How do we get whole grains on every plate, at every meal, everywhere? That’s the question that our upcoming conference October 17-19 in San Antonio will answer with verve and creativity as we shine a spotlight on recent successes in ramping up whole grain momentum. In today’s blog we want to share highlights of the conference with you – and encourage you to register now.

This will be our sixth Whole Grains Council conference, and like the others we’ve held since 2004, it will bring together marketing experts, media, R&D directors, policymakers, health professionals and manufacturers to share ideas, network, and enjoy delicious whole grain meals. Read on, to learn more.

Whole Grains on Millions of Plates

Our opening session, late Wednesday afternoon, focuses on speakers whose work brings whole grains to millions of people every day, including:

• Whole Grains in Schools, Hospitals and the Workplace. Compass Group NA serves more than six million diners daily. Jennifer Ignacio, RD, Nutrition Communication Manager, will explain how tastings, chef training, and other incentives have sold their customers on whole grains.

• Whole Grains for our Troops. With about one and a half million active duty troops, the U.S. military’s decision to switch to more whole grains makes a big impact. Jennifer Person-Whippo, RD, Nutrition Program Manager with the Naval Supply Systems Command fills us in.

• Whole Grains at the White House. Susan Roberts, RD, a Fellow with the Partnership for a Healthier America, explains how government support at the highest levels can make a difference, through creative partnerships with food providers and through the power of the bully pulpit.

What Makes Consumers Tick?

Thursday morning’s speakers will examine some of the factors that could potentially make consumers hesitate to eat more whole grains – and how those issues are being overcome.

• Consumer Psychology and Whole Grains. Strategist and psychologist Batool Batalvi met up with consumers in their homes, accompanied them on shopping trips, and asked probing questions to come up with the surprising insights she’ll share with us about how whole grain consumers differ from refined grain buyers. Dave Sheluga, Director of Consumer Insights for ConAgra, will detail his company’s indepth research – including a survey on awareness of the Whole Grain Stamp.

• Price Parity. The gap between pricing for whole grains and for their refined counterparts is shrinking year by year. I’ll take a look at where we stand now, and where this trend is heading, as yet another reason not to buy whole grains begins to melt away.

• Gluten Free Diets. Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity are on the rise. For a small percent of our population these problems are real. Pam Cureton, RD, from the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland, will explain the health issues, what’s happening, and how manufacturers can supply whole grains that are safe for everyone. Maureen Lawer, VP of Business Development for SPINS, will detail the business side of the gluten free market. Is it a fad, or is it here to stay?

• Whole Grains in the Media. We’ll end the morning with our media panel, where Sidney Fry, RD, Nutrition Editor at Cooking Light, and Ashley Koff, RD, of AshleyKoffApproved.com, will talk about how print media and websites can influence consumer opinion in favor of whole grains.

If You Build It, They Will Come

Thursday afternoon, we’ll share a series of whole grain success stories, including some from our conference backyard, in Texas.

• Whole Grain Stamp Success. WGC Program Manager Karen Mansur will share metrics on the rapid growth of the Whole Grain Stamp program, now used on 7,600 products in 35 countries. Then she’ll invite a few companies using the Whole Grain Stamp – including Gigi Twist from Upfront Foods and Todd Kluger from Lundberg Family Farms – to say how their use of the Stamp has helped them market whole grains.

• Whole Grains Month in Supermarkets. Caroline Whitby Passerrello, RD, will recount how her supermarket chain, Giant Eagle, has celebrated Whole Grains Month this September – and how she and her team use their skills as dietitians to steer customers to whole grains and other healthy foods.

• Deep in the Heart of Texas. Whole grain heroes are everywhere, and this session highlights three inspiring stories from Texas that could be a credit to any state. Sue Austin, of Cuisine for Healing in Fort Worth, will explain how her nonprofit provides fresh, home-made meals to the seriously ill, and why whole grains are a key element of her programs. In Dallas, Mary Beth Finkel brings whole grains and other healthy food to underserved children and families through a program called Hunger Busters. And in San Antonio, Maria Worley, RD, has teamed up with the local fire chief to make over the meals cooked at the city’s firehouses, with a plan to cut heart attacks with whole grains and other delicious options.

What’s NEW – and How It Affects You

On Friday, our final day, we’ll get an update on three important areas:

• New School Food Rules. This fall, kids across the U.S. will find new foods on their lunch trays, as USDA ups the nutrition ante for the first time in more than a decade. Ann Hall, RD, a nutritionist with USDA, will explain the new rules and how manufacturers can meet the new requirement for “whole grain-rich” foods. Then Byron Sackett, Child Nutrition Director with the Lincoln County NC schools, will explain how schools like his are adjusting to the new rules. Rounding out the session, Coleen Donnelly, Corporate Chef K-12 for Indian Harvest, will detail how manufacturers can be part of the solution –including her own contributions as part of the Chefs Move to Schools program.

• New Whole Grain Research. Paul Jacques, Director of Tufts University’s Nutrition Epidemiology Lab, will fill us in on the latest research on whole grains and health, while Len Marquart, Assistant Professor of Nutrition at the University of Minnesota and President of the Grains for Health Foundation, will outline where whole grain research needs to go in the future.

• New Ingredients. There’s more to whole grains than just our favorite, wheat. Although the grains described here aren’t “new,” they may be new to many consumers and manufacturers. With the help of moderator and WGC Advisors Chair Mike Holleman, we’ll hear about freekeh from Bonnie Matthews of Freekeh Foods, about sorghum from Florentino Lopez of the United Sorghum Checkoff program, about barley from Natsuki Fujiwara of the Northern Crops Institute, and about sprouted grains from Peggy Sutton of To Your Health Sprouted Flour.

Oldways President Sara Baer-Sinnott will wrap up our time in San Antonio with a summary of key points from the conference in her closing remarks, before we all head home to keep on making the world safe for whole grains, one day at a time.

You really really want to attend this conference, now that you’ve heard the lineup, don’t you? Click here to register. (Cynthia)