How Climate Change Will Ruin Your Breakfast in Five Ways.
The UK is facing a potential Nutella shortage, the most severe breakfast-related crisis since the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Climate change is believed to be the primary cause of this looming crisis, as the hazelnut crop is particularly vulnerable to changes in temperature and rainfall.
The price of hazelnuts, a key ingredient in the popular chocolate spread Nutella, has risen by 60 percent this year due to devastating ice storms that have hit hazel tree farms in Turkey’s Black Sea coastal region. The European Union’s Centre for Climate Adaptation predicts that the region should expect colder winters and heavier precipitation as the effects of climate change become more pronounced. As palm oil and cocoa prices also continue to rise, the manufacturer of Nutella is facing increasing pressure.
The effects of climate change are not limited to Nutella, however. It is also having a detrimental impact on other breakfast staples. Here are some of the other ways it is making the most important meal of the day a little less satisfying:
- Cereal prices are set to rise significantly in the coming decade, according to a report from Oxfam International. The cost of Kix could be 24 percent higher by 2030, while Frosted Flakes and Kellogg’s Corn Flakes could be 20 and 30 percent more expensive respectively. These price hikes are attributed to drought-stricken grain crops, and do not take into account potential inflation. As such, cereal lovers are advised to start stockpiling now in order to avoid the price increases.
- The world is facing a looming bacon shortage, with the ‘aporkalypse’ on the horizon. As grain supplies shrink, the cost of corn and soybeans, used to feed pigs, is rising, leading to smaller pig herds and a subsequent increase in the price of pork and bacon. In 2012, the National Pig Association of Britain warned that a shortage of pork and bacon was ‘unavoidable’.
