But why is it important? What difference can whole grain really make to next generations?
Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW) – a joint venture between Nestlé and General Mills – has been a leader in the breakfast cereal sector for over 30 years. Driven by its purpose to Make Breakfast Better, they have set themselves tough ambitions to ensure whole grain is the first ingredient in over 99% of ready-to-eat breakfast cereals for children and teenagers. But why focus on whole grain when, for others, it sometimes seems to be just an afterthought?
It's time for a wake-up call
The science couldn’t be clearer - shifting your daily diet from refined to whole grains has some impressive health benefits. Research suggests that a diet high in whole grain reduces the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and may reduce the risk of some cancers. Logic dictates that the earlier we start prioritising whole grain, the better it is for us.
Sadly, too few adults and children currently are eating enough whole grain in their diet. This is due to a number of factors; from not knowing what whole grain is to how to incorporate it into daily meals. However, if we’re going to ensure next generations grow up healthy and happy, this is a challenge we need to overcome. And we need to start now.
The importance of next generations
To change behaviours and habits, we need to start young. That means encouraging our children and teenagers to eat whole grain as part of their regular meals as soon as possible. Not only will this help them develop a taste for foods high in whole grain, but it’ll also help establish positive eating habits from an early age, so they are more likely to continue doing so into adulthood.
So how do we make it easy for children, teenagers, and their families to make healthier food choices? It’s a joint effort. Whether it’s at school, at home, or out and about, we need to create an environment which makes it simple for them to choose whole grain, alongside plenty of fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds.
At the recent event – hosted at the EU Parliament to celebrate International Whole Grain Day - speakers collectively emphasized that nutrition education needs to be integrated within the school system and food system with school meals representing an opportunity for children to be exposed to healthy and sustainable diets”.
It was also highlighted that most children, at least younger children, are not in control of their diets. There was therefore the need for school food programs that include whole grain recommendations while advocating for policy to promote the intake of whole grain in children – including dietary-based guidelines and reviewing food procurement policies in school, while taking a wider food system approach.
Sowing the seeds of change
Integrating whole grain into the school curriculum and menus is a first step. But promoting whole grain is not just about nutrition – it’s about shifting the way society thinks, feels, and acts. CPW has set out three clear measures it believes will help increase whole grain across the board.
1. Helping people understand what it is
Believe it or not, but the EU currently doesn’t have one firm legal definition of what whole grain is. With no guidance, consumers are often confused - faced with different products which can be labelled as whole grain, but which can also have wildly varying levels of whole grain content. A standardised definition is possible by building on existing consensus definitions published in peer-reviewed journals.
2. Sharing how much whole grain people should eat
Food-based dietary guidelines are the foundation for promoting healthy and sustainable diets. At the moment, many of these guidelines don’t include whole grain. It’s important these guidelines emphasize the benefits of whole grains as part of a balanced and nutritious diet. Highlighting whole grain is just another way governments can encourage more people to eat more of it.
3. Making whole grain easy to find
If we were to create a universally recognised and distinctive label for whole grain, we could make it easier for consumers to find and choose whole grain. These labels could highlight both the health and the environmental benefits of whole grain.
The real life impact of embracing whole grain
The Danish Whole Grain public-private partnership, which was created in response to the declining whole grain intake in the Danish population, managed, in just over a decade, to increase the average daily whole grain intake in Denmark from 36g to an impressive 82g per day, with 50% of Danes now meeting the recommended daily intake. This partnership brought together public and private partners as well as health NGOs and is still very much active today. How did they achieve these staggering results?
1. They created a clear definition for whole grain.
2. They set guidelines and recommendations for daily intake.
3. They developed a clear logo (‘choose whole grain first’) to help consumers identify healthier options.
The Danish example doesn’t have to be a standalone success story – replicating and scaling up similar initiatives could have a significant impact on whole grain consumption across the EU.
A collective responsibility
If we’re looking to build a sustainable and healthy future for future generations, whole grain is certainly one of the answers. Creating a preference for whole grain foods and making the whole grain choice the healthier choice should be a collective effort. We are calling for politicians, health advocates, and educators to join us on this journey, and to play their part in advocating and educating about the benefits of whole grain. By being proactive, they can put in place preventative measures now, and safeguard public health (and public funding) in the future.
Together we can create a world where every day is a whole grain day, where we have cultivated a sustainable legacy of improved health and wellbeing for our children and the generations to follow.
Promoted by Cereal Partners Worlwide
