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School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children (2010)

Chapter: Appendix N: Evidence Considered Related to the Definition for Whole Grain-Rich Foods

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix N: Evidence Considered Related to the Definition for Whole Grain-Rich Foods." Institute of Medicine. 2010. School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12751.
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Appendix N
Evidence Considered Related to the Definition for Whole Grain-Rich Foods

WHOLE GRAINS

Whole grains are grains that consist of the entire grain seed, which is made up of three components: the germ, the bran, and the endosperm. Grains are often cracked, crushed, ground, flaked, or processed in some other manner to prepare them for use in food products. A grain remains a whole grain so long as all three components (germ, bran, and endosperm) are retained in approximately the same proportion as the unprocessed grain.

Whole Grains in Foods

Grain products may contain a combination of whole and refined grains, and food manufacturers are not required to disclose the amount of each grain ingredient. Thus, it can be difficult to determine the whole grain content of a food. Below are brief descriptions related to the whole grain content of foods as established by various organizations in recent years.

2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (HHS/USDA, 2005, p. 25), label reading should be used to identify whole grains. (“Whole grains cannot be identified by color of the food; label-reading skills are needed.” “The whole grain should be the first ingredient listed.”)

Suggested Citation:"Appendix N: Evidence Considered Related to the Definition for Whole Grain-Rich Foods." Institute of Medicine. 2010. School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12751.
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U.S. Department of Agriculture

In creating the MyPyramid Equivalents database to analyze food intake data, the USDA Food Survey Research Group set 16 g of grain as an amount to apply loosely in determining 1 ounce-equivalent serving sizes for various types of breads and grains (USDA, 2008), whether whole grain or refined. One-ounce equivalents include ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta and one slice of bread (USDA/ARS, 2006). Notably, 16 g is approximately the weight of flour in 1 ounce of bread, but it is considerably less than the weight of dry rice (about 28 g) in ½ cup of cooked rice.

Food and Drug Administration

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires foods that bear the whole grain health claim to contain 51 percent or more whole grain ingredients by weight per reference amount (FDA, 1999). In addition, food products must meet criteria for fat and cholesterol to bear this health claim. The FDA allows manufacturers to make factual statements about whole grains on food packaging such as listing the grams of whole grains per serving.

Whole Grains Council

The Whole Grains Council has established two whole grain stamps for foods that contain specified amounts of whole grains. Products eligible for their “100% Whole Grain” stamp must contain ≥ 16 g of whole grains per serving. To be eligible for their “Whole Grain” stamp a product must contain ≥ 8 g of whole grains per serving. The Whole Grains Council’s stamp program is a voluntary labeling initiative. To take part in the initiative, manufacturers must join and pay annual dues to the Whole Grains Council (Whole Grains Council, 2007).

USDA HealthierUS School Challenge

The USDA HealthierUS School Challenge (USDA/FNS, 2009b) includes the following criteria for determining whether a food item qualifies as a whole grain:

  1. The food must be at least the portion size of one grains/breads serving as defined in the USDA Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (USDA/FNS, 2009c); and

Suggested Citation:"Appendix N: Evidence Considered Related to the Definition for Whole Grain-Rich Foods." Institute of Medicine. 2010. School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12751.
×
  1. The food must fit into one of the following two groups:

    1. Whole grain(s) must be the primary ingredient by weight; or

    2. Whole grain(s) must be the primary grain ingredient by weight.

To be eligible for a Gold or Bronze/Silver Award, a minimum number of whole grain foods must be served each week with a minimum specified number fitting into Group A.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix N: Evidence Considered Related to the Definition for Whole Grain-Rich Foods." Institute of Medicine. 2010. School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12751.
×

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix N: Evidence Considered Related to the Definition for Whole Grain-Rich Foods." Institute of Medicine. 2010. School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12751.
×
Page 363
Suggested Citation:"Appendix N: Evidence Considered Related to the Definition for Whole Grain-Rich Foods." Institute of Medicine. 2010. School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12751.
×
Page 364
Suggested Citation:"Appendix N: Evidence Considered Related to the Definition for Whole Grain-Rich Foods." Institute of Medicine. 2010. School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12751.
×
Page 365
Suggested Citation:"Appendix N: Evidence Considered Related to the Definition for Whole Grain-Rich Foods." Institute of Medicine. 2010. School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12751.
×
Page 366
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Ensuring that the food provided to children in schools is consistent with current dietary recommendations is an important national focus. Various laws and regulations govern the operation of school meal programs. In 1995, Nutrition Standards and Meal Requirements were put in place to ensure that all meals offered would be high in nutritional quality.

School Meals reviews and provides recommendations to update the nutrition standard and the meal requirements for the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs. The recommendations reflect new developments in nutrition science, increase the availability of key food groups in the school meal programs, and allow these programs to better meet the nutritional needs of children, foster healthy eating habits, and safeguard children's health.

School Meals sets standards for menu planning that focus on food groups, calories, saturated fat, and sodium and that incorporate Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Dietary Reference Intakes. This book will be used as a guide for school food authorities, food producers, policy leaders, state/local governments, and parents.

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