2008 Whole Grains Challenge

Every year during September – which is Whole Grains Month — the Whole Grains Council runs a special awards program for all dining outlets.

What is the Whole Grains Challenge?

The Whole Grains Challenge rewards restaurants and foodservice establishments for offering at least one healthy and delicious whole grain option on their menus at all times.

Enter the Whole Grains Challenge to:

• Get publicity - Participants in the Challenge will be part of national media coverage. Winners in each of ten categories will be announced to the press, and featured on our website at WholeGrainsCouncil.org.

• Reach customers – Just for entering – whether you win or not — your restaurant will be listed on our Find Restaurants web page. This is an important resource for customers looking for restaurants with healthy options. Special sections for schools and workplace dining halls give recognition to these entrants, too.

• Win a free Whole Grains Council membership – Winners in each category get a lifetime WGC restaurant / foodservice membership – which includes the right to use the WGC Menu Symbol. Runners-up get free restaurant / foodservice membership for a year.

• Respond to consumer demand – Whole grains have been cited as one of the top trends in dining; when a customer asks for brown rice or quinoa or some other whole grain, make sure that you can answer Yes!

When you enter the Whole Grains Challenge, your dining establishment wins and your diners win too – a perfect combination! Whole Grains Month is a great time to test-market whole grains, and to get the word out about your efforts to offer food that's both delicious and healthy. We'll back up your efforts with PR and special promotions all through the month.

What qualifies as a "whole grain option?"

Foods like these count as whole grain options. it's not so hard to offer at least one a day!

• A side dish made with any whole grain, such as brown rice, exotic colored rices, wild rice, quinoa, or barley

• Whole grain pasta

• Oatmeal, Cheerios® or other whole grain breakfast cereals

• Whole grain breads, crackers, and flatbreads in the breadbasket

• Whole grain cakes, cookies, brownies for dessert

• Ethnic dishes like whole corn tortillas, buckwheat soba noodles, or kasha

To qualify, a food must contain at least 8 grams of whole grain ingredients per serving. How much is 8g? Any of these amounts will ensure that you've met the requirements.

• Whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, bulgur, etc.): 1/4 cup cooked or 1/2 oz dry

• Hot cereal (oatmeal, etc.): 1/4 cup cooked or 1/2 oz dry

• Whole grain pasta: 1/4 cup cooked or 1/2 oz dry

• Bread: 1 small slice 100% whole grain bread; 1 large slice “half and half” bread

Just 2 TBS whole grain flour per serving counts… But more is always better!

How to enter the 2008 Whole Grains Challenge

What do you have to do? Offer at least one whole grain option every day for the entire month of September 2008. Entering the contest is simple – just fill out the online form we’ll be posting here in August and send us a copy of your menu. Winners will be announced November 1, 2008, after we review all entries.

We'll be picking a winner in each of these ten categories:

The Grand Winner overall in 2007 was Virginia Tech, our College / University category winner. Want to see why we were so impressed?  You can download their winning entry here (1.5M PDF)

Click here for information on our 2007 contest and all our category winners.

For more information, contact Cynthia Harriman at 617-896-4820 (cynthia@oldwayspt.org).