Wine and olive oil – the latest Brexit casualties?

There is no denying that the UK has gone a little bit Brexit mad. With each day comes a raft of fresh scaremongering headlines anticipating what will happen in the case of a no-deal Brexit. From major companies withdrawing from their UK bases, to price rises and the trepidation over having to apply for visas just to holiday in the South of France –the UK public is bracing for change.

And it’s fair to say that the latest news that the UK government has admitted it’s preparing for a no-deal Brexit by keeping the army on standby to deliver emergency supplies; and stockpiling medicine, food and fuel, has done nothing to calm pre-Brexit nerves.

An unnamed source from the Ministry of Defence said that there had been a "blueprint for us supporting the civilian authorities that can be dusted off", whilst Brexit Secretary Dominic Rabb commented: "It would be wrong to describe it as the government doing the stockpiling, but we will look at this issue in the round and make sure there is adequate food supply".

Discount food giant Aldi has already begun to prepare for the eventuality of a no-deal according to a report by The Sunday Times, whilst other sources say the NHS would transition onto a year-round "winter crisis footing". Not exactly reassuring, especially when the public is reportedly already being sheltered from hearing the true extent of the no-deal Brexit procedures, lest it sends us all into a panic…

The news has naturally led to multiple articles and blogs being written to advise the UK public on what items should be stockpiled in the event that we ‘crash’ out of the EU, with key items like wine and olive oil at the top of the lists.

The British Retail Consortium said of the situation: “Stockpiling of food is not a practical response to a no-deal on Brexit and [the] industry has not been approached by government to begin planning for this … our food supply chains are extremely fragile.”

Meanwhile Prime Minister Theresa May is sticking by her mantra that ‘no deal is better than a bad deal’ as she suns herself in Italy on her annual holiday. But it seems with luxuries like wine and olive oil the latest reported casualties of Brexit, it’s yet to be seen whether the UK public will agree…