2010 Q1 Newsletters

March 2010 newsletter (sent to members March 23, 2010)

Dear Whole Grains Council members,

You may notice a few new faces when you go to the Home Page of the WGC website: we've added to our cast of characters who show visitors how delicious whole grains can be.  As always, a different photo appears randomly each time you go to the site; if you want to "meet" everyone, just hit Refresh in your browser to cycle through all of them.

SAVE THE DATE: CONFERENCE JAN 30-FEB 2, 2010
It's official. Our next Whole Grains Council conference will be held January 30 to February 2, 2011, in Portland, OR. We've held previous conferences in New Orleans, Orlando, Kansas City, and Washington, DC, and now the time has come to swing out to the West Coast - to a wonderfully food-conscious city that rarely sees a snowflake in winter.

Our conference theme, Whole Grains: the New Norm, will include sessions that spotlight and celebrate the many ads, foodservice operations, magazines, schools, government policies, and other circumstances where whole grains are now served, depicted, and proscribed, automatically, as the default.

The conference will provide a strong message for the media, while providing inspiring new information for all of us who work daily with grain foods. (The mayonnaise ad above is a good example of the new norm - showing whole grain bread even though the ad isn't about bread!)

We'll be providing more details about the conference each month in this newsletter. For now, we just want to make sure you save the date to attend - and that you set aside some of your marketing budget if you'd like the extra visibility you can garner from being a sponsor for this event. A WGC conference is a great way to network with others in the industry, to tell your story to the media, to learn new marketing strategies - and to eat great food! If you're new to the WGC or just haven't been able to attend one of our four conferences to date, you can learn more about the earlier conferences on our website.
 
THE STAMP IS NOT JUST FOR PACKAGING
Several old and new members have asked us recently: Can the Whole Grain Stamp be used on marketing materials such as shelf talkers, FSI coupons, print ads, and websites? The answer is a whole-hearted yes! Once a product has been approved to use the Whole Grain Stamp, you may use the Stamp on any materials associated with that product.

We're especially pleased to see more and more of our members using the Whole Grain Stamp on their websites. Want to see some examples? Here are just five of the many: Kellogg, Mars, Aunt Millie's, Ryza, and KidSmart. Please send us a link if you're featuring the Whole Grain Stamp on your website. We love to see examples of the creativity of all our members.
 
INSERVICE PRESENTATIONS ON WHOLE GRAINS
It makes our day when we realize that the materials we create end up being used every day in programs that change people's health for the better. A few weeks ago, for example, we received an email that said,

Hello. I am a dietitian and have to give an inservice on whole grains. To tell you truth, I am even confused on how to educate staffers on making the right choices. Do you have any information that is in the form of a handout or inservice already prepared?

This dietitian, who works at a regional pediatric nursing organization, was delighted when we told her of the many handouts, PowerPoints, and other materials we supply for free - thanks to funding from the membership dues of our WGC members.  With the help of Google alerts, we see our free health and education materials being used in state WIC programs, at dietitians' conferences, at schools, in corporate wellness newsletters, and so much more. Thanks to YOU, our members, for making this possible, with your support.

NEW GRAIN KERNEL GRAPHIC AVAILABLE
As of this month, the WGC now has its own lovely grain diagram available for illustrating the three parts of a whole grain. For several years, we've used a diagram created by Bob's Red Mill and generously loaned to the WGC by them. (Thanks so much to the BRM gang!)

Now, artist George Middleton, who also illustrated Oldways' well- known Mediterranean Diet Pyramid, has created the graphic you see here, which is available to members who would like to use it in their marketing or educational materials - and is also available to the media. Email Cynthia Harriman if you'd like a hi-res graphic of our new Whole Grain Graphic.

