issue 1 2017

ingredients 25
despite the fact that more and
more consumers are aware of the
relationship between dietary fibre
and a positive impact on health.
For instance, according to a report
from the American Society for
Nutrition, 1 90% of US adults and
children fall short of meeting their
daily fibre recommendations. In
Europe, it seems that the situation
is not that much better. Southern
countries such as Italy,
France and Spain are
well known for their
traditional white
bread specialties.
And even though
Germany has a
diverse and
distinctive bread
culture, the share
of whole grain
breads in the
overall market is just
10%.
Scandinavians, on the other
hand, are something of a role
model when it comes to whole
grain consumption. Denmark
especially can be seen as a
benchmark: Thanks to a campaign
driven by the Danish Whole Grain
Partnership between 2009 and
2014, Danes now have an average
intake of 63g of whole grain per
day, with a third achieving the
recommended daily dose of 75g. 2
Both of these figures are far above
the recommended levels in other
countries. For example, the
German Nutrition Society (DGE)
recommends at least 30g per day, 3
while the US Whole Grains
Council advises three servings a
day, which is equivalent to 48g
dietary fibre. 4
The extraordinary results of the
public awareness campaign in
Denmark were made possible
because health organisations and
the Danish Veterinary and Food
Administration worked alongside a
series of food companies to
promote it. Together, they
successfully boosted awareness of
the benefits of whole grain at the
same time as increasing the
availability of whole grain products.
A key tool used in the promotion of
whole grain products was a special
orange logo. 4
Improving visibility
GoodMills Innovation is also keen
to make whole grain
products more visible.
Towards the end of
2016, the
company
launched its
‘Whole Grain
Index’ – a
seal that
describes the
whole grain
content of
baked products at
a glance. The new
seal is convenient for
both industrial and artisan bakeries
to use, and an online calculator is
available on the GoodMills
Innovation website for
manufacturers to work out the
amount of whole grain in a product
based on its recipe. The resulting
seal can then be downloaded as a
graphic file and used on
packaging and
promotional material.
With this solution,
GoodMills
Innovation
intends to make
the market more
transparent and
to simplify
consumer choice
when it comes to
wholesome products. In
particular, the seal will
support the sale of products
that may look like they are not high
in whole grain but which provide
the same nutritional value as
products that have a traditional
whole grain appearance. This may
be the case when using products
such as White Gold® or when
using very fine ground standard
whole grain flours containing no
visible bran particles.
Another important aspect of the
seal is that it offers a way of
highlighting baked goods with a
partial whole grain content – from
15% upwards. “We don’t
necessarily have to convert whole
grain haters to lovers to achieve
recognisable health benefits,” says
Michael Gusko, Managing Director
at GoodMills Innovation. “A study
published in the British Medical
Journal concludes that even small
amounts of whole grain have been
shown to have a positive impact
on human health. So products with
some whole grain content can
make a nutritional difference while
at the same time being appealing
to consumers who don’t usually go
for whole grain products.”
In conclusion, to really bridge the
fibre gap, collaboration between
health authorities, policy makers
and committed food manufacturers
is required. That this can be a
route to success has already been
demonstrated in Denmark.
GoodMills Innovation is taking a
first step towards
increasing whole
grain
consumption
with its
Whole Grain
Index. And
with its
portfolio of
outstanding
whole grain
ingredients,
even 100%
whole grain
products can deliver
100% indulgence that consumers
will really enjoy. n
1 Filling America’s Fiber Intake Gap: Summary of a Roundtable to Probe Realistic Solutions with a Focus on
Grain-Based Foods, published in The Journal of Nutrition in 2012
2 http://www.fuldkorn.dk/media/162235/PRM-Whole-grain-intake-sets-new-record.pdf
3 https://www.dge.de/wissenschaft/referenzwerte/kohlenhydrate-ballaststoffe/
4 http://wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/how-much-enough/what-counts-serving
GoodMills Innovation
www.goodmillsinnovation.com
www.foodmagazine.eu.com issue one | 2017