Arvin Donley, editor of World Grain.
|The study, written and researched by the economics consultancy Policy Points, found that 99% of UK households consume flour-based products — an even greater percentage than those who have access to the internet (93%).
While the study contains many interesting nuggets of information, its bottom line is that the flour milling industry ranks as one of the most productive sectors of the UK economy. The Economic Impact Report showed that the gross economic value added per employee is £141,000 ($175,000) in the UK milling industry, outstripping sectors such as manufacturing and construction and well above the average of £64,000.
The report also notes that the UK flour milling industry generates £2 billion in annual turnover, £700 million in added value to the economy, £270 million delivered in tax to the national treasury, and employs 9,000 people.
None of this is surprising to those in the global flour milling and baking industries, who know how skilled and efficient flour millers are at producing the main ingredient for bread and many other flour-based food products.
Like the milling sector in virtually every country in the world, the UK milling industry has consolidated in recent decades, dropping from 500 mills in the 1960s to only 51 currently. But thanks to large investments in state-of-the-art milling technology, the UK’s highly automated mills produce 3.8 million tonnes of flour per year, despite having fewer mills and millers.
A number not found in this study but worth noting is that the global commercial flour market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of over 3.9% from 2024 to 2032, driven by changing consumer preferences, technological advancements, and heightened health awareness, according to Market Insights.
Sometimes jokingly referred to as “the world’s second oldest profession,” flour milling has been around since the Stone Age, but it has come a long way from grinding wheat kernels with rocks. Modern flour mills, with their state-of-the-art equipment and fine-tuned flour production process, are a sight to behold.
Despite these uplifting facts and figures, flour milling in the UK and elsewhere remains a challenging, low-margin business. The challenges include, but are not limited to, maintaining consistent product quality while dealing with varying wheat supplies, navigating volatile market prices, ensuring food safety and hygiene in an increasingly stringent regulatory environment, managing energy costs, adapting to changing consumer demands, labor shortages, and dealing with potential supply chain disruptions.
As World Flour Day — celebrated every March 20 as a day of recognition for the global flour milling community — approaches, it reminds us that the most ubiquitous things in our lives, such as flour and bread, are often taken for granted. When you bite into a piece of bread on March 20, take a moment to give thanks for the men and women who churn out millions of tonnes of flour every year, providing us with our daily bread.
