People are being advised to have a stash of canned food at home because of two possible eventualities
Householders were warned last week to stock up on Sunday roast essential tin foil and now they’re being told to do the same thing with tinned food. And there’s two good reasons that it makes sense to have a good supply of canned food in your house.
The first reason is that Donald Trump‘s blitz on tariffs has caused a full-blown trade war and fears of price rises. On April 2, the US President who named the day ‘Liberation Day, laid down tariffs on almost every country, apart from Russia.
As part of the announcement, he put a 25 per cent tariff on aluminium, leading to fears of price rises for items such as tin foil and also tinned foods.
The other reason Brits are being urged to have a stash of tinned food is because the Government says every home should have a 72 hour survival kit in their house in case of an emergency.
While Trump, 78, has, for now, climbed down on some of the tariffs in a ’90 day pause’, the 10 per cent tariffs on imports are still in place meaning the cost of canned goods in the UK could shoot up soon, reports The Express.
It works like this. If UK steel manufacturers see reduced sales on exports to the US, they may need to raise prices in other markets to balance it out, including in Britain.
And trade body UK Steel said the tariffs are ‘deeply concerning’ voicing concerns it could cost the UK economy £100m a yearly.
As reported by The Independent: “The tariffs raise a flat duty on steel and aluminium entering America to 25 per cent.
“This could affect UK products worth hundreds of millions of pounds as products like cars, cans and tin foil are likely to become more expensive.”
But the rising cost of canned food is not the only reason Brits may need to stockpile.
The Government wants every home to prepare a three day ‘survival kit’ so that residents are prepared for various crises, including floods, blackouts, or disease outbreaks
The UK’s Prepare website contains a list of key advice for British households to be ready for possible emergencies in future.
Among its guidance, it urges households to have a set of emergency supplies at home, including batteries, power banks, radios, bottled water and tinned food.
The UK Government advice says: “Emergencies happen every day in the UK and across the world. They can be caused by severe weather or other natural hazards, by deliberate actions, or as a result of accidents or infrastructure failure.
“They can be events that happen quickly and are over in a few hours, or they can develop and continue over the course of several days, months, or sometimes even longer.
“Put together an emergency kit of items at home. This could include: Non-perishable food that doesn’t need cooking, such as ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit or vegetables (and a tin opener). As with water, how much you need will vary based on your own circumstances. Don’t forget food for pets.”
It recommends that households slowly build up supplies over time, rather than rush out and grab the items in one go, adding: “Rather than buying all the items at once, you could just add to your emergency kit when you are able and build it up over time.”
