Quarantine baking boosts demand for powdered goods

By Jim Cornall

- Last updated on GMT

 Saco Foods has experienced five times the normal volume of demand for its dry buttermilk, baking cocoa, and Mix'n Drink products.
Saco Foods has experienced five times the normal volume of demand for its dry buttermilk, baking cocoa, and Mix'n Drink products.

Related tags coronavirus COVID-19 Powdered milk Nutrition

As people are staying at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, restaurants are closed, and baking has become a way to not only make food for the family, but also to relieve boredom.

Saco Foods, the US company behind Mix'n Drink powdered nonfat milk and Saco Pantry's powdered buttermilk and baking cocoa, said it has seen a significant increase in demand since the US Government and states started recommending shelter-in-place practices.

"The legacy of Saco has been to produce goods that bring families together,"​ Tom Walzer, CEO of Saco Foods, said.

"Those moments are even more valuable in this time of uncertainty and I am honored that we are able to give families a reliable source of comfort and nutrition."

Due to the increased volume in sales of pantry staples and baking ingredients, Saco Foods has experienced five times the normal volume for their dry buttermilk, baking cocoa, and its most popular product: Mix'n Drink, a powdered milk which lasts for up to two years compared to the average five- to seven-day shelf-life of liquid milk.

While remaining open to fill demand, Saco Foods said it is placing top priority on the safety and well-being of all workers.

In addition to its food safety practices as an SQF Level 3, the highest food safety standard in the industry, the company is implementing sanitation and training efforts to provide a safe working environment and ensure safe, quality food for the public.

Saco Foods is also working with its trucking team to speed up timely deliveries to stores. To thank employees for their continuous work to bring essential items to people across the country, the company said it is distributing bonuses to all employees.

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