2007 Q3 Newsletters

"September" member E-newsletter (sent Oct. 4, 2007)

Dear Whole Grains Council members,

You may have noticed that September passed by without an email update from the WGC. That's because we were waiting until our new website was ready to launch – and now it is!

NEW WEBSITE LAUNCHES OCTOBER 10
Overnight on October 9, we will switch from our existing WGC website to a totally new site that will make it easier for consumers and health professionals to find great information on whole grains. The new site will also offer better member services (see below for details) to support our growing membership.

The original Whole Grains Council website succumbed to its own success. Over the four years of its existence, we have added so much information and so many resources that it became difficult to find anything in its many nooks and crannies. Now, we've started from the bottom up, reorganizing everything so it's more like a well-ordered library instead of a rich but random treasure chest.

NEW PASSWORDS FOR EVERYONE
On the old site, only the Stamp graphics were password protected, and every member used the same password. Now each member-company will have a unique username and password, to allow you to access new features such as updating your member profile and uploading new product announcements.

You will receive an email with your company's new Username and Password within the next week. As you might expect, it will take us a few days to send over 170 custom emails. If you need access to any Stamp graphics before you receive your new password, just email us and we'll take care of you right away. REMEMBER, YOUR OLD PASSWORD WILL NO LONGER WORK.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NEW WEBSITE
The new website is much more attractive and graphic, with several new features including:
** A search box
** an expanded and more accessible recipe section (a favorite with consumers!)
** Whole Grains 101 -- a well-organized primer on whole grains
** better access to our growing library of educational materials
** online membership application form

We won't spoil the suspense by telling you everything. Take a look for yourself, next week. Your old Bookmark will work -- we'll still be at www.wholegrainscouncil.org.

NEW FEATURES FOR MEMBERS
An entire section of the new website has been designed especially for our members. Click on "For Members" in the upper right corner of the home page and you'll enter the "back yard" of the new site, an area just for members. Here, the many benefits and opportunities of your WGC membership are much more apparent than on the old site – which we hope will encourage you all to take better advantage of the many options offered by the WGC.

The WGC does so much more beyond the Whole Grain Stamp! The new website shows clearly how you can:
a. increase your visibility to consumers and health professionals on the WGC website
b. upload new product announcements and photos
c. update your member profile, so we can more easily include your products in media opportunities
d. update the contact information, emails or address for your company
e. take advantage of any special deals and discounts for members only

ONLINE PRODUCT REGISTRATION
One of the biggest changes for members is that we have automated the Product Registration Form required before you add the Whole Grain Stamp to any product. Now, you will simply fill in the information online. We'll review the forms electronically, and notify you of your approval. Once a product is approved, it will automatically post to the Whole Grains Product Finder list online, on the date that you request.

BUT WHERE IS.....?
Moving to a new website is a lot like moving to a bigger and better house or apartment. It's great – but for the first little while, you're not sure where anything is. Many of you regularly refer to specific pages to educate customers, or for reference in your marketing campaigns. Don't hesitate to contact us (Cindy at 603-436-1608/cynthia@oldwayspt.org or Kara at 617-896-4880 / kberrini@oldwayspt.org) if you can't find your favorite pages. We're standing by, to make this transition to a better website as smooth as possible.

P.S. REGISTER FOR THE CONFERENCE!
Don't forget to register for the "Just Ask for Whole Grains" conference November 5-7 in Kansas City. You won't want to miss our exciting Iron Chef Whole Grains Cookoff... 29 fascinating speakers... delicious whole grain food... unparalleled networking with government leaders, top national media and more.

Tomorrow (October 5) is the last day that the special conference rate for hotel rooms is guaranteed, so make your plans now. Hotel rooms are going fast! Go to http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org/conference07.html where you can see the full schedule and link to online conference registration and hotel registration. And remember – the first registration from each WGC member company is free!

Best regards from all of us at Oldways and the Whole Grains Council,

Best regards,
Cindy
------------------------
Cynthia Harriman
Director of Food and Nutrition Strategies
Oldways / The Whole Grains Council
603-436-1608 direct
617-896-4820 main office

August member E-newsletter (sent Aug. 28, 2007)

Dear Whole Grains Council members,

As summer draws to a close, the WGC is revving up for Whole Grains Month in September and our conference in November. Read all the details below, and take full advantage of your WGC membership by getting actively involved! What are YOU doing for Whole Grains Month?

WHOLE GRAINS MONTH IN SEPTEMBER
We've heard from many of you this month, with details of your plans for whole grains month. WGC members are celebrating this special month in a great variety of ways, just a few of which we've listed here:

* General Mills: Launching the use of the WG Stamp on all 80+ SKUs of its Big G cereals, starting with Cheerios
* Snyder's of Hanover: FSI with $1-off coupon on its entire multigrain line, going to 35 million households
* Kashi: Healthy Snacking initiative in September will educate consumers on the benefits of whole grains
* Vermont Morning: Sponsoring a recipe contest at the Champlain Valley Fair
* Frontier Soups: Special promotion of its whole grain soup line
* Hi-Vibe Breads: Launching several new whole grain products for the school market, in September

If you have not yet shared your plans with us, call Kara Berrini today (617-896-4880 or kberrini@oldwayspt.org). We're finalizing the press release and web page detailing these events NOW; we'd like to spread the word about your products and events, too.

