FDA Releases Draft Guidance on ‘Whole Grain’

The Food and Drug Administration has issued draft guidance on what it considers appropriate for food label statements related to ‘whole grain’ content. The primary aim of the guidelines is to enable consumers to make dietary choices based on a consistent term.

The FDA says it considers ‘whole grain’ to include cereal grains that consist of the intact, ground, cracked or flaked fruit of the grains whose principal components – the starchy endosperm, germ and bran – are present in the same relative proportions as they exist in the intact grain. Such grains may include barley, buckwheat, bulgur, corn, millet, rice, rye, oats, sorghum, wheat and wild rice.

In the grain refining process some of the bran and germ is removed resulting in a loss of dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. As such, the proposed FDA guidance states that although rolled and quick oats can be called ‘whole grains’ because they contain all of their bran, germ and endosperm, other widely used food products may not meet the ‘whole grain’ definition.

The FDA says it does not consider products derived from legumes (soybeans), oilseeds (sunflower seeds) and roots (arrowroot) as ‘whole grains.’ Similarly, the guidance recommends that pizza only be labeled as “whole grain” or “whole wheat” when its crust is made entirely from whole grain flours or whole wheat flour, respectively.

The draft guidance is part of the government’s effort to advise consumers about healthy food choices. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that half of the grain that consumers eat should be whole grains. “The food label is the best tool we have to help consumers choose a healthy diet, which includes whole grain products,” said Dr Robert Brackett, director of FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

Currently, manufacturers can also make factual statements about whole grains on food labels such as “10 grams of whole grains” or “1/2 ounce of whole grains.”