One of the more obscure effects of the coronacrisis is starting to worry American meat processors: a lack of industrial carbon dioxide.

CO2 is used in several ways in meat processing: as a gas to stun birds before slaughter; in frozen form, to chill ground meat before it’s formed into patties, nuggets or other shapes; and as a refrigerant in technically advanced refrigeration and freezing systems.

The problem is that the public is driving far less due to the coronavirus, causing the price of motor fuel to plunge. This has led to cutbacks in the production of ethanol, widely used as a gasoline supplement – and CO2 is a major byproduct of ethanol production. As demand for ethanol drops, more than half of the ethanol plants in the U.S. have cut production or stopped it entirely, with severe effects on the CO2 supply.

“Were headed for a train wreck in terms of the CO2 market,” Geoff Cooper, president of the Renewable Fuels Association, told The Poultry Site.

Cargill and other meat processors say they have enough CO2 for now, but the price is starting to go up, and experts fear that supplies may be disrupted if the situation persists.