Milling & Baking News - November 26, 2013 - 40

Ingredient Week 

Bakery Flour

Family Flour

Bookings of bakery flour expanded
modestly last week. Prices were adjusted
lower. Wheat futures prices traded mostly sideways while cash wheat premiums
and mill bids remained strong. A spike
in millfeed values ahead of Thanksgiving helped spot flour pricing ease.
Some millers indicated an increase
in flour booking for the first quarter
of 2014 and even into April-May. But
the business was not broad based and
was not shared equally. Overall flour
coverage for January-March remained
historically short for the date. Millers
agreed several bakers with gaps to fill in
December coverage booked whatever
components they required to complete
the contracts.
Historically strong cash wheat premiums in Kansas City continued to discourage pan bread bakers from booking
aggressively into 2014. The result was
cookie-cracker and specialty bakers and
specialty bread bakers and other users
of spring grades of flour were said to
have more extensive coverage than the
bread bakers. One miller indicated soft
and spring flour users had commitments
through component of flat coverage
ranging up to 35% or even 40% of their
prospective needs for the first quarter of
2014. In contrast, bread bakers' commitments to contracts for the period were
estimated between 25% and 30%.
Mill grind ranged from 5½ to 6½ days
across most of the country in advance of
Thanksgiving week. MBN

Bakery ﬂour

Semolina
Bookings of semolina, granulars and
durum flour were steady but not heavy
last week. Prices declined.
The price of choice milling hard amber durum transiting the Chicago gateway was $9.45 a bu, unchanged from
the previous week. The Minneapolis
price was pegged at $9.15. With durum
prices stable, the variability in semolina

pricing reflected adjustments to the value of millfeed in the Upper Midwest.
Nearly all pasta manufacturers
earlier covered their semolina needs
through the end of the year. The only
fresh business in the fourth quarter related to fill-in purchases by pasta makers who found they hadn't contracted
for enough semolina to meet what has
been good consumer demand for pasta.
Individual pasta plants added to
their January-March coverage. Durum
millers indicated anywhere from 50%
to 70% of the prospective semolina requirements for the first quarter has been
covered. Coverage beyond March was
light. Ample North American durum
supplies militated against panic buying.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture
on Nov. 8 estimated durum production in the United States in 2013 at
61,913,000 bus, up 385,000 bus from the
estimate contained in the 2013 Small
Grains Summary published at the end
of September but down 20,883,000 bus,
or 25%, from 82,796,000 bus in 2012.
But the shortfall in U.S. production was
offset by a much larger Canadian crop.
Statistics Canada estimated Canadian
durum production in 2013 at 5,579,200
tonnes (more than 205 million bus), up
21% from 4,626,600 tonnes in 2012. MBN

Bakers standard, Kansas City
Bulk, f.o.b. car, $ per cwt
$23.00
$21.00
$19.00

No. 1 hard amber durum

Bulk, f.o.b. car, $ per cwt
- Change from - Year
Nov. 22 Nov. 15 Nov. 8 ago
Kansas City
Bakers short patent
Bakers standard patent
Second clear
Third clear
Minneapolis
Spring short patent
Spring standard patent
High gluten
Whole wheat
Specialty whole wheat
Fancy spring clear
First spring clear
Rye, white
Chicago
Cracker
Fancy cake
New York
Winter/spring blend
Spring standard patent
High gluten
Fancy cake
Rye, white
Los Angeles
Bakers standard patent
Pastry

Sales of regional and national brands
of family flour were brisk last week. Carlot list prices were unchanged, but product promotions at retail were prevalent.
Manufacturers scrambled to fill lastminute orders before Thanksgiving.
Orders for the home baking season
got off to a slow start, probably because of the late date for Thanksgiving
this year. But the pace of activity sped
up considerably in the past couple of
weeks, and volume was expected to be
similar to last year.
Manufacturers said they thought
packaging lines will resume running
full tilt immediately after a break for
Thanksgiving. The late date for the holiday meant there were fewer days available to meet demand for Christmas.
National brands were offered at WalMart at $1.98 per 5-lb bag in a number
of markets, and private label flour was
offered as low as $1.70. These aggressive
programs compared with more prevalent grocery shelf offers of two 5-lb bags
for $5 and occasionally for $4. MBN

Track, Chicago
- Change from - Year
$ per bu
Nov. 22 Nov. 15 Nov. 8 ago
Choice milling 13% 9.45
-
-
10.30

-0.05
-0.05
-
...

-0.20
-0.20
-
...

21.65
21.55
14.00
...

Track, Minneapolis
$ per bu

18.05
17.95
20.95
17.95
18.30
17.80
17.70
22.70

-0.25
-0.25
-0.25
-0.25
-0.25
-0.25
-0.25
-0.55

-0.75
-0.75
-0.75
-0.75
-0.75
-0.75
-0.75
-1.15

20.95
20.85
23.85
20.85
21.20
20.70
20.60
20.75

Bulk, f.o.b. Minneapolis, $ per cwt
- Change from -
Nov. 22 Nov. 15 Nov. 8
Semolina
22.25
-.35
-.40
Granulars
22.05
-.35
-.40
Flour
21.95
-.35
-.40
First clear
17.55
-
-
Second clear 13.50
-
-
Semolina - N.Y. 24.95
-.35
-.40

16.35
17.85

-0.30
-0.30

0.10
0.10

19.20
20.70

21.85
20.35
23.35
19.85
25.20

-0.05
0.10
0.10
-0.30
-0.55

-0.20
-0.40
-0.40
0.10
-1.15

24.05
23.55
26.55
22.70
23.25

24.95
24.80

-0.05
-0.05

-0.20
-0.20

27.10
26.55

40 / November 26, 2013 Milling & Baking News

$15.00
N

M
Previous Year

19.45
19.35
14.00
...

Choice milling 13% 9.15

$17.00

A
Current Year

Spring standard, Minneapolis
-

10.00

Bulk, f.o.b. car, $ per cwt
$25.00

Semolina

$23.00

Year
ago
23.85
23.65
23.55
17.50
13.00
26.55

Nationally advertised family ﬂour

$21.00
$19.00
$17.00
$15.00
N

M
Previous Year

A
Current Year

Cracker ﬂour, Chicago
Bulk, f.o.b. car, $ per cwt
$22.00

Dollars
Nov. 22
Family patent, 2-25s papers 24.12
4-10s
n.a.
8-5s
18.52
18-2s
20.64
Self-rising
n.a.

$20.00

Year ago
24.12
n.a.
18.62
20.64
n.a.

$18.00
$16.00
$14.00
$12.00
N

M
Previous Year

A
Current Year

bakingbusiness.com / world-grain.com

http://www.bakingbusiness.com http://www.world-grain.com

Milling & Baking News - November 26, 2013

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