Don’t hoard bread, flour millers urge consumers

A group of flour millers has advised consumers not to hoard bread, causing empty shelves in supermarkets despite an ample supply of bread and flour in factories.

Ric M. Pinca, executive director of the Philippine Association of Flour Millers (Pafmil), said consumers should buy only one to two days’ worth of supply so as not to deprive others of their bread needs.

According to reports that have reached the group, people were buying more loaves of bread and pandesal than usual during the pandemic such that grocery shelves, which in normal times would be able to hold so much, easily get empty.

“There is enough bread in the market for everyone. Bakeries continue to produce bread and other bakery products to meet consumer demand,” he said.

“We also have enough flour and deliveries to bakeries remain unhampered as flour trucks and other food delivery vehicles were issued passes by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases,” he added.

He added that a vessel would be unloading 50,000 metric tons of wheat grains at the Manila anchorage for flour mills along the Pasig River. Several more vessels are expected at the end of the month in other ports in the country.

Pafmil has seven member companies, namely RFM Corp., Wellington Flour Mills, Philippine Flour Mills, General Milling Corp., Liberty Flour Mills, Pilmico Foods Corp. and Universal Robina Corporation.

There is another group of flour millers called the Philippine Chamber of Flour Millers, which has San Miguel Mills, Philippine Foremost Flour Mills, Delta Milling Corp. and Morning Star Flour Mills as members.

There are 11 other flour mills that are not members of the two groups. INQ