Wheat Demand: Why Bread Needs Defending

Wheat's On Your Mind

Bread remains a cornerstone of the American food system, but declining consumption and changing consumer attitudes could have consequences all the way back to the wheat farm. Josh Sosland, president of Sosland Publishing Company and editor of Milling & Baking News, joins Aaron Harries and Justin Gilpin to examine what more than a century of milling and baking history says about today’s wheat-demand challenge. They discuss declining bread consumption, consumer misinformation, GLP-1 medications, the MAHA movement, the unsuccessful Bread Basket Checkoff effort and why Sosland believes science alone won't be enough to change consumer behavior. The conversation also explores whether Kansas wheat promotion should put greater emphasis on domestic demand alongside traditional export-market development. Key takeaways: Declining bread consumption isn't new, but recent trends have made the challenge more concerning. Research can counter misinformation about grain foods, but changing consumer behavior also requires emotional connection. Meaningful consumer promotion requires resources on a much larger scale than many current efforts. Domestic wheat demand has traditionally been viewed as static, while grower promotion concentrated heavily on export growth. Changing global competition and more specialized domestic markets could create new opportunities for Kansas wheat producers. Detailed Timestamped Rundown 00:00 — Why bread consumption matters 00:40 — Introducing Josh Sosland Milling & Baking News. 01:08 — A century of milling and baking journalism Southwestern Miller. The publication emerged as commercial baking expanded and Southwestern millers sought recognition for the bread-making quality of Kansas and Southern Plains wheat. 03:43 — Hard red winter wheat's rise 04:15 — The Great Grain Robbery 05:06 — Secret Soviet purchases and inflation 07:09 — “John Smith” and an industry scoop 08:19 — Sosland Publishing today World Grain, Bake, Baking & Snack, Pet Food Processing, Milling & Baking News and Food Business News. 09:06 — Print versus digital publishing 09:48 — Bread consumption's century-old problem 10:59 — Why today's numbers are different 11:33 — What happened to the Bread Basket Checkoff? 14:03 — What wheat lost without the checkoff 15:32 — Different boats, same rough water 16:16 — GLP-1 medications enter the equation 17:44 — Winning minds versus winning hearts 18:37 — Why facts aren't enough 21:17 — The scale of investment required 22:33 — What successful promotion looks like 23:34 — Grapefruit as a warning 24:05 — MAHA and ultra-processed foods 25:44 — Consumers still love wheat foods 26:40 — Should growers rethink promotion spending? 26:59 — Why wheat invested overseas 28:00 — New opportunities in domestic wheat 30:36 — The wheat marketplace has changed 31:28 — Why Kansas invested in exports 32:43 — Closing thoughts Kansas Wheat WheatsOnYorMind.com