If you missed it previously, here's how it works: From August 15 to September 30, we're inviting people to nominate their favorite food charity, such as a food bank, food pantry or soup kitchen. At the end of September, we'll pick one qualifying charity at random, and send them cases upon cases of food donated by our generous WGC members. In the meantime, we'll be drumming up interest and momentum for sharing whole grains and other healthy food with those less fortunate than ourselves.

A big thanks to our supporting donor companies. Email Mallory Cushman if you would like to donate a case of your company's food and have your name added to the donors' list on our website today!

Here are the graphics and links you'll need, to promote Good Grains for a Good Cause on your social media: 

• Link to main Sweepstakes Page
• Download Sweepstakes and Whole Grains Month logos (PDF file with three options -- email Mallory if you want individual transparent PNG files)

We'd love to see how you're featuring the Good Grains for a Good Cause sweepstakes. Send Mallory a link! Promoting this WGC sweepstakes will add more excitement to your website and social media pages, so join in now.

FDA published a non-binding draft guidance on whole grain labeling in February of 2006 that provided useful clarity on the definition of a whole grain ingredient, but was less specific on the definition of a whole grain food. FDA is currently seeking OMB approval to go forward with consumer research that will help the agency finalize their whole grain labeling guidance. Although final guidance is unlikely to happen immediately, we're updating you on some possibilities now, in case you want to factor them into your product development efforts.

1. 8 grams or more of whole grain per serving and at least half the grain is whole. This is the approach pioneered by USDA (FSIS) in October 2005, when they defined a whole grain food as one with 8g of whole grain per labeled serving and per RACC provided that at least 51% of the grain is whole grain. This approach is closely echoed in the new school food rules from USDA, where "Whole Grain Rich" foods are those in which at least half the grain is whole grain, or those in which the first ingredient is whole grain. (There are a few other twists, but this is the gist of whole grain rich.)  
2.  8 grams of whole grain in every 30 grams of product. This is the "characterization" of a whole grain food from AACCI (formerly the American Association of Cereal Chemists), and is also included in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines, which similarly suggest choosing foods with at least 8g of whole grain per "ounce equivalent" -- an amount of food that varies but is around 30 grams.