Don Robertson

Don Robertson

There could again be a shortage of soft drinks following a three-week maintenance shutdown of the Afrox gas plant, although this will only affect certain bottle sizes.

This is similar to the shortage that was experienced over a year ago following problems at Petro SA, the sole suppliers of CO².

Janine van Stolk, communications manager for South African Breweries which controls Associated Beverage Industries, the major supplier of Coca-Cola and other soft drinks, said there had been some impact along with other bottlers, but it had been sporadic and relatively small.

The effect on beer would be minimal as CO² is a by-product of the brewing process.

"We have, in large, been able to offset the effect of the CO² supply shortages through the internal contingency plans that have been in place over the past several months," she said.

This includes the management of stock levels for the production of main brand sizes during times of CO² scarcity. - Business Times