Australian baker Goodman Fielder and breakfast cereals group Sanitarium have signed an industry pledge that aims to make it easier for consumers to judge the level of whole grain in foods.
The two companies, plus bakery chain Bakers Delight, have joined a “code of practice” for “whole grain ingredient content claims”.
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The scheme was devised earlier this year by the Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council (GLNC) to set up industry standards on claims on labels and in advertising in Australia and New Zealand. At present, there are no regulations on whole grain content claims in either market. The GLNC says the amount of whole grain contained in foods marketing the inclusion of the ingredient can vary “considerably”.
The code, which is based on a daily target of 48 grams, was established in 2006 and “well adopted across the food industry”, the Council said.
Under the code, a product containing less than eight grams of whole grain cannot make a claim on pack or in advertising. From eight to 15 grams, a manufacturer can use the claim “contains whole grain”. From 16 to 23, a claim of “high in whole grain” can be applied. From 24 grams and above, a product can be marketed as “very high in whole grain”.
Kinda Grange, marketing director for baking at Goodman Fielder, said the company would look to use the claims on its Helga’s Continental Bakehouse range.
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By GlobalData“The code will help consumers to become more discerning and supports a greater propensity among main grocery buyers to actively seek out whole grain products,” she said.
Georgie Aley, MD of the GLNC, said securing the backing of the three companies were “a big win for public health, for brands and for consumers”.
She added: “Wide adoption of the code is essential to helping Australians compare products and choose foods that will help them meet the whole grain daily target intake. For consumers, they will begin to see consistent messages for the whole grain ingredient content of foods on food packaging and advertising.”
