WITTENBURG, GERMANY — In honor of the first World Flour Day on March 20, Carsten Blum, initiator of the event, presented a special flour sack to the FlourWorld Museum. Farmers, millers, bakers and the entire flour processing industry across the globe marked the day with activities of their own.

“Flour is one of the most important staple food,” Blum said. “We are proud that people around the globe are celebrating this day on the initiative of the FlourWorld Museum. Especially since it took place under such exceptional conditions, the day emphasizes the existential significance of flour for human health and nutrition.”

World Flour Sack: Mills from all over the world took part in the first World Flour Day and even created their own special editions for their flour sacks to commemorate the day.

March 20 was chosen because it is in the middle of the solstice, which varies between March 19-21. In the northern hemisphere it marks the start of spring and seedtime while in the southern hemisphere it represents autumn and the harvest.

With the World Flour Day, the FlourWorld Museum is emphasizing the role flour has always played in the history of civilization.

“Flour has safeguarded man’s survival for thousands of years,” said Volkmer Wywiol, founder of the museum.

The museum, which opened in 2008 in Wittenburg, Germany, houses the world’s largest collection of flour sacks. The 3,500 plus sacks from 140 countries show the pride of millers and tell the stories about what corn, flour and bread mean to people around the world, museum officials said.