Feb. 15, 2006, 7:48PM
FDA defines whole grains for consumer
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Multigrain, oat bran, cracked wheat, or seven-grain. Which has the heart-healthy whole grains recommended by the government?
To answer that question, the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday came out with a new definition of whole grains.
The agency wants to make it easier for people to choose foods made from whole grains. The choice is not easy, given the bewildering array of slogans and logos in the supermarket.
"It's very important that consumers are able to have a consistent and uniform terminology of what constitutes a whole grain," said Barbara Schneeman, director of the FDA's office of nutritional products, labeling and dietary supplements.
Whole grains are vital to a healthy diet, according to federal guidelines. They say three servings each day, about an ounce each, of whole grains will cut the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
The definition is just a draft, but if the FDA makes it permanent, many companies may have to change their food labels.
The FDA says a company can make factual statements, such as saying a product has 100 percent whole grains or 10 grams of whole grains. But the agency says a product should not claim to be an "excellent" or "good" source of whole grains.
FDA: Whole Grains Must Be Better Labeled
Whole Grains Are a Key Source of Vitamins, Minerals, Antioxidants and Fiber
The FDA wants food companies to make sure their product labels contain accurate information about whole grains.
Feb. 16, 2006 — Possibly coming soon to a grocery store near you: much clearer definitions about whole grains on food labels.
That's because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced this week that anything labeled as containing whole grains must contain a comparable amount of the fibrous, protein-dense and nutrient-rich portions of grains — the endosperm, germ and bran — in the same proportion normally present in the intact grain.
Whole grains include barley, buckwheat, bulgur, corn, millet, rice, rye, oats, sorghum, wheat and wild rice. Foods containing those grains can be promoted as whole grain as long as they are kept from being over-processed and stripped of their health benefits, which is the case for white flour.
Why is eating whole grains important? As the Whole Grains Council explains, whole grains are a key source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber.
Or, in other words, they are very good for you.
The FDA changes also mean certain foods once labeled as whole grain will no longer fall in that category — such as products derived from legumes (soybeans), oilseeds (sunflower seeds) and roots (arrowroot).
Currently, food products can be labeled as an "excellent source" or "good source" of whole grains. However, the new FDA draft guidance said that these statements should be replaced with factual, measurable information such as "10 grams of whole grains" or "half ounce of whole grains."
How do you eat enough whole grains? The FDA suggests that people eat at least 3 ounces of whole-grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice or pasta every day. One ounce is about a slice of bread, a cup of breakfast cereal, or a half cup of cooked rice or pasta.
"Consumers should also look to see that grains such as wheat, rice, oats or corn are referred to as 'whole' in the list of ingredients," the agency stated in a press release.
Food companies have 60 days to comment on the proposed ruling.
The Food Products Association, a large trade association, released a statement in support of the new rules but said its group would be "consulting with our members to develop a response to FDA's draft guidance and propose any recommendations for ways to effectively communicate to consumers about whole grains and diet and health."
