Milling & Baking News - January 11, 2022 - 37

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 34
Ms. Hellmer recommended bakery
labor shortages, Ms. Hellmer said they'll
need to do even more going forward. For
example, while most baking employers
offer competitive benefits and starting
salaries for hourly skilled and unskilled
production positions, only about half
offer consecutive days off, and only
about a third offer flexible schedules.
employers explore benefits like these as
they seek new strategies for employee
retention.
" While concepts like workplace flexibility
can be challenging when applying
them to the production floor, I expect
that (bakery employer) strategies are
going to get bolder in order to keep talent
Bakers ask EPA to scale back
proposed biofuel quota increases
WASHINGTON - The Environmental
Protection Agency should exercise its
authority to decrease proposed advanced
biofuel quotas, according to the American
Bakers Association. In testimony Jan. 4,
the ABA said such cuts are needed to help
assure the public will be able to find and
afford basic food staples such as baked
foods in the months ahead.
ABA representatives spoke at a public
hearing about the Renewable Fuel Standard.
" The EPA's proposed increase in
advanced biofuel required volume obligations
could jeopardize the ability for our
members to meet the constant demand of
providing millions of baked goods to grocery
stores, restaurants and federal feeding
programs, " said Lee Sanders, senior
vice president for public affairs and
government relations at the ABA. " That's
because soybean oil, a critical ingredient
for bakers, has been increasingly
diverted away from the food supply chain
and toward the production of advanced
biofuels, as federally directed by the EPA's
RFS program. "
The testimony followed the Dec. 7
issuance by the EPA of Renewable Fuel
Standard renewable volume obligations
(RVOs) for refiners for 2022, 2021 and
2020. For 2022, the EPA proposed RVOs of
20.77 billion gallons, an all-time high, up
more than 3.5 billion gallons from the volume
of renewable fuels used in 2020. The
proposed volume of advanced biofuel for
2022, which includes renewable diesel,
was more than 1 billion gallons greater
than the volume used in 2020.
" Non-food use for biodiesel and
renewable diesel has expanded greatly
bakingbusiness.com
" EPA has the power to adjust
their requirements and prevent
even more chaos in our already
battered food supply chain. "
- Lee Sanders,
American Bakers Association
are a current customer, and even then,
vendors are only willing to go through
Q2 of 2022 at an escalated price. This
means for some food companies, edible
oil literally will not be available at any
price due to diversion of edible oil from
producing food. "
Data published in Milling & Baking
News showed the spot price of soybean
oil in Decatur, Ill., was 60.25¢ a lb as of
Dec. 31, up 40% from a year earlier but
down from the mid-year high of 78.75¢.
In the five years leading up to 2021, the
average weekly price of soybean oil was
31.3¢ per lb.
The ABA said domestic soybean oil
refining capacity is inadequate for the
identified two crucial points for the EPA
to consider.
" First, the Clean Air Act requires EPA
to correct and update its Regulatory
Impact Analysis to use accurate and current
food and commodity economic data, "
the ABA said. " The actual price for soybean
oil for 2020-21 was 75% higher than
the assumption used by EPA. The actual
price of soybean oil for 2021-22 was 91%
higher than EPA's assumption.
" Second, EPA should use its statutory
authority under the RFS program to
decrease the proposed advanced biofuel
quotas to avoid negatively impacting
Americans' ability to find and afford food
staples such as baked goods. " MBN
MILLING & BAKING NEWS 37
with the potential to double in the next
two years, " said Ed Cinco, director of
purchasing at Schwebel Baking Co.,
Youngstown, Ohio. " As a result, vegetable
oil prices have tripled in the past
12 months and possibly face rationing
and shortages for 2022. It is to the
point where food companies cannot get
quotes for future deliveries unless you
in commercial baking, " Ms. Hellmer said.
" Conversations around cross-training
teams, developing pilot programs to test
alternative ways of working and gathering
input from employees and managers in the
pilot to encourage buy-in and to create effective
and sustainable programs, are all critical
steps to attracting and retaining new
generations of bakery team members. " MBN
needs of both food and fuel sectors. The
group said the United States in September
and October for the first time in more
than a decade became a net importer of
soybean oil.
" More soybean oil refineries are coming
online, expected in 2023 and later, to
keep up with advanced biofuel volume
requirements, but the food industry's
need is now, " Ms. Sanders said. " EPA has
the power to adjust their requirements
and prevent even more chaos in our
already battered food supply chain. "
Before finalizing the RVOs, the ABA
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