ABSTRACT
Go Grains Health & Nutrition encourages consumption of grain-based foods in Australia through activities that promote awareness and understanding of the role of grain foods in a healthy diet. Strategies drive the message of the Australian dietary guidelines that a healthy diet should include at least four servings of grain-based foods every day (1 serving is equal to two slices of bread). The “Go Grains 4+ Serves a Day” program promotes grain-based foods (refined and whole grain) through the media, website information, resource development, school education, and food industry involvement. Interest in whole grains is growing, reflected in a shift in bread sales over recent years from white to whole grain. Manufacturers are responding with new and reformulated whole grain product launches and an increasing number of products carry packaging statements about whole grain content. Australian food regulations do not permit health claims in packaging or in advertising. In the absence of official guidelines, Go Grains has developed a whole grain daily target intake for use by food manufacturers in packaging. There are limited data publicly available to describe consumption of grain-based foods in Australia. The findings of a 2009 survey commissioned by Go Grains help provide insight into consumption trends.
