Crunching numbers might not be as enjoyable as crunching popcorn, but being able to watch and track the success of our Whole Grain Stamp Program is, in fact, pretty cool. (And, we have to admit, more fun than crunching numbers for our taxes this week!) Our conclusion after poring through the data? We’re helping millions of consumers find whole grain products, and spurring manufacurers to create more and better products.


The key to gauging our accomplishments is the ability to look back and see how we got here and where we are headed.  A handful of courageous WGC members submitted their first products in early 2005 for approval to use the Stamp.  Three years after launch, we boasted of our excitement in having more than 2,000 products proudly wearing the Stamp.  Fast-forward to today and you’ll see that our product list is just about to hit the 7,000 mark and continues to climb every day.  
 

Not only can we look at our personal history, but we can also tap into the resources made available from other reporting agencies, like SPINS and Mintel.  Mintel’s Global New Products Database showed that, once again, whole grain new product introductions were up in 2011.

SPINS, a reporting agency for natural and specialty products, provides us quarterly and annual reports reflecting percentages of growth and sales volume for products using the Whole Grain Stamp. This information offers a slightly different perspective by showing us what’s happening in the grocery store aisles.  It’s all well and good to introduce new products, but are they selling through? A resounding YES!

The chart above is taken from SPINS’ 2011 year-end report and shows the growth of various food categories using the Whole Grain Stamp.  Frozen breakfast foods, like waffles and breakfast sandwiches, realized the largest boost in sales volume last year, with pastas and frozen kids’ meals and baby foods close behind.  These are the categories where Whole Grains Council member companies saw an opportunity and got to work on creating new whole grain products.  

If you make it, they will come. The charts, graphs, and hard data make one thing absolutely clear: the work of the Whole Grains Council encourages consumers to switch to whole grain foods, and this increased consumer interest encourages manufacturers to develop new whole grain products. (Karen)