A new definition for wholegrain food
August 2005
Why do we need a new definition?
For health reasons we are all being encouraged to choose unrefined grain flours and cereals rather than refined products such as white bread. Clearer labelling may assist people to identify and choose more of the wholegrain foods rather than the same foods made from refined grains and white flour.
Previously, under the Food Standards Code, the term wholegrain could only be used to refer to intact grains. When the whole grains are milled into finer particles, they are defined as wholemeal. This may have lead people to think that wholemeal products are more refined and, therefore, not the same as wholegrain nutritionally.
What is the new definition?
The food industry applied to FSANZ to broaden the present definition of the term wholegrain, The new definition allows any product which uses every part of the grain including the outer layers, bran and germ to be called wholegrain even if these parts are separated during processing and regardless of whether the grain is in one piece or milled into smaller pieces.
The term wholegrain now applies to:
- Whole and intact grains as found in some bread and crisp breads;
- Puffed or flaked grains in some breakfast cereals;
- Coarsely milled or kibbled wheat found in breads such as pumpernickel; or
- Ground grains such whole wheat flour used to make wholemeal bread.
Would all wholemeal products then be called wholegrain?
Although the new definition of wholegrain includes ingredients which were formerly referred to as wholemeal, the separate definition of wholemeal has been retained. This gives manufacturers the option of using either the term wholegrain or wholemeal to avoid misleading the customer. We expect that manufacturers will continue to refer to products as ‘with wholemeal’ where some of the wholemeal does not meet the requirement of using all parts of the grain.
Manufacturers also need to be aware that to promote a product as exclusively wholegrain when it contains ingredients which do not use the whole of the grain, could potentially breach the naming requirements of the Code and fair trading law in relation to misleading and deceptive conduct.
There is more information about wholegrains in the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating at http://www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/publishing.nsf/Content/health-pubhlth-strateg-food-guide-materials.htm and the New Zealand Ministry of Health Food and Nutrition Guidelines at New Zealand Ministry of Health Food and Nutrition Guidelines http://www.healthed.govt.nz/
The definition of wholegrain and wholemeal can be found in Standard 2.1.1 of the Food Standards Code at http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/_srcfiles/Standard_2_1_1_Cereals_v95.doc