BOSTON — The Whole Grains Council here has launched its first National Whole Grain Sampling Day, and retailers are planning to participate on Wednesday, April 4. The list of supermarkets that will be participating is growing, Cynthia Harriman, director of food and nutrition strategies for the non-profit Whole Grains Council and Oldways, told SN last week.
“Supermarkets are coming to us, asking for more information, and many have confirmed they’ll be doing sampling in-store on April 4.”
Among those that have confirmed they’ll participate are two A&P units in New Jersey and several Hy-Vee stores in the Midwest. McDonald’s and Arby’s are among restaurant chains that will be participating with sampling and other events that day.
While The Council has been celebrating September as Whole Grains Month for the last few years, Council officials decided that in addition to Whole Grain Month that a day dedicated to sampling whole grain products would bring even more attention to them.
“Targeting a day, we think, drives attention like a beam of light,” Harriman said. “Research shows that taste is growing as the reason people choose whole grains, and whole grain consumption is on the rise, due in large part to increased availability of a wide range of delicious and healthy grains for every palate,” Harriman said in a statement earlier this year.
According to SPINS, a market research and consulting firm, she pointed out, sales of natural foods and beverages bearing the Whole Grain Stamp increased 9.9% over the last year. More information is available at the Council’s website www.wholegrainscouncil.org or by calling Rachel Greenstein at the Council at 617.896.4888.
