Milling & Baking News - March 26, 2019 - 16

Data

Whole wheat flour production
slips slightly; share just over 5%
WASHINGTON - Whole wheat
flour production in 2018 totaled
22,343,000 cwts, down 176,000 cwts,
or 0.8%, from 22,519,000 in 2017.
The production figures were issued
March 1 by the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
Whole wheat flour production has
held within a very tight band for the
past three years - production was
22,414,000 cwts in 2016. By contrast,
production was higher in 2015, at
24,115,000 cwts, and lower in 2014,

at 21,312,000 cwts. Data from the
most recent year suggest the public's rising interest in whole wheat
products has flattened, following a
surge earlier in the 2000s.
While there have been quarter-toquarter swings in whole wheat flour
production, the trailing-four-quarter production total for whole wheat
flour has held between 22 million
cwts and 23 million cwts for nine
consecutive quarters. Additionally,
the share of total flour production
accounted for by whole wheat has

Whole wheat flour production
Production figures in 1,000 cwts
Whole wheat flour production
Change from year earlier
Trailing 4 quarter average
Share of total flour production

Oct.-Dec.
2018
5,531
-3.6%
22,343
5.3%

July-Sept.
2018
5,715
1.5%
22,549
5.4%

Apr.-June
2018
5,386
0.7%
22,466
5.1%

Jan.-Mar.
2018
5,711
-1.5%
22,430
5.4%

Whole wheat semolina production
Change from year earlier
Share of total semolina production

160
31.1%
2.1%

Whole wheat flour ex-semolina
Change from year earlier
Share of ex-semolina production

5,371
-4.3%
5.4%

Oct.-Dec.
2017
5,737
6.0%
22,519
5.3%

July-Sept.
2017
5,632
-7.0%
22,192
5.2%

135
-30.4%
1.8%

130
4.0%
1.7%

179
7.8%
2.4%

122
-33.7%
1.5%

194
7.2%
2.5%

5,580
2.6%
5.6%

5,256
0.6%
5.4%

5,532
-1.8%
5.7%

5,615
7.4%
5.6%

5,438
-7.4%
5.4%

Source: National Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S.D.A.

C.P.I. for baked foods and
cereals again climbs 0.3%
WASHINGTON - The Consumer
Price Index for baked foods and cereal
products rose 0.3% in February, its
second straight month of such a gain,
according to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of
Labor. The index for all food at home
also rose, increasing 0.3%.
Of the 18 items followed by Milling
& Baking News, 14 posted month-overmonth gains and 4 finished lower.
The February index for Cereals
and Bakery Products before seasonal
adjustment was 276% of the 1982-84
average, up 1.7% from a year ago. For
all food at home, the February index
was 242.1, up 1.2% from February
2018.
The C.P.I. for cereals and cereal
products in February was 226.8,
up 0.6% from January and up 0.2%
from February 2018. The index
for products within this category
16 / March 26, 2019

Milling & Baking News

included: flour and prepared mixes,
235.8, down 0.5% from January and
down 2.5% from the previous year;
breakfast cereal, 221.6, up 0.9% from
the previous month and up 1.1% from
a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn
meal, 236.1, up 0.5% from January
and up 0.1% from February 2018.
The price index for bakery products
in February was 304.4, up 0.2% from
January and up 2.4% from February
2018.
The February index for bread was
183.2, up 0.4% from January and up
3.8% from February 2018. Under this
heading, the C.P.I. for white bread
was 332, up 0.2% from January and
up 4.4% from February 2018. For
bread other than white, the index was
356.9, up 0.5% from January and up
3.9% from a year ago.
The price index for fresh biscuits,
rolls and muffins in February was

remained flat for three years - 5.2%
in 2018, 5.3% in 2017 and 2016, 5% in
2015 and 5.7% in 2014.
In the fourth quarter of 2018,
whole wheat flour production was
5,531,000 cwts, down 206,000 cwts
from 5,737,000 cwts in the fourth
quarter of 2017. Production was
down 3.2% from 5,715,000 cwts in
the third quarter of 2018.
Whole wheat accounted for 5.1%
of total U.S. flour production in the
fourth quarter of 2018, down from
5.3% in the fourth quarter of 2017
and the third quarter of 2018.
Whole wheat semolina production
remained modest in 2018. At 604,000
cwts, whole wheat semolina production was nearly unchanged from
607,000 in 2017. Whole wheat semolina accounted for 1.9% of all semolina production, versus 1.5% in 2017.
Excluding semolina, whole wheat
flour production in 2018 was
21,739,000 cwts, down 0.8% from
21,912,000 in 2017. Production was
21,428,000 cwts in 2016.
In the fourth quarter, production of
whole wheat flour excluding semolina was 5,371,000 cwts, down 67,000
cwts, or 1.2%, from a year earlier and
down 2.2% from 5,580,000 cwts in
the third quarter. Ex-semolina whole
wheat flour accounted for 5.4% of all
ex-semolina flour production in the
fourth quarter of 2018, down from
5.6% in 2017. MBN
181.4, down 0.8% from January but
up 2.3% from February 2018. The
February index for cakes, cupcakes
and cookies was 291.7, up 0.7% from
January and up 1.2% from February
2018. Under this segment, other
price indexes included fresh cakes
and cupcakes, 314.6, up 0.3% from
January and up 2.7% from February
2018; and cookies, 273.5, up 1.1%
from the previous month and up 0.2%
from the previous year.
The C.P.I. for other bakery products
in February was 268.7, up 0.1% from
January and up 2.2% from February
2018. Under this heading, other
price indexes in February included:
fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and
donuts, 309.3, up 1.2% from January
and up 3.8% from February 2018;
crackers and cracker products, 306.5,
up 0.3% from January and up 2.8%
from February 2018; and frozen and
refrigerated bakery products, pies,
tarts and turnovers, 268.8, down 0.3%
from January but up 0.3% from the
previous year. MBN
bakingbusiness.com / world-grain.com

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Milling & Baking News - March 26, 2019

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