The Food and Drug Administration has issued draft guidance on what the term “whole grain” may include. The guidance was developed to assist manufacturers with what the FDA considers appropriate for food label statements related to “whole grain” content.
The FDA document says the agency 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.
The draft guidance states that although rolled and “quick oats” can be called “whole grains” because they contain all of their bran, germ and endosperm, other widely used food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. For example, FDA does not consider products derived from legumes (soybeans), oilseeds (sunflower seeds) and roots (arrowroot) as “whole grains.” The draft guidance specifically recommends that pizza only be labeled as “whole grain” or “whole wheat” when its crust is made entirely from whole grain flours or whole wheat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.
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.”
The guidance is available online at the link below. You may also obtain a copy by contacting the NAFFS office.
