If you’re reading this blog, you already know we launched a complete makeover of the Oldways Whole Grains Council website last night. What you may not know are the many ways that this website improves on our old one, which dated back to 2007 (medieval times, in website terms). Here are just a few of the ways we’ve made our site better for you:

1. Responsive Design
   Our old site looked okay on a desktop computer, but on a smart phone it was tiny tiny – you needed a magnifying glass to read anything. The new site was programmed in Responsive Design, so it knows whether you’re viewing it on a phone, a tablet, or a desktop, and adjusts itself accordingly for optimal viewing.
2. Key Topics on the Home Page
   All of our most popular topics – our gluten free page, our health studies, information about the Whole Grain Stamp, and more – are all clearly available through features on our home page.
3. Easier Search for Whole Grain Stamp Products
   You asked, we listened. We know you want to see if your favorite products have been approved to use the Whole Grain Stamp. Now you can enter keywords like “Triscuit” or “Kashi” on our Stamped Products page, to save wading through pages and pages of crackers or cereals. Plus, you can sort on all the results.
4. New “50%+” Checkmark for Products made Mostly with Whole Grain
   More and more, we hear that you want to know which products are made primarily with whole grain. On our Stamped Products search page, we’ve added a new checkmark next to products with more whole grain than refined grain. (FYI, we’re still updating data for the checkmark, so some products that qualify may not yet show the “50%+” checkmark.)
5. More of our Practical Resources, all in One Place
   Our handouts, lesson plans and other educational resources used to be scattered all over our old site. Now we’ve put them all in one searchable resource “pot,” where you can quickly find just what you need.
6. Decadently Delicious Recipes
   We’ve rewritten our recipes, with better photos, prep time, and an easy search engine, so you can explore the world of whole grain cooking so much more easily.

I’m stopping here, so you can get started poking around all the nooks and crannies of the new Whole Grains Council website. Tell us what you think, in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you. (Cynthia)