As you can see from the examples above, anything you're doing during September counts as a special Whole Grains Month activity. Donate some of your great whole grain products to your local schools, or to a soup kitchen, for instance -- and we'll list your good deeds.

On our part, the Whole Grains Council is marking Whole Grains Month with a press release on September 4 to over 800 media contacts; announcement of the winners in our Whole Grains Challenge contest; a total make-over of the WGC website); a new poster ); and educational events, including a booth at the American Dietetic Association's FNCE convention in Philadelphia . You can read the details on all of these below.

WEBSITE MAKEOVER LAUNCHING IN SEPTEMBER
Consumers, health professionals, and the media often tell us that our website offers a wealth of information on whole grains. That's its biggest strength – and its downfall. At this point we've added so much great information to the WGC website that it's becoming hard to find what you're looking for. The WGC, with its exponential growth, has simply outgrown its old website.

We've been working to revamp the website, keeping all the same great information, but making everything easier to find, with new menus, new structure, a search command, and great graphics. We're also working to offer better member services on the new website, starting with an online membership application and continuing with an easy online way to register new products for the Stamp program.

We're soliciting whole grain recipes with photos for the new site, as well as non-branded photos of whole grain foods (cereals, pizza, breads, cookies, etc.) for our press photos page. Contact Kara with your contributions (617-896-4880 or kberrini@oldwayspt.org). This is another great way to make the WGC website more effective -- and we'll credit you on the website, for a little extra PR boost.

We'll be launching the new website in mid-September, as part of our celebration of Whole Grains Month. So one day next month you can expect a surprise, when you connect to the same familiar address at WholeGrainsCouncil.org. Be aware that, when we launch the new website, some internal page addresses may change. If you have these pages bookmarked, you may get an error message. But with the new site's menus, you'll easily find what you're looking for, better than ever, on the new website.

NEW WHOLE GRAINS POSTER
We've created a wonderful new poster that we're introducing for the first annual Whole Grains Month. This colorful 18" x 24" poster reminds consumers how easy and delicious it can be to add at least one more whole grain choice to your meals, every day of the month. But it's NOT tied to September 2007 -- it's been designed to promote the health benefits of whole grains in ANY month, hanging in a school classroom, in a doctor's office, or anywhere you can imagine.

This bright and cheery poster joins our other support materials, including "Just Ask for Whole Grains" buttons and stickers, and "Whole Grain Stamp" postcards and table signs. You can see all of these materials at http://wholegrainscouncil.org/MSSupport.htm. As always, we supply these materials to WGC members and to health professionals at no charge, but for larger quantities we ask you to kindly provide us a UPS, FedEx or DHL shipping number to defray Council expenses.

FNCE DIETITIANS' SHOW SEPT. 30-OCT. 2 – Got Educational Materials?
This year, over 12,000 Registered Dietitians are expected at the ADA's FNCE show in Philadelphia, where Oldways and the Whole Grains Council will have a booth to educate RDs on the benefits of whole grains. If you have free educational materials that can make our outreach even more effective, we'll include them in our display, as we have in past years.

If you would like your educational materials included, contact Kara (617-896-4880 or kberrini@oldwayspt.org) with a brief description of the materials. We'll put one copy in a master reference binder for review at the show, and -- if you like -- pass out extra copies on the spot. Kara will fill you in on procedures for sending materials to us. After the show, we'll list your materials on the WGC website, if they're not already there.

Also – if you're exhibiting at this show, remember to ask us for buttons, signs or postcards (see above). Tell us your booth member, especially if you're planning any special whole grain emphasis or tasting samples at the show -- and we'll send people your way.

OLDWAYS RESISTANT STARCH SYMPOSIUM AT FNCE SHOW -- FREE
If you're attending the FNCE show, you may also want to know that Oldways, the parent organization of the Whole Grains Council, is holding a symposium on resistant starch, a newly-discovered kind of dietary fiber with important health benefits. It's found in whole grains, and lots of other healthy carbohydrates. If you'd like to attend this free symposium, you can learn more at http://www.oldwayspt.org/resistant_starch.html

EARLY-BIRD DISCOUNT FOR CONFERENCE ENDS SEPT. 15
Sign up today for our "Just Ask for Whole Grains" conference being held November 5-7 in Kansas City. Each WGC member gets one free registration, as you probably know by now. And additional member attendees get a substantial discount, that cuts the cost nearly in half. BUT you still want to register today, as the $50 Early Bird discount for those additional attendees ends September 15, and our hotel room block, at the special conference rate, is limited.

[Information was included here about online registration for the conference.] Enter all your contact information, then you'll be given a chance to check the appropriate rate (first free WGC member or additional WGC member). At the end of the process, there's a direct link from the online conference registration to the hotel reservation site. You'll find everything you need on the registration site, including a full agenda for the conference. But don't hesitate to call us or email if you have questions.

