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Current Conditions |
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Current Conditions
Food manufacturers
and farmers face a myriad of problems starting with
the planting of a grain crop, and hopefully ending
up with a quality consumer product.
Generally, when a farmer harvests his crop, he
delivers it to a local grain elevator. This elevator
usually then delivers the grain to an accumulator
(terminal elevator) who then delivers the grain
either to a food manufacturer or a processing
company. Therefore, the miller, processor or food
company receives a mixture of grain or flour with widely varying characteristics both as to genetic
background and quality standards. This may require the food processor
to incur additional costs for blending and the use of additives.
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There is a paradigm shift occurring in that portion of the food manufacturing industry that utilizes the flours and other products produced from wheat, barley and oats. This movement is brought about, and fueled by, changes desired and actually demanded by branded food manufacturers. These changes are driven by six fundamental desires:
- uniqueness
- quality enhancement, value added
- product consistency
- cost reduction
- accommodating new health/medicinal initiatives
- the need to assure product safety, security and traceability
The emerging new food industry changes will encompass most, if not all, of the following factors that can be provided to the client by  :
- specific, unique ingredient characteristics
- varietal integrity and consistency of grain
- assurance of ingredient availability
- reduced blending requirements
- lowered additive costs
- increased product consistency
- changes in content, color and flavor
- the potential for new pricing methodologies
- the addition of health/medicinal enhancements to all products
- establishment of safety, security and traceability parameters.
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