From MedPage Today: The FDA has proposed an official working definition of the term “whole grain,” intended to help separate the wheat from the chaff for health-conscious consumers at the grocery store.
The draft guidance for industry on the definition of whole grain for food labeling was published today in the Federal Register for a 60-day comment period. The draft guidance, said the FDA, is intended to clear up confusion about which food products actually contain whole grains and which do not -- but make that claim.
To qualify as “whole grain” under the proposed definition, the food product would need to contain the three principal parts of the fruit of the grain -- the starchy inner endosperm, the germ at the heart of the kernel, and the fiber-filled outer bran shell -- in the same relative proportions as they exist naturally, the FDA said.
Grains that have been ground, cracked, or flaked could be considered whole grain so long as the end product still contains all three components. However, many food products are made with refined grain from which the bran and germ have been removed, resulting in a loss of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, the agency noted.
Whole grains would include barley, buckwheat, corn (including popcorn), millet, rice, oats, and wheat. Flour or meal derived from these grains can be called whole grain if it contains natural amounts of the bran, germ, and endosperm.
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