Baking & Snack - March 2006 - 10

NEWS FRONT
FDA offers guidance on 'whole grain'
In a step aimed at clarifying what food products may or may not be
labeled as "whole grain," the Food and Drug Administration issued
draft guidance on the term on Feb. 15.
In the document, the agency said it considers whole grain to include
cereal grains that consist, either intact, ground, cracked or flaked, "of
the fruit of the grains whose principal components - the starch endosperm, germ and bran - are present in the same relative proportions as they exist in the intact grain." As examples, the
agency cited barley, buckwheat, bulgur, corn, millet,
rice, rye, oats, sorghum, wheat and wild rice.
While the guidance gives the OK for calling quick
oats "whole grains," because the product contains
the bran, germ and endosperm, other widely used products may
not meet the whole grain definition. The agency said it does not
consider products derived from legumes (for example, soybeans),
oilseeds (sunflower seed) or roots (arrowroot) to be whole grain.
"The draft guidance specifically recommends that pizza only be labeled as 'whole grain' or 'whole wheat' when its crust is made entirely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," FDA said.
Robert E. Brackett, director of the Center for Food Safety and
Applied Nutrition at FDA, said, "The food label is the best tool we
have to help consumers choose a healthy diet, which includes wholegrain products."
The agency pointed out that the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Amer-

icans recommend that half of the grain that consumers eat should
be whole grains. The recommended intake is at least three ounces of
whole grain cereals, bread, crackers, rice or pasta each day.
Initial response from the food industry to the draft guidelines
was positive.
"Since the release of the authoritative 2005 Dietary Guidelines
for Americans, food companies have been seeking ways to increase
whole-grain content in foods and to have the ability to
communicate that information accurately," said Alison
Kretser, senior director of scientific and nutrition policy at the Grocery Manufacturers Association. "By clarifying what is a whole-grain serving, FDA's new draft
guidance gives the food industry a tool to communicate the health
benefits of whole grains to all consumers via the food label."
The guidance could be viewed as a turnaround for FDA, which in
December backed away when asked to approve definitions of the terms
"excellent source," "good source," and "made with" whole grains.
The petition, filed in May 2004 by General Mills, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, suggested that the definition of "excellent source" of whole
grains should be 16 g per labeled serving; "good source," 8 to 15 g;
and "made with," at least 8 g. The petition was rejected by FDA on the
grounds consumers could be confused by the various ("excellent,"
"good" or "made with") designations and because whole grains,
while healthful, are not a nutrient.

Industry responds to FDA's whole-grain guidance
Leading grain-based foods organizations reacted to the Food and Drug Administration's
draft guidance on the use of the term "whole
grain." While they are pleased, many important questions remain to be answered.
If baking and other companies are to effectively market whole grains to consumers,
considerably more guidance will be needed
from FDA, according to Lee Sanders, senior
vice-president of government relations and
public affairs, American Bakers Association.
"ABA is glad that FDA is addressing this key
issue for the baking industry and will have the
opportunity to comment on FDA's draft guidance for industry and FDA staff on whole-grain
label statements," Ms. Sanders said. "From our
initial review of the document, ABA is disappointed that FDA did not substantively address classification of whole-grain statements.
There is no real helpful guidance for industry
as to how to encourage consumers to eat/con-

12 / BAKING & SNACK / March 2006

sume more whole-grain products consistent
with the dietary guidelines. The guidance does
re-affirm ABA's position to use factual statements on the label."
The Whole Grains Council and Oldways,
groups that created a Whole Grains Stamp
program, offered an update of the groups'
continuing interaction with FDA over the
use of the stamp:
"On Dec. 28, 2005, the Whole Grains Council and Oldways sent FDA a letter which, said
Whole Grains Council chairman Jeff Dahlberg, 'urged FDA to clarify its position on
whole-grain labeling, and offered constructive
comments on the many issues involved.'
"FDA's response to the Whole Grains
Council and Oldways, received Feb. 14, 2006,
says that the agency is working with the US
Department of Agriculture to ensure consistency on whole-grain policies, but that
final guidance 'may not be complete before

the end of the fiscal year.'
"The FDA letter also commented on the
Whole Grain Stamps, advising that 'food labels bearing these stamps could be misbranded' under various FDA regulations. Clarifying
its position in response to questions at a press
conference Feb. 15, FDA stated that any determination about the stamps will be made on a
case-by-case basis, and on the merits of whether the 'Good Source' and 'Excellent Source' descriptors are 'truthful and not misleading.'"
The baking industry believes FDA
should not interfere with the high or excellent source claims.
"ABA notes that FDA has no legal authority
under the governing statute and regulations to
limit high or excellent source claims for whole
grains," Ms. Sanders said. "ABA would encourage our members to continue to make high
and excellent source claims where substantiated and to use factual statements."
Baking & Snack - March 2006

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking & Snack - March 2006
