Issue 30
June 2000
 

Prairie Grains is the official publication of the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers, North Dakota Grain Growers Association, South Dakota Wheat, Inc. and the Minnesota Barley Growers Association.

Copyright
Prairie Grains Magazine
June 2000

Wheat Foods Council

Promoting greater grains consumption through the Wheat Checkoff

Media gets grain foods benefits backgrounder
Healthful reasons for consuming 6 to 11 servings of grain foods daily are revealed in the "Functional Benefits of Grain Foods" white paper, distributed earlier this spring by the Wheat Foods Council to 750 newspaper, magazine, and wire service editors nationwide.  The paper underscores the importance of grain foods in lowering the risk of heart disease and cancer, and points out the fortification benefits of enriched grain foods, phytochemicals and antioxidants.  A downloadable version of the paper can be found online in the Grains Nutrition Information Center, www.wheatfoods.org.

WFC testifies and submits written comments on Dietary Guidelines 2000
Keeping grain foods top of mind in the Dietary Guidelines debate, the WFC recently provided oral and written comments on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2000. The WFC lauded the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) for underscoring the importance of enriched grain foods as a source of folic acid, but expressed the need to be less ambiguous about the healthful benefits of consuming refined grain foods. The WFC recommended including "language to encourage consumers to read the label to ensure they are purchasing enriched or fortified grains."

Another drop — 1999 U.S. flour disappearance dips
Bad news for the grain industry — another shrinking market year. The Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's "preliminary" figure shows that U.S. per capita flour disappearance dipped two pounds in 1999.

When the WFC was formed in 1972, U.S. per capita flour disappearance was at an all-time low of 110 pounds. Consumption increased to 150 pounds by 1997, but dropped to 146 pounds in 1998. The 1999-year also shows a shrinking market, based on the "preliminary" figure of 144 pounds. A surge in fad diets translates into a loss of over 1 billion pounds of flour — $62.5 million less for U.S. wheat producers in 1998 over 1997.

For the health of Americans and the industry, the WFC is taking a proactive stance to negate fad diets through target audiences such as media, opinion leaders (physicians and nurse practitioners; health, nutrition and fitness leaders; and policy makers) and the retail arena.

What are "functional foods?"
Functional foods are the fastest growing segment of today's food industry, and provide an opportunity for the grain foods industry, said WFC President Judi Adams, in a presentation earlier this year at the Retail Bakers of America's In-Store Bakery Executive Conference.

Adams said that functional foods are "foods that may provide a health benefit beyond nutrition;  a food or food ingredient that may provide a health benefit beyond the traditional nutrients it contains; or a manufactured food for which scientifically valid health claims can be made," depending on the definition preferred.

She said that grains foods are natural functional foods because they are convenient; provide energy; are important in weight management; and reduce stress by replenishing seratonin levels. Also the enrichment of folic acid helps prevent birth defects; and whole grains and fiber aid in heart health and reduce the risk of some cancers.

New USDA web site helps assess, improve your own diet
USDA has developed an Interactive Healthy Eating Index, a new on-line dietary assessment tool that provides a quick measure of a person's diet quality. 

Designed for use by the general public and nutrition professionals, the IHEI shows internet users how well they are meeting current dietary guidance. The index is based on 10 aspects of a healthy diet for persons 2 years of age and older, as defined by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and USDA's Food Guide Pyramid.

Consumers can analyze their dietary status and maintain a cumulative record so improvements in their diet can be observed. Nutrition messages targeted to the user's score provide helpful information on diet and health with links to web sites for those individuals with specific health concerns.

The IHEI is available at the following web address: www.usda.gov/cnpp

 The Wheat Foods Council, headquartered in Parker, Colo., promotes increased consumption of grain-based food through nutrition, education and promotional programs.  It is funded by millers, bakers, cereal, cracker, tortilla and pasta manufacturers, and producer groups, including the Minnesota Wheat Research and Promotion Council.