New, Improved Whole Grain Stamp

The Whole Grains Council, a nonprofit educational organization, has redesigned its Whole Grain Stamp design to more closely follow the FDA Draft Guidance on Whole Grain Label Statements issued in Feb. 2006. The new design retains the same black-and-gold graphics as the original stamp, but contains new wording.

Instead of saying "Good Source" and "Excellent Source" of whole grains, "each stamp now declares the whole-grain content of the food inside the package, such as '27 g or more per serving'," explains Jeff Dahlberg, chairman of the Whole Grains Council. To remind consumers how this amount contributes to their daily needs for whole grain, text directly below the stamp says, "Eat 48 g or More of Whole Grains Daily."

In its Draft Guidance, the FDA did not endorse the use of terms such as "good" or "excellent source," so the new symbol reflects the current thinking. Currently FDA allows the following:

"Manufacturers can make factual statements about whole grains on the label of their products, such as '10 grams of whole grains,' '_ ounce of whole grains,' (Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, section 101.13(i)(3)) and '100% whole grain oatmeal' (as percentage labeling under 21 CFR 102.5(b)), provided that the statements are not false or misleading under section 403(a) of the Act and do not imply a particular level of the ingredient, i.e., 'high' or 'excellent source.'

"In addition, labels may bear a health claim based on an authoritative statement of a scientific body relating whole grains with a reduced risk of heart disease and certain cancers if the food meets the qualifications of one of the notifications submitted under section 403(r)(3)(C) of the Act (see http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/labfdama.html)."

Standards for qualifying products remain the same as before. The graphic is available to Whole Grains Council members. The products must contain at least 8 grams whole grain per serving, and those with at least 16 grams can also add "100%" if all the grain used is whole grain.

More information about the stamp program can be found at: http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org/WholeGrainStamp.html.