The Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise us to make half of our grains whole… so how are we doing? FoodNavigator-USA headed to Seattle for the 2018 OIdways Whole Grains Council conference to find out…
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise us to make half of our grains whole… so how are we doing? FoodNavigator-USA headed to Seattle for the 2018 OIdways Whole Grains Council conference to find out…
According to (NHANES) data, whole grain intake increased by 50% from 2003/2004 to 2013/2014, moving from 0.6 ounce equivalents/day to 0.9 ounce equivalents/day; while intake of refined grains significantly dropped from 6.3 to 5.7 ounce equivalents per day.
And while intakes still fall short of recommendations, consumer survey data shows that shoppers are actively trying to increase consumption, said Caroline Sluyter from Oldways.
“Lots of consumers really embrace the taste of whole grains, but they are not all at the point where they are craving whole grains,” said Sluyter, although she noted that 41% of shoppers cited delicious taste as a reason for choosing whole grains in 2018 (1,500 adults, Whole Grains Council/Qualtrics survey) vs just 13% in 2006 (Harris Interactive survey, 1,040 adults).
Picture: istockphoto-bhfack2.jpg
According to Kaley Todd from meal kit brand Sun Basket, meal kits are great vehicles for introducing consumers to whole grains because they can try them in delicious, craveable, dishes and learn how to cook with them, which in turn inspires customers to buy the grains in the grocery store.
In the International Food Information Council’s (IFIC) 2018 Food and Health Survey, whole grains were third on the list of components considered to be healthful by consumers (80%), behind only vitamin D (84%) and fiber (83%), ahead of plant-based proteins (73%) and omega-3 fatty acids (68%). Picture: Sun Basket
In its March 2018 Foodbytes trend report, Datassential reports that two-thirds of restaurant operators reference whole or ancient grains on menus, with opportunities to “take grain bowls or breakfast cookies to the next level by leveraging lesser-known varieties of whole or ancient grains – for instance, consider swapping out oatmeal for buckwheat.” Picture: Sun Basket
According to Datassential’s 2016 Trending Grains Report, farro has a place on 13% of fine dining menus — “a sign that chefs and foodies alike are being drawn to its fuller, nuttier flavor and satisfying texture.” Picture: McCormick
Meanwhile, 9,000+ products in the US now feature the Whole Grain Stamp vs c. 6,000+ in 2012, said Sluyter, while 12,000+ products bear the stamp globally, with strong growth in Latin America and Asia. Meanwhile, 51% of consumers say they are less likely to trust whole grain claims on products without the whole grain stamp.
In Brazil, said Bruna Tedesco from Bimbo do Brazil, whole wheat breads are experiencing double digit growth, with consumption increasing 6.5x over 10 years. Picture: Bimbo's new sprouted whole grain loaf brand
While much of the growth in US consumption has come from whole grains being added to more products, manufacturers are also including more whole grains in formulations, with the average product featuring the stamp containing 19g in 2008 and 25g today, said Sluyter.
While there has been sharp growth in products containing so-called ‘ancient grains’ such as sorghum (pictured), quinoa, and teff that feature the Whole Grain Stamp over the past few years, consumers asked to name their favorite whole grains still pick wheat, oats, corn, and brown rice as their top four, said Sluyter.
That said, awareness of ancient grains is growing, with 68% of 1,500 adults quizzed by the Whole Grains Council in August claiming to have heard of quinoa vs 55% in 2015. As for taste, while fonio may be one of the lesser-known ancient grains in the US, of those that have tried multiple ancient grains, it was the favorite.
Picture: Fonio, Yolélé Foods
There has been steady growth in the number of products featuring the Whole Grain Stamp that feature sprouted grains, added Sluyter. (Checkout FoodNavigator-USA for more info on sprouted grains next week.)
It might not have attracted as much media attention as quinoa or chia, but sorghum – a home-grown gluten-free grain that is every bit as attractive in the nutritional and sustainability stakes - is steadily gaining traction in food applications, not least because it’s more affordable than other ‘ancient grains,’ said Doug Bice from the United Sorghum Checkoff Program.
While sorghum is not a ‘complete protein’ [it does not have much lysine], it has a comparable level of protein to other ‘ancient’ grains and it works well with other sources of protein that can balance this out, such as pea protein, he said.
Quinoa, meanwhile, continues to go from strength to strength in the US market, said Lisa Nunez de Arco at Andean Naturals, noting that quinoa ticks all the boxes in that it has an appealing story, great nutritional profile (more protein than any other whole grain/pseudo cereal) and sustainability credentials, and cooks in 15 minutes. It’s also gluten-free.
According to NPD’s SupplyTrack, a service that tracks products shipped from distributors to 700,000+ foodservice operators, case shipments of quinoa and amaranth increased by 18.5% and 19.4%, respectively, in the year ending October 2017. Spelt and farro also experienced double-digit growth in case shipments over the period.
In a session partly devoted to mythbusting, Kathleen Zelman from WedMD said 1-2% of people have celiac disease, while the scientific literature suggests the percentage with NCGS/non-celiac gluten sensitivity could be around 5 to 6% (although we can’t be sure because there are no validated biomarkers or diagnostic tests). But avoiding gluten unnecessarily can lower diet quality, as well as increase your grocery bill, she cautioned.
More recent research suggests that people with NCGS may in fact be sensitive to fermentable carbohydrates in some gluten-containing products, such as oligofructose and arabinoxylan, so exclusion of these and other fermentable oligo-, di- and monosaccharides as well as polyols; (‘FODMAPs’) could help tackle their digestive discomfort.
FODMAPs is an acronym for Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides and Polyols, short-chain carbohydrates that can cause GI distress in some people.
“More knowledgeable consumers see ‘highly processed’ grains as the problem,” rather than grains per se, if they have concerns about carbs, suggested Melissa Abbott from Hartman Group, who said sprouted grains, heritage grains, and ancient grains all resonate with health and wellness oriented consumers.
Similarly, whole grains – which are associated with a myriad of health benefits – can also tap into consumer demand for foods that improve digestion and reduce systemic inflammation, while new quality distinctions in grains can “leverage sustainability and wellness, going deeper into grains’ good food story,” she argued.
Dr Emily Contois at the University of Tulsa, in turn, said that “food is a marker of identity, of who we are and who we want to be,” and that rather than harping on about their health benefits, food marketers could tap into the notion that whole grains are ‘real’ foods, which resonates at a time of social and cultural anxiety.
