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Lots of talk about antitrust & flour on the old TL today. Having spent close to a year of my life analyzing flour markets at DOJ, I can no longer resist weighing in.
(1) The U.S. flour-milling industry has grown increasingly concentrated over recent decades. The only major ...
(1) The U.S. flour-milling industry has grown increasingly concentrated over recent decades. The only major ...
... national players left are ADM and Ardent Mills, which is a joint venture between ConAgra and Horizon. That deal was approved by DOJ a few years back, on condition that the parties sell a handful of mills to Miller Milling (owned by Nisshin). Incidentally, MM just closed...
... one of those mills last year. https://www.southernminn.com/lonsdale_area_news_review/news/article_36420451-db7c-5fec-b6db-8543896ae3aa.html
King Arthur Flour, which has been held up as a glowing example of an independent competitor, is actually totally dependent on others for "its" flour. It appears to currently source from ADM. https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/association-adm-milling-co-king-arthur-flour-inc-expands-recall-unbleached-all-purpose-flour-5-lb-25
Horizon Milling, which combined with ConAgra to form Ardent Mills, was itself a joint venture between Cargill and CHS.
So when you see/hear company names like "Ardent Mills", "Horizon Milling", or "King Arthur," you should really be thinking:
ConAgra, Cargill, ADM, CHS
ConAgra, Cargill, ADM, CHS
In sum, uh, if anybody has any flour-related questions (How does gluten work? Why doesn't whole-wheat bread rise as much? Why should I use semolina flour for pasta?), I'd be delighted to discuss.
