First companies sign voluntary whole grain content claims code

Three major Australian food manufacturers have signed a voluntary industry code of practice relating to whole grain ingredient content.

Goodman Fielder, Sanitarium and Bakers Delight have become the first registered users of the Code of Practice for Whole Grain Ingredient Content Claims.

Develop by the Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council (GLNC), the code seeks to give consumers greater clarity about the content of foods labelled as whole grain, which can vary widely in terms of actual whole grain content.

Content claim levels for the code are based on a contribution to a daily target intake (DTI) of 48 g of whole grains per day. This figure fits in with current Australian Dietary Guidelines.

All three manufacturers have chosen to use the DTI statement.

Goodman Fielder and Bakers Delight will use both the DTI statement and content claims. Goodman Fielder will use the claims on pack, initially on Helga’s bread products, and Bakers Delight will use it on the product pages of their website to provide customers additional information about their whole grain bread. Sanitarium will use the DTI statement across its Weet-Bix range from 2014.

“GLNC congratulates Goodman Fielder, Sanitarium and Bakers Delight on their adoption of industry best practice by becoming the first three core grain food registered users of the code. Wide adoption of the code is essential to helping Australians compare products and choose foods that will help them meet the whole grain DTI,” said GLNC Managing Director Georgie Aley.

“For consumers, they will begin to see consistent messages for the whole grain ingredient content of foods on food packaging and advertising. This will bring greater understanding about the value of enjoying grain foods three to four times a day, and legumes two to three times a week.

“As one of Australia’s biggest manufacturers of grain foods, including Helga’s grain bread, Goodman Fielder’s registration to use the code on pack will pave the way for other major manufacturers to follow their lead.”