The Whole Grains Council is Stamping out the Whole Grains Gap

By Barbara Day, M.S., R.D., C.N. and From the Whole Grains Council

Trying to figure out what foods are good sources of whole grains is a challenge for most consumers — including this dietitian. But help is on the way. Consumers searching the grocery aisles for authentic whole grain foods now have a new “search tool” — the Whole Grain Stamp. Making it easy for shoppers to spot whole grain foods helps close the Whole Grains Gap and promotes a goal long sought by nutrition and medical experts. The Whole Grains Council includes a Whole Grain Stamp on many products which helps harried shoppers quickly and easily find whole grain products. The familiar black-and-gold Stamp will now state the number of grams of whole grain ingredients included in each serving of a product — while also reminding consumers that 48g or more of whole grains are recommended daily under the 2005 Dietary Guidelines.

“Consumers need to have a sense that they're making progress in meeting the Dietary Guidelines,” said WGC chairman Jeff Dahlberg. “This new stage in our Whole Grain Stamp program will help consumers make wise choices at the supermarket.”

The enhanced program keeps all of the best elements of the Whole Grain Stamp program, while offering new benefits. “We're keeping the same eye-catching graphic that's currently seen on over 600 products,” said K. Dun Gifford, president of Oldways Preservation Trust, the parent organization of the Whole Grains Council. “We're also keeping the same tie-in with the Dietary Guidelines, and the same strict standards for qualifying products.”

As always, the Whole Grain Stamp will be used only on products that provide at least half a “Pyramid serving” of whole grains. This requirement makes counting grams unnecessary: if consumers choose products with the Stamp for all six of their grain servings, they're guaranteed to reach or exceed the recommended minimum of 48g per day of whole grains.

Yet, the addition of a “score” on all Stamped products means that consumers will be able to compare products more readily. “Previously, our top rating of ‘Excellent Source' denoted at least 16g — a full Pyramid serving — of whole grain content,” explained Cynthia Harriman, Director of Food and Nutrition Strategies for Oldways and the Whole Grains Council. “But some products have twice that level of whole grain content or more. Now consumers can decide just what level of whole grain content best suits their taste.”

The Whole Grain Stamp Program Offers FAQ for Consumers

Q. How does your Whole Grain Stamp help me easily find whole grain products?

A. The Dietary Guidelines recommend that all adults eat at least three servings of whole grain each day. The eye-catching black and gold Whole Grain Stamp makes finding whole grains simple.

Look for the Stamp every time you buy grain products. Each “Stamped” product guarantees you at least half a serving of whole grains. The Stamp makes it easy to get your recommended three servings or more of whole grains each day: Eating three whole grain food products labeled “100% Whole Grain” does the trick – or six products bearing ANY Whole Grain Stamp.

Q. Where on the package will I find the Stamp?

A. Whole Grain Stamps can be anywhere on the package. It's easiest when they're on the front, of course, but some manufacturers choose to put the Stamp on the side or the back of the package.

Q. What types of products can use the Stamp?

A. All sorts of products can use the Stamp — bread, cereal, cake, cookies, crackers, granola, soups, stuffing, pie crusts, tortillas, chips, energy bars, pretzels, popcorn, pasta, flour, bagels, veggie burgers, mixes, wraps and more — as long as they contain at least half a serving — 8 grams — or more of whole grain.

Q. What kinds of grains qualify as WHOLE grains?

A. All grains start out as whole grains. If, after processing, they retain all three parts of the original grain — the germ, the bran and the endosperm — in their original proportions, they still qualify as whole grains.

Look for a wide variety of delicious whole grains including: Amaranth, Barley, Brown and Colored Rice, Buckwheat, Bulgur, Corn and Whole Cornmeal, Emmer, Farro, Kamut grain, Millet, Oatmeal and Whole Oats, Popcorn, Quinoa, Sorghum, Spelt, Teff, Triticale, Whole Rye, Whole or Cracked Wheat, Wheatberries, and Wild Rice.

Q. What about flax and soy? Do they count as whole grain?

A. No. From a nutritional and botanical point of view seeds (like flax, sesame, sunflower and poppy), nuts and legumes – while healthy foods in their own right – are not included as whole grains.

Q. How do companies qualify to use the Stamp? How do I know I can trust the Stamp?

A. Companies must be members of the Whole Grains Council, and must file information about each qualifying product with the Council. Companies also sign a legal agreement that they will abide by all rules and guidelines of the Stamp program. So you can trust the Stamp to help you find legitimate whole grain products.

Q. How much actual whole grain is in a product bearing the Whole Grain Stamp?

A. The amount of whole grain in a product is stated on all Whole Grain Stamps in Phase II of the Stamp program, starting in June 2006.

Until manufacturers use up their existing package and make the switch, you may still see products using earlier Whole Grain Stamps. With these Phase I Stamps, “Excellent Source” and “100% Excellent Source” Stamps identify products that contain 16g or more of whole grain ingredients, and a “Good Source” Stamp identifies products containing at least 8g of whole grain ingredients.

With both the current Stamps and the earlier Stamps, the minimum level of whole grain content is 8g. The 8g minimum is based on the latest research on whole grains and health. Both government and academic scientists agree that people should aim for three servings a day of whole grains. In USDA and scientific circles, a serving is defined as at least 16 grams of whole grain content. So all products bearing the Stamp offer at least half a serving of whole grains. Most offer a lot MORE, so look for the Stamp and enjoy your whole grains.

Q. I can't easily picture things in grams. Can you help me visualize this?

A. Sixteen grams is just over half an ounce — about two tablespoons of flour. So a small amount of whole grain can really make a big difference in health. Here are a few products available today that supply about 16 grams of whole grain:

• 4 Triscuit® crackers
• 2/3 cup of Cheerios®
• 1/3 cup of Wheat Chex®
• 2/5 cup of cooked oatmeal
• one slice of whole grain bread
• 1/2 a whole-grain English muffin
• 1/3 cup cooked whole-wheat pasta
• 1/3 cup cooked brown rice, bulgur, barley or other cooked grain

Q. When did the Whole Grain Stamp first appear on grocery shelves?

A. Some products appeared as early as February 2005, but consumers started to notice the Stamp on a wide variety of foods in mid-2005. Many Whole Grains Council member companies are phasing in the Stamp as they print new packaging and launch new marketing campaigns around whole grains and health. The Whole Grains Council website (www.wholegrainscouncil.org) has a list of companies using the Stamps.

Q. If a product does NOT have the Whole Grain Stamp, could it still be a healthy whole grain product?

A. Yes, but it may be difficult to be sure. Many great whole grain products do not yet use the Whole Grain Stamp, in which case you'll have to look at the ingredient list to try to figure out how much whole grain is in the product. While the ingredient list will give some clues, it rarely identifies whole grain products clearly.

Barbara Day, M.S., R.D., C.N., is a nutritionist with a masters degree in clinical nutrition who is also registered dietitian and has over 30 years of experience in promoting healthy active lifestyles to consumers. Barbara Day, M.S., R.D., C.N., is the publisher and nutrition editor of Kentuckiana HealthFitness and Kentuckiana Healthy Woman.