Yahoo News This is why you’re struggling to find flour in the supermarket
The coronavirus outbreak has led to well-documented incidences of stockpiling and panic buying from the public.
And as social-distancing guidelines dictate that we must stay at home, there has been an resurgence of people baking.
With widespread reports of flour shortages, the National Association of British and Irish Flour Millers (NABIM) has explained why there has been shortages – and it’s not only because we’re going all Mary Berry with our newfound free time at home.
Director at NABIM Alex Waugh said: “There isn't a problem with production. It's just that most goes to big food brands and bakeries. Bags are usually 25kg or 16kg. To pack for consumer retail requires a different line, and people don't usually buy so much.”
Factories can’t supply wholesale and retail demands at the same time, and there has been increased demand from consumers in recent weeks.
He continued to the i: “We have plenty of flour, there's lot of it about. It's just a question of scale. Normally people buy 2m bags of flour per week. That's doubled to 4m, and we're at the absolute max. Everyone's working overtime.”
He urged the public not to buy more flour than needed if you do find it in the supermarket.
“If you're not using flour, don't buy more – we're not going to run out. It's better to avoid stockpiling so that others have the opportunity to bake.”
NABIM states that the UK is self-sufficient in flour, producing about 90,000 tonnes every week.
However, in response to the supermarket shortages, the organisation has stated that UK millers have been "working round the clock – genuinely milling flour 24-hours-day-seven-days-a-week to double the production of retail flour in an effort to meet demand".
One solution may be for retailers and wholesalers to stock larger bags of flour, which might be suited to more regular home-bakers but this would require a change in shopping patterns.
If you do have flour in and want to get baking, check out our gorgeous baking recipes and Easter ideas.
The information in this story is accurate as of the publication date. While we are attempting to keep our content as up-to-date as possible, the situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic continues to develop rapidly, so it's possible that some information and recommendations may have changed since publishing. For any concerns and latest advice, visit the World Health Organisation. If you're in the UK, the National Health Service can also provide useful information and support, while US users can contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox.
You Might Also Like
