WGC Monthly Newsletter
In This Issue
April 3 Sampling Day
Whole Grains Month
New Health Research
Supermarket RDs
Quick Links
An Oldways Family Program

Oldways is a nonprofit food and nutrition education organization, with a mission to guide people to good health through heritage.
March 2013

Dear Whole Grains Council members,

We hope you were watching a recent episode of the Dr. Oz show, when the popular health guru said that looking for the 100% Whole Grain Stamp was the best way to find real whole grain products and avoid "Whole Grain Traps." There it was, taking up the whole screen in a beauty-shot close-up: the Whole Grain Stamp. If you missed the show, you can still catch it online here.


Whole Grain Sampling Day Almost Here
Product photo on JerseyGirlCooks.com
The social media buzz has already started for this year's Whole Grain Sampling Day on April 3. We sent out Goodie Boxes containing information, a t-shirt and WGC members' products to 20 prominent "Whole Grain Ambassador" bloggers, and already they're talking about the great whole grain products they're sampling. Here are links to two of the first blog posts, from JerseyGirlCooks.com and TravelEatLove.com.

The blog posts are already garnering comments like, "Where can we find those Triscuits? They look really yummy." and "I would love a chance to try all of these great products." Once again, the WGC is helping members' products get out in front of consumers. 

Please email Karen if you'd like your company's Whole Grain Sampling Day activities added to our list of this year's partner activities. (You can also email Karen if you are overcome with regret for not volunteering to have your products included in this free opportunity. She'll make sure you're on the list for our next cool WGC project.)
Plan Now for Whole Grains Month in September
Speaking of our next project, Whole Grains Month is just six months away in September. We urge you to put the final touches on your own Whole Grains Month plans before it's too late to do something spectacular. When you tie your marketing plans into Whole Grains Month, you tap into the extra momentum and pizzazz that happens when all 350+ WGC member companies move in the same direction at once.

In our April member newsletter, we'll detail how you can also take part in the WGC's Whole Grains Month plans. Stay tuned. All we'll say for now is that participating companies will get visibility for their products and a chance to help out a worthy cause.
Health Research on Whole Grains
We continue, as always, to keep an eye on research about whole grains and health that can inform our mission and our members. In this month's review of journals, we found intriguing studies touching on gene expression differences with whole- or refined-grain consumption; on the active role of aleurone; and on the potential impact of processing methods.

We give such research extra visibility on the health studies page of our website, where you can search for studies by grain and by disease/condition. We also recently used our blog to spotlight interesting research about possible health impact differences between Kamut� brand Khorasan wheat and modern wheat - research brought to our attention by WGC member Kamut International. If your company or organization is involved with or otherwise aware of interesting whole grain research, please email Cynthia Harriman.
Oldways Supermarket RD Symposium and ONE
Oldways, the WGC's parent organization, held its third annual Supermarket Dietitians' Symposium in Dallas, TX, February 27-March 1. The event brought together forty-six supermarket dietitians and representatives from twenty sponsoring companies committed to changing the face of public health in America. Sessions on social media, biotech foods, sustainable seafood, and on nutrition trends and myths were popular, as was a special workshop on media training - all organized by Oldways to help Supermarket RDs do their crucial work.

 

Oldways is committed to finding ways for supermarkets and manufacturers to work together to highlight the healthiest foods possible, through our annual Symposium and through our year-round online Oldways Nutrition Exchange (ONE) program. We urge your company to take advantage of Oldways' programs to connect with the health gatekeepers at our nation's supermarkets. Contact Georgia Orcutt for more information about the RD Symposium, or contact Cynthia Harriman to learn more about our online ONE program.
Best regards,

Cynthia Harriman
Director of Food and Nutrition Strategies

Karen Mansur
Program Manager

Mallory Cushman
Program Assistant

... and from all of the Oldways and Whole Grains Council staff