TWEET! TWEET!
Speaking of Bob's Red Mill, hats off to them for spreading word about our March Grain of the Month, Quinoa, through Twitter and in a recent blog. Amazing how that got retweeted around the web! Make sure your social media manager knows what's going on at the WGC - our programs can provide lots of content for tweets, blogs and other contacts that can give your company and the "whole grains cause" great visibility. Email Molli King if you need to add your social media expert to our mailing list for this newsletter.

Sprouted Grains are coming up next, as April's Grain of the Month. Check our home page on April 1 to learn more about a hot topic that all of us working with grains will want to know about in the coming months and years.

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
WholeGrainsCouncil.org and Oldwayspt.org

February 2010 newsletter (sent to members February 17, 2010)

Dear Whole Grains Council members,

Happy Heart Month to all of you. While this month's Grain of the Month, Barley, offers some special heart benefits, researchers have connected whole grains in general to a wide range of heart benefits and overall health enhancements. Check out our main health studies list, or the special health-study lists we created for oats and barley to find out what's new in whole grains research. We hope you'll find these studies helpful as you market the goodness of your whole grain products.

WHOLE GRAIN STAMP ON TODAY SHOW
Were you watching the Today Show on January 28? Nutrition expert Joy Bauer presented a wonderful segment on whole grain pasta, including a strong endorsement of the Whole Grain Stamp. We were delighted to see a close-up of the Stamp graphic fill the screen in morning prime time, especially since the show's viewership for that week averaged 5.8 million people. 

Meredith Vieira asked, "What do you need to make sure is on the label?" and Joy answered, "The simplest way is to look for this Stamp." WGC member products featured in the segment included DeCecco, Barilla, Ronzoni, and Hodgson Mill, with many of the packages also featuring the Whole Grain Stamp prominently.

Thanks to our friends at Barilla for alerting us to the clip, because we were working at our desks when the show aired. If you missed it too, here's a link. The WGC is involved in about 200 media stories every year, so keep us posted about your new whole grain products, and we'll do what we can to help spread the word.

WGC AT EXPO WEST
While we enjoy working with all our WGC members regularly by phone and email, we really look forward to every opportunity to see you all in person. Natural Products Expo West, taking place in Anaheim, CA on March 11-14, turns out to be a great Gathering of the Clan this year, with about 70 WGC members exhibiting.

WGC Program Manager Kara Berrini will be at the show, catching up with old friends and meeting new WGC contacts. She'll make the rounds of all the booths, but if you'd like to set up a specific appointment to discuss new ways to take advantage of your WGC membership, email Kara now to set up a time.

Interested in "Just Ask for Whole Grains" stickers or buttons for your booth? Check out the choices, then email Molli King today, so we'll have time to ship your materials to you before the show.

20 COUNTRIES AND COUNTING
Our Whole Grain Revolution continues to spread: The Whole Grain Stamp is now in twenty countries. You can see the familiar black-and-gold packaging symbol on products in the United States, Canada, the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Mexico, the Dominican Republic,  Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Brazil, Panama, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Uruguay, Colombia, and Costa Rica.

Are you making full use of the Whole Grain Stamp in all the countries where you do business? If you've found the Stamp useful on your U.S. products, we invite you to explore the possibilities in Canada, Mexico, and overseas. Download a copy of our International Stamp Usage Guide (in English or Spanish) and contact Kara Berrini (617-896-4880 or kberrini@oldwayspt.org) to learn more.

WIC: MASA COUNTS AS WHOLE GRAIN   
 Recently USDA's WIC (Women, Infants and Children) supplemental nutrition program updated its "food package" to include whole grains. We know that many of our U.S. members are now producing products for WIC, and we salute you for making more good whole grains available to at-risk families.

One member asked us earlier this week if masa (nixtamalized corn, prepared traditionally by soaking in limewater) counts as whole grain. After working with this WGC member to research the question, we're happy to report to all of our members that USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) does indeed consider masa to be whole grain. Click here to go to the applicable reference on the USDA WIC website.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR WHOLE GRAIN DONATIONS   
 There's still time for your whole grain donations to be counted in the 2010 Whole Grains Giveaway.  We're encouraging all 250 members of the Whole Grains Council to donate whole grains to the good cause of their choice in the first quarter of 2010.  There's no better way to make sure that everyone, at every income level, has access to whole grains!

