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   news
   Surge in demand sees Robin Hood flour running out of its iconic yellow
   bags

Social Sharing

   [116]Business

Surge in demand sees Robin Hood flour running out of its iconic yellow bags

   Feverish demand for baking has one of the biggest sellers of flour in
   the country saying it is having trouble finding enough of its usual
   bags to store it.

Social Sharing

Company says it has plenty of flour but not enough of the familiar packaging

   [117]Pete Evans · CBC News · Posted: Apr 22, 2020 3:50 PM ET | Last
   Updated: April 22
   The surge in popularity of baking has Robin Hood running out of its
   iconic yellow bags, which is why the company has started to use
   nondescript white ones. (Smucker Foods of Canada)

   Feverish demand for baking has one of the biggest sellers of flour in
   the country saying it is having trouble finding enough of its iconic
   yellow bags to put it in.

   As millions of people across the country shelter in place to slow the
   spread of the coronavirus, there has been [118]a surge in the
   popularity of baking at home, both for food and to pass the time. Early
   on, store shelves were cleared out of their flour. [119]Anecdotal
   reports suggest flour has rivalled toilet paper as one of the hardest
   items to find.
     * [120]Shopping safely: The challenges of managing a grocery store
       amid COVID-19

   But now it's not so much the flour that's in short supply, it's the
   packaging.

   Robin Hood typically sells more flour in Canada than just about anyone,
   and the company confirms to CBC News that it has seen increased demand.

   "We have noticed an upswing," said Ray Hancart of Smucker Foods of
   Canada, which owns the Robin Hood brand. "Particularly at the outset,
   when people were stocking up on products they felt they would need
   around the house, [but] we are still seeing elevated numbers."
     * [121]When it comes to at-home baking, details matter

   While Robin Hood says it has plenty of product, it has run out of bags
   to sell it in, which is why the company will temporarily start selling
   its product in some stores in nondescript white bags.

   "We are experiencing some delays with our normal packaging so we
   quickly shifted to this temporary packaging," Hancart said.

   "We have made a temporary switch to white and brown bags from our
   traditional yellow bags to make sure we could replenish quickly."

   Hancart added that most of the white bags will be found in Western
   Canada.

   While the bags may look different, Hancart stresses the flour inside is
   the exact same product it always was — and the company is in no danger
   of running out of flour anytime soon.

   "Consumers should rest assured there's nothing else changed about the
   product," he said. "We are working as quickly as possible to get flour
   back on store shelves."
     * [122]Supermarket employees facing mounting risks, tensions

About the Author

   [123]Pete Evans

   Senior Writer, CBCNews.ca

   Pete Evans is the senior business writer for CBCNews.ca. Prior to
   coming to the CBC, his work has appeared in the Globe & Mail, the
   Financial Post, the Toronto Star, Canadian Business Magazine and —
   believe it or not — Circuits Assembly Magazine. Twitter: @p_evans
   Email: pete.evans@cbc.ca Secure PGP:
   https://secure.cbc.ca/public-key/Pete-Evans-pub.asc

   With files from CBC's Meegan Read
   [124]CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices|[125]About CBC News
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