FEARS have been sparked that a CO2 crisis could cause food prices to spiral further.
New figures show that the cost of groceries could shoot up by £1.7billion due to the rocketing price of producing CO2.
CO2 is important in food production, because it is used to keep beer and soft drinks fizzy, keeps food fresh and is used to humanely slaughter chickens and pigs.
It is produced in big production plants and sold to companies - but high natural gas and carbon prices means it is costing more to make.
The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit found that the price of a tonne of liquid CO2 is up to 3000% higher than it was a year ago, currently as much as £3000 per tonne, compared to just £100 per tonne one year ago.
Fears have been sparked that the food and drink sector, which will likely foot the big bill spike, will pass on prices to customers.
Soaring prices has already caused major issues for supermarkets and other food and drink businesses.
A major CO2 production plant to halt operations in August because of rising energy bills, sparking fears of food and beer shortages as a result.
Concerns were sparked about a CO2 crisis hitting boozers last year.
Experts warned it could hit Christmas beer supplies, as the nation faced the worst CO2 shortage for over 40 years at that point.
Pubs also faced a carbon dioxide shortage in 2018 which hit thousands of branches across the country, with some Wetherspoons, Punch, Admiral Taverns and Enterprise Inns pubs left unable to sell draft beer and fizzy drinks.
Matt Williams, climate and land programme lead at ECIU said: "The UK's reliance on fossil fuels affects more than just families' energy bills. It could bring the food and drink system to its knees.
"Rising energy costs are creating an extra cost of hundreds of millions of pounds in the food and drink industry that customers may struggle to avoid.
"If high gas prices, or even blackouts, force factories to close it could create real problems for farmers and the food and drink industry."
Fay Jones, MP for Brecon and Radnorshire and chair of the Farming APPG, said: "The price of gas is adding thousands of pounds to families' energy bills.
"Now, like last autumn, it could affect supplies of CO2 and of fertilisers, and drive up the price of everything from beer to bacon."
Energy prices have soared over the past year, driven partly by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
But energy bills have now been capped at £2,500 for two years thanks to the government's energy price guarantee.
The guarantee came into force on October 1, and the government claims it will help save the average bill payer £1,000.