Maybe you already donated some of your whole grain products in January to balance your inventory.  Maybe you're "showing a little love" to your local food pantry in honor of Valentine's Day this month.  Or maybe you're planning to provide samples of your best products for a "tasting day" in your local school district to celebrate National Nutrition Month in March.

Here is the information we're collecting:
Name of product(s) you're giving away.
How many pounds total you're donating.  (We keep this number private, but add it to our running total.)
To whom you're donating.

You can plan an extra donation in honor of the Whole Grains Giveaway, or you can simply tell us about your usually scheduled plans.  We're gratified to learn that most of our Members have an ongoing donation program for giving to local and national non-profits, and we're happy to work with all of our Members to include any donations that fall between January 1 and March 31 into our Giveaway total.  We'll be heralding our final tally - and donor list - in the press, so just email Kara with your information to get the publicity that your generosity deserves.

QUINOA, SPROUTED GRAINS, AND AMARANTH
We're now working on the next three "Grain of the Month" features. In March, Quinoa will be top dog, followed by Sprouted Grains in April, and Amaranth in May.

We welcome your contributions of recipes, fun facts, photos, or any other information you might have on these three topics. As you can see by looking at oats and barley, your contributions may offer the opportunity to link back to your website and your products, so let's hear from you. Email Cynthia Harriman with your contributions of photos and facts.

Our Grain of the Month campaign is generating lively interest. Last week a WIC director at a County Extension Office in Pennsylvania asked us to make large graphics for each month, as she's using our materials in her nutrition education program. These graphics are now posted on the WGC website where educators and WGC members alike can download them.

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

January 2010 newsletter (sent to members January 19, 2010)

Dear Whole Grains Council members,

The WGC kicked off 2010 in grand style, when Chef Paul Lynch cooked a week's worth of meals for Cynthia Beaumont, the Grand Prize winner in our recent "I Love My Whole Grains" contest. With me (Cynthia Harriman) serving as sous-chef and dishwasher, Paul cooked four dishes: Chicken all'Arrabbiata with whole grain pasta, Salmon with Asiago Polenta, Beef Barley Soup, and Country Ribs with Spelt Risotto.

We enjoyed cooking for Cynthia and her family (great folks!), and were gratified that Chef Paul's delicious and healthy food made immediate and dramatic improvements in Cynthia's diabetic mother's blood sugar. Thanks again to Chef Paul for contributing his time to the Whole Grains Council. Read all about it on our website. 

GRAIN OF THE MONTH

Our 2010 Grain of the Month program is off to a great start, with Oats in the spotlight for January. Take a look at our website to see how we've presented the oats story, with health studies, fun facts, and recipes, then reflect on the many ways your company can benefit from this ongoing WGC campaign.  You can:

• Feature the Grain of the Month on your own website, with or without our graphic

• Offer discounts featuring the Grain of the Month

• Refer to the Grain of the Month in TV and print ads

• Provide us with information we can include in our web pages for the month.

WGC member Shiloh Farms set a good example for featuring the Grain of the Month, and offering customer discounts. If you'd like us to email you any or all of the month-by-month graphics, or if you want to contribute content that helps paint "your" grain in the best light possible, just email Cynthia Harriman (cynthia@oldwayspt.org). We're working on barley now, but welcome info for any month sooner rather than later.

As detailed in last month's newsletter and on our website, the months are as follows: January - Oats; February - Barley; March - Quinoa; April - Sprouted Grains; May - Amaranth; June - Sorghum; July - Wheat; August - Rye and Triticale; September - Rice and Wild Rice; October - Corn / Popcorn; November - Millet and Teff; and December - Buckwheat.

