Partnering to Communicate the Goodness of Grains

Whole grains, whole wheat, enriched grains, high fiber — what are consumers really hungry for? Information that’s easy to digest, for starters.

 A 2012 Nielsen Global Survey of Food Labeling Trends found that 59% of consumers have difficulty understanding nutrition labels on food packaging. This confusion is of particular concern to wheat producers, as the Nielsen study also revealed that products boasting whole grain/high fiber top the list of foods that consumers specifically seek out for their health benefits.

Educating consumers about the importance of grains, complex carbohydrates, and fiber is the mission upon which the Wheat Foods Council (WFC) was founded 40 years ago. To this end, the WFC is working hard to make it easier for consumers to include grains, both whole and enriched, in their daily diets.

One way we’re doing this is by partnering with the US Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) from September-December 2012 to help draw attention to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) “Make at Least Half Your Grains Whole” message.

To accomplish this, we’re launching our “Half ‘N Half” campaign. This independent outreach initiative features a CD that will be distributed to health and nutrition professionals. Half of the CD contains whole grain recipes, and the other half features enriched grain recipes. The CD also includes creative meal tips, nutrition information about wheat and grains, sample Tweets on whole and enriched grains, and more. The CDs will be featured in October at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) Food and Nutrition Conference and Exposition (FNCE) and will also be available through the WFC Network website.

In addition to the “Half ‘N Half” campaign, the WFC collaborated with CNPP and other members of the “grain chain,” including bakers, pasta manufacturers, cereal companies and the rice industry, to create a series of consumer-oriented videos. The videos address such topics as whole grains for breakfast, budget-friendly whole grains, and whole grains for the whole family. Be sure to check out the videos during October at MyPlate.gov or on the WFC Network website.