A Year in the Life of the WGC

What does the WGC accomplish in a typical year? This summary of a year's activities was presented to members in May 2007. Although space doesn't allow us to include everything, this list is a good indication of the way members' annual dues are used, year in and year out, to promote whole grains.

1. 59 new members joined the WGC

In the year from May 2006 to May 2007, 59 new members joined the WGC – up from 49 new members in the previous year. These include new companies as diverse as an Italian pasta maker (Tamma), a grain-mill manufacturer (Kitchen Resource) and a natural-foods supermarket (Whole Foods). A full list is on our website.

2. Whole Grains – always in the minds of the media!

In 2006, the Whole Grains Council and/or the Stamp was mentioned in more than 200 media articles: from the New York Times to the Berkeley Wellness Letter, and from USA Weekend to Cooking Light magazine. In the first four months of 2007, we had close to another 60 media placements touching millions across the nation, in both consumer and trade publications.

Our media outreach campaign reached millions of Americans in the past year, giving our cause and our members incredible visibility – all for the cost of a WGC membership, rather than the tens of thousands of dollars large publications charge for ads. Here are just a few examples of the major coverage we accomplished:

We talked with major media outlets daily, and reached out with press releases like these:

June 2006 ... Stamp updated to respond to consumer needs & government regulations.
July 2006 ... Healthy Whole Grain Vending options
Aug. 2006 ... WGC steps up to help schools implement new wellness policies.
Oct. 2006 ... WG Stamp Awarded “Packaging Innovation of the Year.”
Jan. 2007 ... Whole Grain Stamp Milestone! More than 1000 products bear stamp.
Mar. 2007 ... Launch of “Just Ask for Whole Grains” grassroots campaign
Apr. 2007 ... Calendar alert to national media: September is Whole Grains Month.
May 2007 ... Launch of Whole Grains Challenge
May 2007 ... First promotion of the “Just Ask for Whole Grains” Conference

3. "Just Ask for Whole Grains” campaign catches fire

Consumers spend half their food dollars on meals away from home. The WGC wants to make sure they have at least one whole grain option everywhere they eat. Our “Just Ask for Whole Grains” campaign has people all over the country acting as a “gentle thorn in restaurants’ sides” as a recent newspaper article described our work. Each month, a winner is chosen from consumers across the nation who are reporting, through our website, on their whole grain experiences at restaurants and cafeterias.

4. WGC participated in consumer health activities

• Helped prepare a resource Fact Sheet on Whole Grains in partnership with the Wheat Foods Council and the American Dietetic Association. This piece was distributed to all ADA members as a reference for RDs to share with clients across the nation, and is also being reprinted for dietitians in the UK.

• Donated “Just Ask for Whole Grains” buttons and educational materials to health fairs, schools, cafeterias, and hospitals across the nation, from a naval base in Sicily, to universities in California, Massachusetts and South Carolina, and an oil camp in Alaska.

5. WGC contributed to industry programs promoting whole grains

• Key speaker on “Trends in Whole Grain Baking” at the Healthy Baking Seminar in Anaheim. Close to 200 industry professionals attended the Seminar, which touched on issues associated with formulating and marketing healthful baked products.

• Produced a webinar on “Whole Grain Benefits” in partnership with Food Product Design magazine, for an audience of over 300 industry professionals.

• Spread the word about whole grains and the WGC at major trade shows including FMI / All Things Organic (May 06), IDDBA (June 06), Fancy Food (May and July 06), Natural Products Expo East (Oct. 06) and Natural Products Expo West (Mar. 07).

6. WGC helped its members with special projects

• Offered a free marketing opportunity in partnership with Del Monte and Starkist.

• Created a contact list for members interested in providing promotional samples. The WGC connects members with opportunities to reach customers at health/educational fairs and promotions across the country.

• Arranged special access and discounts for members to a powerful resource that markets to restaurants and foodservice. Partnership is with the Foodservice Research Institute, creators of MenuMine, a database that tracks foods on menus across the country. Available information includes menu data from 600 chains, 300 independents, and a cross section of hospitals, nursing homes, colleges/universities, schools, and workplace cafeterias in over 50 metro areas of the U.S.

7. WGC website served as main hub for whole grain interest

The WGC website at www.wholegrainscouncil.org now offers even more available information, which has contributed to its consistent ranking as one of the top 2 or 3 results for anyone searching for “whole grains.”

Two of our favorite additions to the WGC website in the past year are:

• A “Whole Grain Product Finder” that quickly links both consumers and business customers to your products.

• New interactive pages, like those for the Just Ask campaign and the Whole Grains Challenge, where consumers and restaurants can report whole grain successes.

In the coming months, look for even more improvements in our website, as the WGC makes it even easier for consumers to find our member companies and their delicious whole grain products.

As always, the website offers many ways for members to connect with consumers and the media, such as:

• New Product Announcements

• Whole grain statistics on sales and consumption

• Educational materials

8. Whole Grain Stamp program continued to grow, received awards

• In January 2007, the number of products using the Whole Grain Stamp passed the 1000 milestone.

• In October 2006, the Whole Grain Stamp was chosen as "Packaging Innovation of the Year" by Baking Management magazine. "The Whole Grain Stamp eliminates confusion over whole grain content," said editors of the magazine, in announcing the award.

• In May 2007, Metropolitan Home magazine cited the Stamp in its annual Design 100 issue as an outstanding example of useful and effective design, saying "this label makes smart selections easier."