The Make (at least!) Half Your Grains Whole Conference offered an agenda packed with the latest information on whole grains.

For many of the sessions listed below, copies of speakers’ presentations are available. (Some panels were discussion only, without presentations.) Click on the links to download each presentation. Remember, however, that speakers normally add considerable information orally that is not available in the PDFs; not all presentations will be completely comprehensible without this additional oral detail.

While we offer these presentations for their educational value, we remind you that these works are copyrighted by each speaker and may not be reproduced without the speaker’s written permission.


MONDAY APRIL 20, 2009

Optional Gristmill Field Trip
A visit to Washington DC’s original whole grains producer!  Peirce Mill, the last standing 19th century gristmill in the District of Columbia, is nearing completion of a 10-year restoration that will make it one of the capital’s most authentic early industrial sites. The three-story stone mill remains the principal relic of the 1000-acre Peirce Plantation and a symbol of the milling business that once flourished along Rock Creek – which powered the wooden gears and massive millstones to grind wheat and rye flour, and corn meal.
I. Keynote Session

Welcome and Opening Remarks, K. Dun Gifford, JD, Oldways / Whole Grains Council and Cynthia Harriman, Dir. of Food & Nutrition Strategies, Oldways / Whole Grains Council
Whole Grain Consumption: Are We Making a Dent?, Joseph Derochowski, Executive Director, The NPD Group  (download 696K PDF)
Why Whole Grains and Health: the Latest Research, Julie Miller Jones, PhD, CNS, LN, Distinguished Scholar and Professor Emeritus, College of St. Catherines; WGC Scientific Advisory Committee (download 1.1M PDF)
Hot Topics in Whole Grains
• School Foods – Becky Domokos-Bays, PhD, Dir. of Food & Nutrition Services, Alexandria (VA) Public Schools
• On the Menu – Paul Lynch, Executive Chef, FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar (download 828K PDF)
• What’s Inside – Lorna Sass, PhD, author Whole Grains for Busy People
• Gluten Free – Joel Schaefer, CCC, CHT, Culinary Nutrition Instructor
• Comfort Food – Rosie Schwartz, RD, author The Enlightened Eater’s Whole Foods Guide

Hot Topics InfoReception, followed by Whole Grains Dine Around in area restaurants


TUESDAY APRIL 21, 2009
II. Are Half Our Grains Whole? A Status Report

Supermarkets Panel
• Sara Baer-Sinnott (moderator), Executive Vice President, Oldways (download 384K PDF)
• Paulette Thompson, MS, RD, LN, Mgr Health & Wellness, Stop & Shop / Giant Food (download 452K PDF)
• Connie Clifford, MA, Mgr Healthy Living Consumer Education, Hannaford  (download 212K PDF)

Media Panel
• Kyle Potvin (moderator), Principal, Splash Communications LLC (download 192K PDF)
• Karen Cicero, Food and Nutrition Editor, Parents magazine
• Rosie Schwartz, RD, columnist, Homemaker magazine
Restaurant Panel
• Cynthia Harriman (moderator), Dir. of Food & Nutrition Strategies, WGC (Download 160K PDF)
• Daniel Giusti, Executive Chef, 1789 Restaurant / Clyde’s Restaurant Group
• Mark Furstenberg, Baking Consultant, Remarkable Breads 
III. If It Were Easy, Everyone Would Do It

Challenges and Opportunities with Whole Grain Ingredients, Jon Faubion, PhD, Singleton Professor of Cereal and Baking Science, Kansas State University  (download 76K PDF)
Getting Consumers to Eat More Whole Grains: The Role of Price, Policy, and Product Availability, Lisa Mancino, PhD, Economist, USDA Economic Research Service (download 616K PDF)

Whole Grains Dinner Party Cooking Demo
• Nadine Thomas, Executive Chef, Westin Alexandria (Seafood Paella with Kamut buglur)
• Lorna Sass, PhD, author Whole Grains for Busy People (Farro Soup with Kale & Cannelini)
• Paul Lynch, Executive Chef, FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar (Black Pearl Medley Risotto)
• Joel Schaefer, CCC, CHT, Culinary Nutrition Instructor (Celebration Cupcakes with Ultragrain)
Four leading chefs create special whole grain dishes that conference participants will enjoy at lunch and dinner
Festive Whole Grains Lunch Buffet

What Consumers Still Don’t Know About Whole Grains, Kara Berrini, Program Manager, Whole Grains Council   (download 2.7M PDF)
Consumer Behavior: What Affects Our Food Choices, Cary Silvers, Director of Consumer Insights, Rodale  (download 2.2M PDF)

Social Media: New Ways to Reach Consumers, Rob Birgfeld, Director of Audience Development, SmartBrief (download 396K PDF)
IV. Whole Grain Momentum 

Firing the WG Weapon into Military Homes for Better Health, Lori Tubbs, MS RD, CSSD, Nutrition Program Manager and Human Performance Program, Naval Special Warfare (download 476K PDF)
LifeSkills Baking Program, Tom Payne, Director of Marketing, the King Arthur Flour Company  (download 2.2M PDF)
Whole Grains go Worldwide: the Danish Campaign, Morten Meyer, Cand.Brom., Project Manager, Danish Cancer Society; Vice Chair, Danish Whole Grains Campaign  (download 2.2M PDF)

WGC Member Meeting

Whole Grain Awards Dinner
• 2008 Whole Grains Challenge Winners
• 2009 Whole Grain Yardstick Media Winners


WEDNESDAY APRIL 22, 2009
V. Health and the Government’s Role

The Role of Government in Promoting Health and Whole Grains, Robert C. Post, PhD, MEd, MSc, Acting Executive Director / Deputy Director, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, USDA  (download 2.3M PDF)
Why Whole Grains Matter to Kids: the HOPS Program, Danielle Hollar, PhD, MS, MHA, Research Advisor, Institute for Obesity Research and Evaluation, AgriLIFE Research, Texas A&M University System details a revolutionary school program that is swiftly spreading nationwide  (download 6.7M PDF)
VI. Kids, Schools, and Whole Grains
Limited Resources, Limited Choices: How Can Schools Squeeze in Whole Grains? Cathy Schuchart, Senior VP, Child Nutrition and Policy Center, School Nutrition Association  (download 392K PDF)
What Schools Want Manufacturers to Know (Panel)
• Cynthia Harriman (moderator), Dir. of Food & Nutrition Strategies, WGC (download 400K PDF)
• Serena Suthers, MS, SFS, RD, Director, School Food & Nutrition Services, Prince William County (VA) Schools
• Jill Patterson, RD, Resident Dietitian, Chartwells School Dining Services K-12, Newtown (CT) Schools  (download 2.2M PDF)
Serving Whole Grains Kids Will Enjoy, Margie Saidel, MPH, RD, LDN, National Director of Nutrition, Chartwells School Dining Service (download 1.9M PDF)

Lunch: School Lunch with Whole Grains
Creative whole grain dishes from actual school menus

VII. Workshop on Harmonizing Standards and Definitions
This optional session provided attendees with an opportunity to examine the many different government definitions of “a whole grain food,” and brainstorm with others about the characteristics of a fair standard.  At the end, participants filed a consensus ballot, expressing their views on a fair standard definition for a whole grain food.
Click here to register your own opinion, in our online version of the consensus ballot.