May 22, 2011 - 7:52pm
Rising Flour Prices
My usual trips to the supermarket include a brief stroll past the flour to check for new products or prices. The price of flour has taken a fast rise out here just northwest of KC, MO. I was in the local Kroger affiliated store this afternoon and was really surprised. Pillsbury and Gold Medal flours that had recently been priced around $2.65/5 lbs are at $3.15 today. Kroger AP had been priced at $1.69/5 lbs is now $1.99. The Kansas produced Hudson Cream products are currently at the same price but when dealing with commodities, it's usually follow the leader.
Here's a link to a news article from the Kansas Wheat Commission website.
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Our new,low price for a 5#bag of Gold Medal/Pillsbury is $3.50 and it hasn't been on sale! The Bread flour is usually .20- .50 cent more per bag.
The article sounds like they still aren't sure which way it is going to go,depending on the weather.The market is driven by fear and greed and uncertainty fuels fear which usually means a rise in prices. Hang onto our hats with this one.It will be an interesting ride. Thank you for keeping us posted with the local reports.
Don't look now, but prices are rising on ALL groceries. I live in a small town in Camden, SC and purchased Hellman's mayonaise for a whopping $4.95. This was purchased at Food Lion which is a big chain. EVERYTHING is going sky high!!!!
Everything in our area has gone up including flour. I found it cheaper by a long shot to buy a 25 pound bag but that was 13% all purpose. I might have to start using that for everything......I haven't seen the WW or Bread Flour in larger quantities but then I haven't really looked either. I just might do that though.
I didn't want to buy that much because of storage but I managed to fill a few containers and stashed the rest in my freezer. I will need that freezer space later though for garden veggies.
I don't know how many of you have a Sam's Club or Costco, but flour and yeast are cheaper at these places. You can buy 2 pounds of yeast for less than 10.00 in Columbia, SC. I haven't priced flour, but have heard its cheaper. You can freeze the yeast. I take out a portion and store the rest in the freezer, have never had a problem.
I do have a membership and I shop there regularly. I bought the 2# bag of ADY, twenty months ago, and still have almost 1.5# left. I switched to a sourdough starter and only occasionally use ADY. I don't know what types of flour are available at all Costco stores but here in the KC, MO area, it's Conagra products and only the Eagle Mills AP is unbleached and unbromated. The AP and BF are both bleached and bromated. The durum flour that I saw there hasn't stayed in stock and may not reappear at all. If I found the KAF AP that I saw at the Keene, NH Costco, I'd buy that as soon as I could find room or sneak it past my wife. I'd have to do that while she was watching Oprah and Oprah finishes her season this week.
Although the stems are short. I keep singing and hoping for the corn to be knee high by the 4th of July. We need rain. The corn is only hand high and looks rather scrawny. My neighbors did plant slightly farther apart this year. A good move. First hay crop's been cut and dried looks thin but smells great!
With the US govt flooding the market with dollars, they're worth less. This is driving up prices. There are problems with wheat crop failures in China driving up World pricing. I don't expect it to get better anytime soon.
Jim
Calgary, Alberta
$6.59- rye flour 5# bag
$6 lb - red cherries
$5.19-$7- 1 lb butter
$3.49- 8 hot dog buns (small)
$6 - 10 lb bag potatoes
$5 - 4liters homogenized milk
...and on and on
I have bought the 25 pound bags of flour at Sam's but it has been awhile now so I don't know what the price is now. I bought a 25 pound bag at Wal-Mart last week and paid $8.78 so it was a bargain. The 5 pound bags are over 3 bucks each. I haven't seen the WW in the 25 pound bags. AT Sams club two 1 lb bags of yeast are less than $5...actually less than 4....I haven't been lately but asked my daughter-in-law to pick some up for me. I keep it in the freezer and use it as needed. I fill a small jar to keep in the fridge. If it gets too expensive I will do some magic tricks to raise the protein by mixing some flours.....
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/05/28/russia.grain.exports/index.html
Up in the High Plains states such as Montana and the Dakotas, there are problems with flooding rivers due to a higher than normal spring run off from the mountains, late snows, and heavy rains. The grain farmers are going to have a rough year by the looks of things going on right now.
I haven't noticed any change in prices here where I live. Things cost the same amount they've cost since I started paying attention. Odd.
Thats great for ya'll. Where do you live? Maybe I need to move. I've even noticed beef skyrocketing this year here in SC.
I live in Seattle. Unfortunately for us, the price for basically everything else is rising and it's already pretty expensive to live here.