In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize (784 million tons) and rice (651 million tons).[2] Wheat grain is a staple food used to make flour for leavened, flat and steamed breads, biscuits, cookies, cakes, breakfast cereal, pasta, noodles, couscous [3] and for fermentation to make beer,[4] other alcoholic beverages,[5] or biofuel.[6] Wheat is planted to a limited extent as a forage crop for livestock, and its straw can be used as a construction material for roofing thatch.