STAMP IS "MOST IMPORTANT... NUTRITIONAL LABELING"

The January 18th issue of Gourmet Retailer featured a wonderful article about whole grains by James Mellgren.

Here's what he had to say about your Whole Grains Council:

No one has done more to promote the use of whole grains in the American diet than the Whole Grains Council, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group that works with manufacturers, consumers and the media to encourage the use of whole grains and to help people understand them better. Its Whole Grain Stamp is perhaps the most important nutritional guideline to appear on food packages since the advent of nutritional labeling, helping millions of consumers make healthier choices about what they eat from the grocery store and in restaurants.

The article goes on to praise the "brilliant conferences organized by Oldways" and to applaud the WGC for "[bringing] the whole grain debate to national prominence" and "[creating] a fabulous website that speaks to both consumers and press."

When we get accolades like this, we want to share them with you, because these are the accomplishments of all of us working together. E pluribus unum was never so true!  Thanks to all of you for being part of the greater whole that is the WGC.

DEFEND THE INTEGRITY OF THE STAMP

The reputation and success of the Whole Grain Stamp, and the trust consumers place in it, rests on just one thing: careful compliance with the rules of the Stamp program, as outlined in the Stamp Usage Guides. When you joined the WGC, each of you signed a legal agreement stating, among other things, that

1. You will abide by all the rules of the program
2. You will file a Product Registration Form for each product using the Stamp
3. The Stamped product will not appear in public before you're notified of approval
4. You understand your membership can be revoked for violating the Stamp program rules

Most of you have done an excellent job of upholding the integrity of the Whole Grain Stamp program. It's thanks to your care in following the rules that we get praise like that above.

It's inevitable, however, that with more than 3,300 products registered to use the Stamp, a few problems might arise. We do periodic "supermarket sweeps" to check on all Stamped products, and also appreciate reports from our members detailing possible compliance problems. In most cases the problems arise from misunderstandings and personnel changes - but they are problems nonetheless, and need to be swiftly resolved.

Kara and Molli are currently working company by company with our members, to identify and resolve a few problems we have noted in our most recent supermarket sweep such as:

• incorrect gram amounts (package does not match data on file)
• products appearing publicly that are not registered
• old graphics (Good Source and Excellent Source are no longer allowed - since 2006)
• graphic errors (color problems or misprinted images)

You can help, by doing a thorough internal self-audit of all Stamped products now, and correcting any problems before our staff - or your competitors - report them. 

Do we have all of YOUR Stamped products on file?  Are we listing YOUR product information correctly on our Stamped product pages?  Do any of YOUR products still use a Stamp that says "Good Source" or "Excellent Source"?  If you aren't sure which of your Stamped products have been properly registered, if you need to switch out "Good Source" or "Excellent Source" Stamp graphics, or you need to update our records with accurate product information, please contact Kara Berrini (kberrini@oldwayspt.org or 617-896-4880) and she will be happy to help.

SCHOOLS LOOK FOR WHOLE GRAIN STAMP

Are you selling to the schools market? We received an email from a major Illinois school district this month, saying,

..[W]e have found it increasingly difficult to determine if a product is whole grain-rich without your whole grain stamp.  Is there some sort of calculation, or determining factor available on the nutrition label that we can use to determine the grams of whole grain?  We would like to include whole grain-rich foods in our bread, cereal, and grain bid specifications, but would first like to have a clear understanding of what we should be looking for.

As this email reminds us, the Whole Grain Stamp helps your products sell through, to those who are looking for legitimate whole grain products. Are you using the Stamp on every qualifying product? Remember, once you're a member of the WGC there's no additional charge for registering additional products. Let's help those school kids get the whole grains they need.

In closing, we'd like to invite you to look at the new web page we've created in the For Members section of the WGC website, documenting the WGC's accomplishments in 2009. It's fun to look back and see what we've achieved, while also looking forward to even more good programs in 2010.

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