by
Vaughn Entwistle, Managing Editor, Milling and Grain
Now that we are all in lockdown, the effects of COVID-19 have reached nearly every aspect of daily life. A common experience has been panic-buying and hoarding, leading to empty supermarket shelves. This has even impacted the availability of plain white flour on supermarket shelves in the UK and many other countries.
Unlike many other food stuffs, the UK is self-sufficient in flour, producing
about 90,000 tonnes every week. Yet,
many people are experiencing shortages in supermarkets and shops. In the UK,
challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic are being answered by the selfless
dedication of many disciplines—including the millers who produce the flour to
keep us fed. Every day, the UK bakes up roughly 12 million loaves of bread, two
million pizzas, and ten million cakes and biscuits. Approximately one third of
all food and drink products sold in a typical UK supermarket contain flour.
When all are combined, this requires a daily production of 14,000 tonnes of
flour. This, in turn relies upon an infrastructure of millers, engineers and
drivers, not to mention adequate supplies of fuel and electricity.
Panic buying upsets the supermarket trolley
Since the first ominous premonitions of the advent of the coronavirus, many UK consumers responded with a wave of panic buying that emptied supermarket aisles of toilet paper. Panic buying then migrated to aisles stocking pasta and pasta sauce. Nearly everyone it seemed was anticipating a lockdown and responded by hoarding. Unfortunately, this then became a self-fulfilling prophecy, precipitating shortages where there should have been none.
Flour supplies were likewise hit as demand soared, which soon stripped supermarket shelves bare. However, a shortage of flour was not the problem, as foodservice businesses including McDonalds and Greggs were forced to shut, which greatly reduced demand. However, the shortage of flour on supermarket shelves was a result of shortages in the food chain distribution, which has radically altered. In normal times, with most consumers preferring the convenience of bakery-produced bread, only four percent of the total flour milled in the UK is sold to home bakers through shops and supermarkets. This typically equates to shoppers taking home around two million 1.5kg bags a week.
By contrast, since the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for flour skyrocketed, with UK retail sales of flour up by 145 percent compared to the same time last year. The situation quickly turned surreal when one shameless entrepreneur posted a 1.5kg bag of Waitrose plain white flour on eBay for an asking price of UK £70 ($86.32) and attracted a dozen bidders.
Read more HERE.
Now that we are all in lockdown, the effects of COVID-19 have reached nearly every aspect of daily life. A common experience has been panic-buying and hoarding, leading to empty supermarket shelves. This has even impacted the availability of plain white flour on supermarket shelves in the UK and many other countries.
Panic buying upsets the supermarket trolley
Since the first ominous premonitions of the advent of the coronavirus, many UK consumers responded with a wave of panic buying that emptied supermarket aisles of toilet paper. Panic buying then migrated to aisles stocking pasta and pasta sauce. Nearly everyone it seemed was anticipating a lockdown and responded by hoarding. Unfortunately, this then became a self-fulfilling prophecy, precipitating shortages where there should have been none.
Flour supplies were likewise hit as demand soared, which soon stripped supermarket shelves bare. However, a shortage of flour was not the problem, as foodservice businesses including McDonalds and Greggs were forced to shut, which greatly reduced demand. However, the shortage of flour on supermarket shelves was a result of shortages in the food chain distribution, which has radically altered. In normal times, with most consumers preferring the convenience of bakery-produced bread, only four percent of the total flour milled in the UK is sold to home bakers through shops and supermarkets. This typically equates to shoppers taking home around two million 1.5kg bags a week.
By contrast, since the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for flour skyrocketed, with UK retail sales of flour up by 145 percent compared to the same time last year. The situation quickly turned surreal when one shameless entrepreneur posted a 1.5kg bag of Waitrose plain white flour on eBay for an asking price of UK £70 ($86.32) and attracted a dozen bidders.
Read more HERE.
The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.
For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com
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