The Country That Produces The Most Bread In The World By 4 Million Tonnes

Here in the U.S., we love our carbs. In fact, we can justify eating bread for every meal, whether it's French toast for breakfast, BLTs with soft sandwich bread for lunch, or grilled cheeses for dinner. Yet as much as we love the stuff here in the U.S., Turkey actually consumes more bread per capita than any other country in the world, according to the Guinness World Records.

But where does the world's supply of bread come from? The U.S. produces more bread and bakery products than any other country in the world, according to BizCommunity. From 2007 to 2016, we generated a whopping 13.9 million tonnes, while the countries that followed — China, Russia, Germany, the UK, and Egypt — supplied at least 4 million tonnes less. China produced 9.2 million tonnes and Russia 8.8 million, while Germany only produced 5.8 million, the UK 5.7 million, and Egypt 4.6 million. And yet, it seems like we collectively tend to eat bread and bakery items made in our home countries, as exports only made up 9% of the global output in 2016.

While the U.S. bakes more bread than any other country, we're eating a lot of it domestically. When it comes to exports, we fall to eighth place. According to Statista, Germany exported the most bread and bakery items (accounting for $4.83 billion worth of product) in 2022, while Canada was next at $4.76 billion. The U.S., however, only sent $2.47 billion worth of items abroad, while China (who produces the second-highest amount overall) didn't even make the top 10 for exports by country. As far as imports go, the U.S. nabbed the top spot in 2016 with 1.42 million tonnes worth, with the U.K. following at 917,000 tonnes. 

Interestingly enough, the majority of the bread that's baked in the U.S. is sold under stores' private labels. However, the most significant brand that we do know about is Franz Bakery. Founded in 1906 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the company now generates an annual revenue of $940 million, according to Zippia, and sells everything from organic bread to English muffins. Other major suppliers include Grupo Bimbo, Flowers Foods, and Campbell Soup Company. But just because we love our bread, doesn't mean we chow down on every type regularly. Thanks to research from Shane Co., we know that sprouted bread is the most popular in the U.S., while baguettes and fluffy biscuits are also beloved options.