World Grain - September 2021 - 6

FROM THE EDITOR
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editor
Millers rise to occasion
during pandemic
W
heat flour is ubiquitous. It is
something we simply take
for granted, much like the air
we breathe.
One of the many lessons learned during
the COVID-19 pandemic is how
valuable common, inexpensive, nonperishable
food items such as flour can
be during a crisis of this magnitude.
As we hopefully are starting to distance
ourselves from the worst period of
the pandemic and reflect on its impact
with more clarity, the herculean effort of
the flour milling industry - as well as
other segments of the grain-based foods
sector - should be commended. Having
to improvise to produce and deliver
this staple food product at a time when
public health officials urged most of the
world to " shelter in place " showed how
creative and flexible the industry could
be in the midst of a crisis.
Flour millers are known for their attention
to detail and their preparedness
for every conceivable scenario. Over the
years, the International Association of
Operative Millers (IAOM) has featured
educational presentations on everything
from how mills can maintain productivity
in the aftermath of natural disasters
such as hurricanes and earthquakes, to
the challenges of operating mills in wartorn
regions of the world. A list of best
practices in the event of a significant
global pandemic was never (to the best
of anyone's recollection) on the agenda,
which is understandable since pandemics
of this severity are extremely rare.
Despite not having a detailed pandemic
playbook for flour production,
was there ever really a doubt that the
global flour milling industry would rise
to the occasion? First and foremost, flour
millers are top-notch problem solvers.
In their daily quest to produce quality
flour, they must overcome obstacles
such as working with a substandard raw
6
Managing Editor
Associate Editor
China Consultant
material, mechanical breakdowns, and
countless other things that can go wrong
during the gradual reduction process.
Flour millers tend to think like engineers.
In fact, the industry includes a
number of millers who started out as engineering
majors before migrating to the
milling industry. When the world began
shutting down in the spring of 2020 to
slow the spread of COVID-19, millers
began analyzing how processes could
be tweaked to ensure the safety of their
employees while meeting the sudden,
record-setting demand for home-use
flour. They quickly devised schemes in
which employees had minimal contact
with each other and, since most restaurants
were shuttered, they shifted production
from 25- and-50-pound bags
for commercial use to 5- and 10-pound
bags that were flying off grocery store
shelves as people prepared meals exclusively
at home.
With epidemiologists predicting that
deadly pandemics like COVID-19 will
occur more frequently in the coming decades,
it's reassuring that the global flour
milling industry, having learned valuable
lessons from this recent pandemic, will
have a detailed plan for how to operate
effectively during such an event.
They will no doubt share their experiences
at upcoming industry gatherings
as well as document them so when
future generations of
millers are confronted
with perhaps an even
worse pandemic, they
can draw upon the lessons
learned during the
COVID era to guide
them in their mission to produce and
distribute flour, even under the most difficult
circumstances.
Arvin Donley
Editor
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World Grain - September 2021

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