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A CO2 Shortage is Causing a Beer and Meat Crisis in Britain (qz.com)
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is used in the production of a wide variety of food and drink products. But with at least five CO2 producers across northern Europe offline, a shortfall in the gas is causing shortages in beer, fizzy drinks, and meat. From a report: Britain is particularly affected because the seasonal shutdown of the plants has meant that the UK has only one big plant producing CO2 left. The British Beer and Pub Association, along with individual beer producers and pubs, has warned of the crisis caused by the shortage. Without naming companies, the trade association said the shortfall has caused beer production shortages. Heineken, the UK's biggest brewer, said its CO2 supplier was facing "a major issue" in the UK. Meanwhile, one of Britain's biggest pub chains, Wetherspoons, said it'll be forced to pull a number of beers and fizzy drinks from its menu soon.
Modern slaughterhouses use CO2 for "controlled atmosphere stunning" to render the animals unconscious before slaughter.
it's used as part of the packaging. Modified Atmosphere Packaging is a process where CO2 is pushed into the package removing all "air" before sealing. It stops nasty organisms growing in there.
it's common to see Nitrogen and CO2 as the gas. I don't know much more than the above, but I would imagine there is a wiki article to explain further. Oh, and i'm likely wrong about all of the above but the community will put me right
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Technically true, but that's not how the industrial process works.
During fermentation, CO2 is given off, but most of it escapes. If you do bottle fermentation (much homebrew, a few craft brands), you add a bit more sugar to the mix right before bottling. The issue is, there has to be live yeast still in the liquid, and as it ferments you'll get a residue of yeast at the bottom, which you have to be careful not to stir up unless you want the cloudiness, extra yeasty flavor, and don't mind some possible digestive issues. You then also have to leave the beer at fermentation temperature for another couple of weeks for it to fully carbonate. This means increased storage time and required space, and there's still a risk that the actual carbonation level is somewhat inconsistent.
Most commercial brewers let the beer fully ferment, and all CO2 gasses off. They also filter the beer, removing yeast and any other impurities, so that it's clear and shiny, but also organically dead and totally flat. During bottling they inject CO2 back into the brew mechanically to carbonate it with precision control. Then it can be shipped and/or refrigerated immediately, no extra storage or time required.
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You're not in the UK, are you? Real ale is pretty widely available, hand pumped from the cask and relies on secondary fermentation. In the US it's harder to find, but available in bars that specialize in that sort of thing.
Belgian beer is bottle conditioned.
At least the good stuff, I'm not talking about Stella.
I used to work as a lab technician in one of the big breweries making Heineken and Stella and other beers, and measuring this stuff used to be my job. For the most part, the CO2 produced by fermentation is used. However, to ensure batch consistency, if the dissolved gases are not within a certain range of the specification, then they will be adjusted to bring them back in line. To raise the CO2 level you can bubble it through and/or add it to the headspace of the tank. To lower it you bubble N2 through and/or add it to the headspace. Regular gas laws and partial pressures will result in a new equilibrium. In addition to CO2, dissolved N2 and O2 levels were also measured. O2 is really bad for shelf life because it will oxidise various compounds in the beer and make it spoil. Usually very low, but can also be reduced with N2 without disturbing the CO2 level too much. Note that these adjustments are done on filtered "bright" beer immediately prior to packaging. Also, the CO2 levels also vary depending upon the packaging method. Bottles have the highest levels, with cans being slightly less. Kegs have much less. All to do with shelf life and the integrity of the packaging.