A global study of over 16,000 people revealed that consumers are confused about the amount of whole grains they should consume daily and which foods contain whole grains. Of those surveyed, 83% did not know how many grams they should eat daily and less than half (47%) think that they eat enough whole grains. In addition, over one-third (38%) of the participants said that they do not know what foods contain whole grains; one in 10 said it is found in bananas and 18% said white bread contains whole grains. The study—which was released on November 13, 2017—was conducted by Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), a joint venture between Nestle and General Mills.

The Whole Grains Council defines whole grains as: “Whole grains or foods made from them contain all the essential parts and naturally-occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed in their original proportions. If the grain has been processed (e.g., cracked, crushed, rolled, extruded, and/or cooked), the food product should deliver the same rich balance of nutrients that are found in the original grain seed.”

The United States is one of only three countries to have a quantitative recommendation for whole grains (The Netherlands and Denmark are the other two). The U.S. recommendation is at least 48 grams per day. CPW would like to see global guidelines established for recommended daily whole grain intake. CPW President and CEO David Homer stated, “We see an opportunity for governments, academics and industry to back a global commitment to help inform people about whole grain and to increase the availability of whole grain foods. The first step on this journey is to agree to a set of global guidelines for recommended daily whole grain intake.”