You may have read my earlier blog where I warned that wheat and wheat products would be rising soon. I suggested that you stock up on flour, bread, cereal and other wheat-based products. I hope you heeded my advice because the prices are definitely “going through the roof.” And, these prices will continue to rise over the next few weeks or months.
Scarcity
The reality really hit home for me last week. A friend was traveling to Lancaster to pick up some goods. She offered to get me 25 pounds of flour. Unfortunately, there was no flour left to get.
In New York, dry goods suppliers are allocating deliveries of flour to their customers. They are not allowing restaurants or bakeries to stock up or order more flour.
According to current reports, the amount of wheat available is the lowest it has ever been since the end of World War II!
The Price of Flour
Just to give you an idea of where the price of flour is going, just last month, a 50-pound bag of flour wholesale could be had for $16. Last week, the price of that same bag cost $37. Next week, the price will be up to $40 or more. This cost will be passed on to the consumer, from a slice of pizza that costs $3.50 to a loaf of bread, which will be close to $4 for a small loaf. I’ve already noticed that at our local bakery thrift store, the dollar bin, where you could find large loaves of bread for $1 each has been removed. The lowest price for a small loaf of bread there is $1.69. The loaf is about half of the size.
Hope to Come?
There should be some good news coming in the future. In response to the scarcity, many farmers are planting winter wheat, which should help to stabilize the price structure somewhat. However, until the other issues are solved, fields being devoted to corn for ethanol instead of wheat and the very weak American dollar that is causing foreign countries to snap up “cheap” American wheat as fast as they can get it, don’t expect a huge change.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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Stock up on Flour, Bread and Cereal Now While You Can