June 1997
U.S. Flour Consumption Highest in 50 Years
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Prairie Grains is the
official publication of
the Minnesota
Association of
Wheat Growers,
North Dakota Grain
Growers Association,
South Dakota Wheat,
Inc., and the
Minnesota Barley
Growers Association.
Significantly, it occurred during record high wheat prices that were caused by smaller than average U.S. wheat crops and low reserve stocks.
Since 1972, domestic demand for wheat has increased steadily from the all-time low of 110 pounds per capita. This increase meant an extra 69 cents per bushel for wheat producers in the 1995-96 marketing year.
The six-pound-per-capita jump in 1996 means that an additional bushel of wheat was used by every seven Americans. Similar six-pound increases occurred in 1990 when wheat flour use went from 130 to 136 pounds and in 1985 when it went from 119 to 125 pounds.
The increase of flour consumption supports recent research findings that Americans are consuming more grain foods. According to a recent Wheat Foods Council (WFC) and American Bakers Asso-ciation's Gallup survey and the NPD Group's collective information on what America eats, the grain food group is the only food category to record growth in consumption over the past decade. Although consumption is heading the right direction, there's still room for improvement.
According to the Gallup findings, Americans say they average 3.2 grain food servings daily. Although stated consumption is up from 2.8 servings in 1993, only 12 percent of Americans in 1996 said they ate the Food Guide Pyramid's recommended 6 to 11 grain food servings daily.
If Americans would consume just the minimum six recommended servings of grain foods daily, up from the three they say they are now eating, domestic consumption of wheat flour would increase to 180-185 pounds per person, says Judi Adams, who heads the WFC.
That would translate into an extra 300 million bushels of wheat consumed domestically and an additional $1 billion in income for wheat producers. When population growth is added, the potential market would mean $1.25 billion in additional returns for producers.
"In short, increased domestic demand for wheat means improved prices for U.S. wheat producers," says Adams.
Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., the WFC works to increase public awareness that grain foods are an essential component to a healthy diet. It is the only national nonprofit organization promoting increased consumption of grain-based food through nutrition, education and promotional programs. Council members include millers, bakers, cereal, cracker, tortilla and pasta manufacturers, and producer groups, including the Minnesota Wheat Research and Promotion Council. n
