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AIBU?

To be surprised that some friends are buying extra food because of Brexit?

999 replies

abacucat · 07/01/2019 11:53

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?

OP posts:

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arranbubonicplague · 07/01/2019 11:56

The most optimistic message coming out from official sources is that there will be food but a relatively limited choice.

Are you friends stocking up on items they'd miss? (Not having access to tomatoes would be a major shift in my cooking and diet and I'd definitely need to think up different dishes.)

Or are your friends buying extra dry stores that they can reasonably use up?

abacucat · 07/01/2019 11:58

Extra dry stores such as rice and lentils.

OP posts:

Elllicam · 07/01/2019 11:58

We are buying extra frozen, tinned and dried food. It won’t go to waste if everything is fine.

BrexitDestruction · 07/01/2019 11:58

Depends on the type of Brexit we get. No Deal will lead to mass shortages. You probably won't want to be in amongst the people angrily searching for food. Up to you. I'm not taking any chances.

BrexitDestruction · 07/01/2019 12:00

Anecdotally here, the supermarket has definitely been more raided than normal for tinned goods and long life milk.

You may get a dry run in mid Jan, when the government publish the No Deal advice for the general population and everyone panics then.

Hedgehogblues · 07/01/2019 12:04

Well we are buying extra because I'm due at the end of march and neither of us want to be scrabbling round for food just after I've had a baby. If it's all fine it doesn't matter because it's all food we will eat anyway

Katinkka · 07/01/2019 12:05

I don’t think it should be necessary but I think it’s sensible to have a few things in stock just in case. Other people will panic buy and that in itself will be an issue. I am stocking up on beans, tuna, tomatoes, bread mix, and other store cupboard items.

cloudtree · 07/01/2019 12:05

Presumably you've not seen any of the dozens of threads running on MN about stocking up. A large number of people are taking sensible precautions. Unless you genuinely cannot afford to then I struggle to see why anyone would take the risk TBH.

bengalcat · 07/01/2019 12:06

Who knows . Sadly I can’t stock up on avocados .

BarbaraofSevillle · 07/01/2019 12:07

Anecdotally here, the supermarket has definitely been more raided than normal for tinned goods and long life milk

That could be the effect of people doing reverse advent calendar type foodbank donations - both are foodbank staples.

For me, 2019 is the year when I've vowed to clear our backlog of stocks, not add to it. To get rid of all the stuff in the cupboards and the freezers that have been hanging round for years. I'm wondering if I've picked the wrong time to be wanting to do this.

arranbubonicplague · 07/01/2019 12:07

I think people who are used to home deliveries might need some stocks if there are any fuel shortages that make it difficult for companies to run the services as they currently do.

Likewise, for people who need a car to shop and might not be over-confident about access to fuel.

NotDavidTennant · 07/01/2019 12:09

I'm giving it another month or so, on the off chance that a deal gets sorted, but if not I'm going to start stocking up on some of the basics.

When we had that heavy snow in the spring our local supermarket ended up being half empty and that was only after 2-3 days of disruption. A no deal Brexit will most likely be worse.

UrsulaPandress · 07/01/2019 12:10

I’ve been Brexit ready for years. I always have a groaning store cupboard. But I have also said for years that we should eat seasonally. Maybe that will be the way forward.

TattiePants · 07/01/2019 12:15

I'm planning on waiting a little longer to see if things become any clearer but if it looks like we'll have a no deal Brexit then I'll start adding non-perishable items to my weekly shop for the next couple of months and stock the freezer up. I'd much rather have a few extra tins and bags of pasta in the cupboard and not need it than get to late March / April and not be able to easily buy stuff. Shops operate a JIT stock system so even short term minor disruption could lead to low / no stock.

BrexitDestruction · 07/01/2019 12:18

Basically, do I trust this government not to walk us over a cliff to benefit their tax dodging, disaster capitalist mates? No, I do not. Therefore, I am taking some precautions.

The implications of No Deal are so catastrophic though, that it would be impossible to ever really mitigate them. Still, it won't go to waste. It's all long life and if we don't suffer disruption, I can donate it. Win win.

I'm delaying sorting out freezers and cupboards until I know what sort of Brexit we are getting.

People get very upset when you say you are doing this though. Let's all beliiiiieeeeeve in glorious Brexit. I'm sure it will all be amazing!

cloudtree · 07/01/2019 12:19

Eating seasonally is fine and very sensible but to eat seasonally from food produced in this country also means a very much more restricted diet than we are used to. No soft fruit in winter, no citrus, no bananas, no avocados, limited peppers, aubergines, pineapples, mangoes etc...

MeredithGrey1 · 07/01/2019 12:20

I don’t think it should be necessary but I think it’s sensible to have a few things in stock just in case.

Agreed, we've actually not done this yet but probably will depending on how it looks like its going over the next month or so. No harm in having a few extra bags of pasta/rice and some extra tins and jars, and a packet of toilet roll etc. that we will definitely use eventually anyway. (Although of course, the mentality of "might as well stock up a bit" is quite likely to cause the shortages if everyone does it - bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy).

UrsulaPandress · 07/01/2019 12:21

You don’t say.

ChristmasRaven · 07/01/2019 12:22

I'm not stocking up. If there are shortages in some things so what? I'll just eat what is available. I'm not fussy enough about food to really care, and no one is actually going to starve. I'm with you OP.

Jackshouse · 07/01/2019 12:23

We don’t produce enough food in the UK to support our population.

LovesLaboursLost · 07/01/2019 12:23

If there’s no deal, shopping will be utterly grim for a while. Not just the limited supplies, but the experience of shopping with people panicking about limited supplies. It’s possible there will be civil disruption, because people just aren’t used to it. It’s worth stocking up to avoid all that.

diddl · 07/01/2019 12:24

As long as the stockers don't cause the shortages!

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gendercritter · 07/01/2019 12:25

I think with the way the government is managing Brexit it seems very foolish not to be stocking up. No Deal would be such a catastrophe. Just get some basics in to make yourself less vulnerable if you can afford it.

cloudtree · 07/01/2019 12:27

as long as the stockers don't cause the shortages

More likely they will help the problem since they won't be scrabbling around last minute trying to get stuff together. Leaves more available for those who didn't bother

BrexitDestruction · 07/01/2019 12:27

People simply won't react well to being told they have to eat seasonally/differently. They aren't just going to accept it. There will be real anger.

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