agribusinessreview.comDECEMBER - JANUARY8 opinionIN MYBay State Milling is in the business of creating a better food system from the ground up. We mill agricultural crops to create food ingredients, including wheat, oats, chickpeas, millet and many more. Some call these "commodity" ingredients, but our approach has always been a little bit different, creating value and differentiation up and down the value chain for as many participants as possible.While Bay State Milling is a purchaser of agricultural crops, we prefer to think of ourselves as partners. Without farmers (and all who support them), we would not have the input to create ingredients, and without processors, farmers would not be able to reach the hearts and mouths of consumers across North America. This symbiotic relationship has grown in importance as plant-based diets have gained popularity, and consumers have the desire and the tools to know where their food comes from and how it is managed from field to fork. This availability of information has created new opportunities and challenges for food value chain participants as consumers question the impact of foods and ingredients on their health and wellness.Bay State Milling has always believed that "change cultivates opportunity." This increase in the availability of information, whether accurate or not, has driven changes in consumer behavior -- specifically, a reduction in wheat consumption due to fear of "empty" carbohydrates. Yet we believed there was a way to bring a better wheat to market that provides the nutrients consumers need while delivering the great taste they love from refined wheat flour foods (such as white bread, pasta, pizza, etc). For the wheat growers who may be reading this, you know that wheat has been traditionally grown and transacted based on protein content. This is because protein content is highly correlated to how well wheat performs for bakers and pasta manufacturers, not necessarily for nutritional value. While protein content is a big driver of many food purchases today, a nutrient that is critically important and sorely lacking in our diets is fiber. Only 5% of Americans come close to consuming the 30 grams per day of fiber recommended for a healthy diet. Fiber is found in a broad array of plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables and grains. Grain-based fiber is typically delivered through whole wheat foods-the brown, bitter-tasting breads and pasta made from the whole milled wheat kernel. Given that whole wheat flour has never IMPROVING PUBLIC HEALTH THROUGH AGRICULTUREBy Colleen M. Zammer, Vice President of Varietal Solutions Growth & Corporate Innovation, Bay State Milling CompanyColleen M. Zammer
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