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Join the WGCAnyone seeking to use the Whole Grain Stamp on a product must first a) be a member of the Whole Grains Council and b) fill out our online Product Registration Form (PRF). WGC staff will then review your product. Although we provide Stamp Usage Guides to outline how this process works, we’ve found some members still have questions. This page aims to answer those questions.
What Counts As a Whole Grain? as total grains?
On the PRF, you’ll be asked to tell us how many grams of whole grain are in a serving of your product, and how many grams of total grain [Total Grains = Whole Grains + Refined Grains]. So you will…
1. Calculate the gram amount of whole grain ingredients. (See Whole Grain list below). Put this in the Whole Grains field.
2. Calculate the gram amount of all other grain ingredients. (See Refined Grains list below).
3. Add the whole grains amount from Step 1 + the other grains amount from Step 2 to get the Total Grains amount. Put this in the Total Grains field.
4. IGNORE anything that is NOT a grain.
Here are examples of what counts in each category (and what to ignore):
| Whole Grains* | REFINED (NOT whole) Grains | Not a Grain / not included in WGC computations |
|---|---|---|
|
whole [name of grain] whole grain [name of grain] cracked [name of grain] flaked [name of grain] sprouted [name of grain] whole wheat, wheatberries whole durum wheat whole einkorn triticale whole Kamut® khorasan wheat oats quinoa brown rice (or black, red, wild) whole corn, including popcorn hulled or dehulled barley bulgur farro/emmer millet teff buckwheat amaranth freekeh sorghum (also called milo) whole rye whole spelt etc. |
enriched flour enriched wheat [name of grain] bran [name of grain] germ [name of grain] fiber [name of grain] starch malted [name of grain]* wheat gluten wheat [unless specified as whole] durum [unless specified as whole] semolina [unless specified as whole] corn, cornmeal [unless specified as whole] rye [unless specified as whole] spelt [unless specified as whole] grits [unless specified as whole] degerminated corn rice, white rice pearled barley wheat protein isolate etc. *Malted grain products may sometimes be whole grain. If you’re unsure whether an ingredient is whole or refined, please reach out to your supplier. |
chia flax seeds soy hemp lentils tapioca sunflower seeds pumpkin seeds sesame seeds poppy seeds corn syrup maltodextrin barley malt extract oat syrup solids etc. (Note that all grain-derived sweeteners are in this column.) |
* Words in this column without the word “whole” are grains that are almost always found in their whole form. If you are not sure, confirm with your supplier that all of the grain’s bran, germ and endosperm are present in their original proportions.
What if my product loses moisture during processing?
Some products, especially breakfast cereal and popcorn, can lose moisture during processing. (After all, it’s the moisture escaping that makes popcorn pop!). FDA has ruled that you must use the final, as-packaged weight of your whole grains on the Stamp. For instance, a cereal with a 30g serving may start with 32g of ingredients, such as 30g of whole grain and 2g of sugar. After processing, the whole grains are reduced to 28g, so the Stamp on this product says 28g, not 30g. This means your Nutrition Facts Panel squares with your Whole Grain Stamp: 28g of whole grain + 2g sugar = 30g serving. Always use your final dry weight, and make sure the math consumers will see on your package makes sense!
What if I want to use the Stamp in a country that’s not on the list?
If the country you want is not on the list, just select “Other” in the Which Countries? section. When we review your product, we’ll ask you what other country or countries you want, and we’ll add them to our list.
Which languages is the Whole Grain Stamp available in?
The Whole Grain Stamp currently comes in ten versions, as illustrated here. If you are a WGC member and need Whole Grain Stamp graphics for a product we’ve reviewed and approved, contact Vik Bensen (vik@oldwayspt.org or 617-896-4810). We can also create Stamp graphics in additional languages; tell us your needs.
L to R below: US standard, US FSIS, International English, Arabic, Traditional Chinese
L to R below: Canada (French/English), Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Simplified Chinese
