The new threat situation in Europe is bringing greater attention to the provision of important foodstuffs. The emergency plan should be renewed.
dpa | Federal Minister of Food Alois Rainer wants to initiate a renewal of food provision in Germany for major crisis situations in the coming months. “The attack on the power grid in Berlin has shown how urgent an update of our emergency reserve is,” the CSU politician told the German Press Agency before the Green Week agricultural trade fair in Berlin. “We’re not putting this off for a long time. I’ll use this year to arrange financing for the update.”
Rainer thus concretized considerations for a “further safety net“, which should consist of the “full range” of foods in a long-lasting canned form. “We have had reserves of grain, peas, lentils and canned milk at around 150 locations since the 1960s. But all of this has to be processed first, so we also need ready-to-eat canned dishes,” he explained. “I see it like the airbag in the car: Hopefully you never need it, but it’s reassuring that it’s there.”
The minister referred to his suggestion to also use food retail structures for implementation. “It already has large storage capacities and vehicles to distribute products in the event of a crisis.” Framework conditions must be guaranteed for this. “And it has to be worth it to us.”
Rainer emphasized: “My responsibility as Minister of Food is that no one goes hungry in the event of a crisis.” Security of supply does not just begin on the supermarket shelf, but rather where food is produced. Agriculture and the food industry must therefore be taken into account in emergency scenarios. “They are critical infrastructure.The minister explained: “That doesn’t mean that farmers take part in crisis exercises with their tractors.” However, scenarios such as what would happen if the animals’ water supply is interrupted or the farm’s feed supply collapses need to be considered and prepared.
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