Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), a joint venture between Nestlé Breakfast Cereals and General Mills, is calling on governments and consumers to recognise the role and contribution of whole grain in a healthy, sustainable food system and make it a priority in their food and nutrition policies.
Globally, 1 in 5 deaths is associated with a poor diet (1). Eighty-eight percent of countries are encumbered by malnutrition and diet-related non-communicable diseases (2). Despite the numerous health benefits associated with whole grain, research shows consumption of whole grain remains concerningly low. Globally, it is estimated that people are eating less than a quarter of recommended intake of whole grain per day (3).
The company’s call to governments reflects CPW’s purpose to Make Breakfast Better and is in line with their work to achieve their 2020 commitments - ensuring whole grain is the main ingredient in over 99% of ready-to-eat breakfast cereals for children and teenagers, and 100% of cereals carrying the green banner made with a minimum 8g of whole grain per serving.
David Clark, CEO of CPW said, “Whole grain has been shown to have a host of health benefits. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that simple steps such as education campaigns and clear information on the benefits of whole grain can make a real difference to consumption levels and impact on health. We want to support our industry partners and governments in ensuring whole grains can become a staple part of diets around the world”
CPW is calling for governments and policy makers to consider three measures to help increase consumption of whole grain in their countries.
Increasing consumption of whole grain has the potential to not only benefit individual daily diets, but to do so in a sustainable way. Recent research from the WWF suggests that moving to a “planetary diet” (a balanced diet with lots of wholegrains, fruit and vegetables, and less sugar, oils, fats and meat (5)) can reduce wildlife loss by up to 46%, halt deforestation, and reduce food agriculture based greenhouse gas emissions by at least 30% (6).
CPW’s support is part of an ongoing campaign around International Whole Grain Day on 19th November 2020. These ideas will be discussed in more detail as part of a global virtual meeting being hosted by the Whole Grain Initiative on 19th November.
Links:
[1] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736
[2] http://www.fao.org/nutrition/education/food-dietary-guidelines/background/en/
[3] https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-04/tl-tlg040219.php
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6723811/
[5] https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/eating-for-our-planet
[6] https://www.nestle.com/aboutus/overview/businesses/cereal-partners-worldwide