Environment Minister John Gormley has encouraged people stranded by the Arctic conditions to throw snack foods in front of them until they reach a safe haven.
Minister Gormley was yesterday put in charge of the National Emergency Response Committee charged with tackling the big freeze. “I am seeking the Cabinet’s approval for a compulsory purchase order of all processed foods with high salt content,” he said.
“These foods would then be distributed to the local authorities who will use them on the roads until such time as we can source more grit,” he added.
A spokesman for the local authorities said grit had been in short supply here since the 1980s. “What little there is is not true grit,” he said. “It is shit grit.”
Asked if he had any advice for people stranded by the bad weather, Mr Gormley told them to empty their fridges and kitchen cupboards. “Throw snack foods in front of you on pavements and streets until you reach main roads,” he said.
Mr Gormley acknowledged that people who did not include high salt breads, cereals, snacks and ready meals in their diet were probably doomed. “This is no time to go organic,” he said.
