Every big bash needs a stellar closing act, and National Nutrition Month (celebrated each March) is no exception. To wrap up the food-themed festivities, we hosted the Fifth Annual Whole Grain Sampling Day on Wednesday, March 30, 2016, to get people everywhere excited to try more whole grains. 

At over 70 grocery stores across the US and Canada, supermarket dietitians joined forces and tantalized shoppers with tasty whole grain samples, encouraging their customers to branch out from the basics and try new whole grain products. Nearly a dozen leading whole grain manufacturers, (including Bob’s Red Mill, Hodgson Mills, and Lundberg Farms) also amped up the excitement, by offering generous product giveaways on social media. Similarly, national restaurant chains, like Maggiano’s, Corner Bakery Café, and California Pizza Kitchen, took to Twitter to nudge customers towards their whole grain offerings. In fact, thanks to all of the media buzz during our Twitter Party, the #SampleWholeGrains hashtag reached over 2 million accounts at its height.

On our home turf, here in Boston, there was an especially impressive surge of whole grain celebrations. Locals got a sneak peek of the festivities during our @OnlyInBos Snapchat takeover (check it out here). Au Bon Pain delighted us with samples of their new multigrain baguette (top photo), while popular farm to table restaurant Mei Mei offered up special whole grain menu items at their Fort Point and Audubon Circle locations.

At Harvard University, Dr. Frank Hu (a member of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee) gave a special lecture on whole grains and health, accompanied by whole grain samples from Harvard’s dining halls. Other universities and schools across the country celebrated with special whole grain menu items and events, including Boston University, Eastern Washington University, and the University of Pittsburgh. 

No matter where you live, Whole Grain Sampling Day is the perfect day to jumpstart your journey to health, and try a tantalizing new whole grain option. That said, there’s no need to take this delicious food group for granted the other 364 days a year. We hope that this celebration proved to be an inspiration to sample new whole grains all year long! (Kelly) 

Photos, top to bottom:
Au Bon Pain, ShopRite, Boston University, Eastern Washington University