Best regards from all of us at Oldways and the Whole Grains Council,

Cindy
------------------------
Cynthia Harriman
Director of Food and Nutrition Strategies
Oldways / The Whole Grains Council
603-436-1608 direct
617-896-4820 main office

July member E-newsletter (sent July 30, 2007)

Dear Whole Grains Council members,

Some of you are probably out of the office, barbecuing hamburgers and hotdogs with whole grain buns, or nibbling on a chewy oat-based granola bar while kayaking or trail-biking. For the rest of us spending late July in the office, here's a short, quick update on activities from your Whole Grains Council.

NEW WGC STAFF
Please join us in welcoming Kara Berrini, who will help us keep pace with rapid growth of WGC membership and programs. Although all of us here at Oldways are involved in making the WGC a success, Kara will be one of your main contacts for member service as we move forward. Already some of you may have seen her name on Product Registration Form approvals!

WHOLE GRAINS MONTH – LIST YOUR ACTIVITIES
September is just a month away now. We're assembling a list of members' activities for Whole Grains Month, which we'll be posting on the WGC website and publicizing. Email us today with your plans and we'll make sure they get extra mileage!

What should be included on your list? You can include ANYTHING that involves whole grains and happens in September -- even if it was not originally planned as a special Whole Grains Month activity. Tell us if
** you're running any TV ads in September
** you're distributing coupons in FSIs during September
** you're launching any new products during September
** you're planning any contests or sweepstakes
** you're carrying out any charitable activity, such as our Adopt-A-Schools project
** ... or anything else whole-grain related

Kara will be calling members in August to make sure we have the most comprehensive list of activities possible. But you can lighten our work load, by emailing Kara (kberrini@oldwayspt.org) with your list before she works her way down to your company!

WGC PROMOTES WHOLE GRAINS TO SUPERMARKETS ON KWIKEE SYSTEM
To make it easier for supermarkets to promote whole grains and to encourage consumers to "Just Ask for Whole Grains," we've posted hi-resolution whole grain graphics on the Kwikee Multi-Ad system. As many of you know, Kwikee's graphic database makes images available -- at no charge -- to a wide swath of the retail industry, for use in ads and promotions. This is where the big supermarket chains, from Kroger and Safeway to Walmart and Costco, get all those color photos for their weekly advertising circulars; the system is also popular with major food distributors, drugstore chains and many more major retailers. We've now made it easier for thousands of retail outlets to promote whole grains, by posting an assortment of whole grain photos, a few recipes, and our Just Ask for Whole Grains logo in the system. You can visit http://www.kwikeesystems.com to learn more about this industry-standard graphics database.

RESEARCH & MARKETING OPPORTUNITY
As a general rule, everything we do at the WGC is included in your membership -- all our promotional programs, media outreach, use of the WG Stamp, etc. But every once in a while, a special opportunity comes along that can't be funded from membership dues. The Whole Grains Council has been working with Tonic Partners, a marketing consultancy specializing in foodservice, to develop a research project that will help WGC members better understand the opportunities for bringing more whole grains to the foodservice market.

ALL WGC members will have access -- at no charge, as part of their membership -- to an executive summary of the research, when it's complete. All members will also potentially benefit from the special editorial insert to be published in the May 2008 issue of Restaurants and Institutions (R&I) magazine, bringing the whole grains message to 140,000 key influencers in foodservice. This issue will also be distributed at the May 2008 National Restaurant Association show.

Sponsors of this project will have extra access to research details by market segment and will have the right to add proprietary questions to the research. They will also be entitled to a full-page ad in the May 2008 R&I editorial insert. Maria Santonato, Sr. Vice President of Tonic Partners, will be contacting members who may be interested in being sponsors of this project. You can reach Maria at 312-202-1749 or maria.santonato@tonicpartners.com.

Like all special opportunities through the Whole Grains Council, this project is totally optional. However, we think it could be an attractive opportunity for companies who want to capitalize on growing interest in whole grains in foodservice. Proprietary research is very expensive for any one company to do on its own, but we can gain important new insights by working together and splitting the costs.

EARLY BIRD CONFERENCE REGISTRATION ENDS AUGUST 31
Sign up now for the "Just Ask for Whole Grains" conference November 5-7 in Kansas City. All WGC members get one free registration -- but you still need to register, as the conference space is finite and we'd hate to see any WGC members get shut out. PLUS, if you're bringing along paying colleagues, remember that our Early Bird $50 discount ends August 31. The conference schedule and other details are on our website at http://wholegrainscouncil.org/conference07.html, where you can also download a registration form. By mid-August we'll have online registration open, but why delay? -- sign up today!

Best regards from all of us at Oldways and the Whole Grains Council,

Cindy
------------------------
Cynthia Harriman
Director of Food and Nutrition Strategies
Oldways / The Whole Grains Council
603-436-1608 direct
617-896-4820 main office
www.oldwayspt.org / www.wholegrainscouncil.org