes of food in the UK was being wasted because food did not come up to artificial expectations;

www.thegrocer.co.uk/home/topics/waste-not-want-not/millions-of-tonnes-of-ugly-fruit-and-veg-wasted-says-report/570736.article

Brexit could provide an opportunity for the UK government to reduce the amount of food being wasted by scrapping EU marketing regulations that were also a contributing factor in the crisis

We've been buying a few "emergency rations" items each week for about the last 6 months. Mostly frozen stuff and also some tinned food - fish, tomatoes, soup etc.

My reason is that I wish to avoid going to the shops in the first few weeks after Brexit, especially if it's a No Deal scenario, as I believe that people will panic buy when they see the empty shelves and there could be scuffles, fights etc. It sounds ridiculous, I know. I sincerely hope it doesn't happen, but I am prepared in case it does.