FDA defines whole-grain food

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a new draft definition Wednesday of whole-grain foods, designed to help consumers make healthier eating choices.

FDA is intended to clear up confusion about which food products actually contain whole grains and which do not -- but make that claim.

To qualify as “whole grain” under the proposed definition, the food product would need to contain the three principal parts of the fruit of the grain -- the starchy inner endosperm, the germ at the heart of the kernel, and the fiber-filled outer bran shell -- in the same relative proportions as they exist naturally, the FDA said.

Whole grains are a key source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber, the Whole Grains Council explains.

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