Our monthly summary of how you can make the most of your Whole Grains Council membership.

WGC May 2016 Member Newsletter
Dear Whole Grains Council members,

According to a Mintel report titled "Protein Fever," one-quarter of American consumers say they're looking for more protein. Yet very few are aware that two slices of whole grain bread have about the same protein (6 grams) as a hard boiled egg or an ounce of almonds. In fact, whole grains generally offer around 25% more protein than refined grains.

"More protein" is just one aspect of the extra value offered by whole grains - and value is a key theme we're using in our educational outreach at the Oldways Whole Grains Council. Read more about the protein advantage of whole grains in our recent blog then help spread the word that even when whole grains cost a little more, they're worth a lot more!
Let Us Distribute Your Coupons During Whole Grains Month 
 
coupon
Throughout Whole Grains Month (September), we're putting whole grain coupons in all of our Oldways webstore orders. If you want YOUR company and products to be highlighted to Oldways customers, contact Kelly Toups at kelly@oldwayspt.org for details.

We are looking for up to 100 coupons per company, that are valid until at least 12/31/2016, with a value of at least 50¢ off. We ship out about 25 orders per week (including our popular Mediterranean Diet menu plan books) all across the country, so this is a great way to increase your brand exposure. Most of our customers are shoppers trying to improve their diets - the perfect audience to hear about your healthy whole grain food options.
Register Today for Sept 25-27 Conference
 
Online registration is now open for "Whole Grains Away from Home," our next conference, taking place September 25-27 in Chicago.

We're lining up a great roster of speakers to explore every aspect of whole grains in foodservice. For example, we'll hear Chef Lisa Feldman from Sodexo and Jennifer Roberts, RD, from Compass, talk about how they're integrating whole grains into menus for millions of meals, and what it takes to get your products into America's largest contract feeders. While our agenda focuses on foodservice this time around, you'll find that most of our sessions - like those on whole grain trends and marketing - will inform your retail efforts, too.

Our last conference (in November 2014) sold out, leaving last-minute attendees in the lurch, so register today. As always, the first registration from each WGC member company is free, and additional registrations from the same company are discounted almost 50%. Click here for our agenda, or register here.
Decide Now: Be a Conference Sponsor, for More Visibility

Are you planning to be a sponsor of our upcoming conference? Now's the time to commit, while we can still potentially weave your priorities into the conference agenda and your products into our meal plan. We also have "Supporter" levels for smaller companies. Check out our different Sponsor and Supporter levels here. Contact Kelly Toups (kelly@oldwayspt.org) with any questions.

You'll be in good company, as a sponsor. The following WGC members are already on board:
Project Sponsor: Ardent Mills
Event Sponsors: Barilla and Bob's Red Mill
Benefactor Sponsors: Bay State Milling, General Mills, Lundberg Family Farms, Quaker, To Your Health Sprouted Flour, United Sorghum Checkoff Program.
Harley's Tip: Use a Meaningful (and Correct!) Product Name  

Harley Songin, who heads up our Whole Grain Stamp program and handles WGC member service, offers a monthly tip for getting your products reviewed and approved as smoothly as possible.

May Tip: When you fill out our Product Registration Form, stop and think carefully about the words you put in the "Product Title" field. Your Product Title is the name of your product that consumers will be searching for in our Stamped Products database. To get the most promotional value out of your database listing, make sure the name you enter...
  • Matches what consumers see in the store. We often get emails from concerned shoppers who find a Stamped product in the store, but can't locate that product in the database because the titles don't match.
  • Differentiates the product from similar ones. If a product comes in different sizes, include the size in the title (e.g. Tasty-Os 13 oz), so a consumer can see that each individual size has been approved.
  • Explains what the product IS. When your product appears on our web lists, you want it to say "Dill Pickle Popcorn" not just "Dill Pickle."
  • Does NOT include internal language. Jargon like "RTE" for Ready To Eat doesn't belong in your titles; it just confuses consumers.
Contact Harley (harley@oldwayspt.org or 617-896-4832) with any questions about Stamp usage or membership. This is a good time to download a copy of our Stamp Usage Guide on this page, and remind all your staff of the rules of our program.
What's Hot in Whole Grain Sales? 

Ever wonder what categories of whole grain products are trending? Through a partnership with SPINS  a leading provider of retail consumer insights, analytics and consulting for the natural, organic, and specialty products industry, the WGC gets regular updates on sales of products using the Whole Grain Stamp. According to SPINS data, here are some of the hottest categories in the 52 weeks ending March 31, 2016 (compared to the previous 52 weeks):

+78.5%....Ramen & Udon Noodle Blocks
+45.4%....Refrigerated Grain Salads
+28.7%....Refrigerated Pasta (Long & Short)
+23.5%....Popcorn (both popped and unpopped)

We're delighted to see that foods made with minimally processed grains - pasta and noodles, grain salads, and popcorn - are leading the list in the momentum toward more sales of more whole grain products. We hope your sales of Whole Grain Stamp products are also doing well!
Cynthia Harriman
Director of Food and Nutrition Strategies
cynthia@oldwayspt.org

Kelly Toups, MLA, RD, LDN
Program Director
kelly@oldwayspt.org 

Harley Songin
Stamp Program Manager
harley@oldwayspt.org

... and from all of the Oldways and Whole Grains Council staff
Oldways is a nonprofit food and nutrition education organization inspiring good health through cultural food traditions and lifestyles. The Oldways Whole Grains Council is only one of our many successful programs. Check out our website to learn more. 
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