The Whole Grains Challenge:
Restaurants & Foodservice Outlets
Vie for Awards
BOSTON,
MA, April 5, 2007 - More than
1,000 chefs cited whole grains as one
of the hottest menu trends, according
to a recent NRA survey. To help the nation's
935,000 restaurants and foodservice operations
profit from the move to whole grains,
the Whole Grains Council and Oldways announce
the May 1, 2007, launch of an awards program
called the Whole Grains Challenge.
Whether
with a simple whole grain pasta or sub
roll, barley risotto, or quinoa pilaf,
chefs across the board from military mess
halls and chain restaurants to fine dining
are scrambling to answer growing consumer
demand for whole grains. The Whole
Grains Council wants to reward
them for that effort: any food outlet
that offers at least one whole grain choice
on the menu for 30 consecutive days during
May, June
and July 2007
is eligible to enter the Challenge.
Award winners will receive
prizes, and, more importantly, be featured
prominently in national media coverage
designed to bring their award-winning
ways to the attention of the dining public.
Every
operation that enters the Whole
Grains Challenge will also receive
a free restaurant membership in the Whole
Grains Council (WGC) for the remainder
of 2007. "Our Whole Grain Stamp has
been a big success on retail packaging,"
explained WGC Chairman Jeff Dahlberg.
"Now food outlets who are members
of the WGC are able to place a similar
symbol on their menus. This is a great
time to test-market new whole grain options."
Throughout
2007, the Whole Grains Council is also
running a related grassroots consumer
campaign called Just Ask for Whole
Grains. "This campaign is
spreading like brushfire, with hundreds
of diners each week asking for whole grains
and coming to the WGC website to report
the restaurants that serve them,"
said Oldways President K. Dun Gifford.
"As consumers continue to step up
demand for choices that are both delicious
and healthy, restaurants that add whole
grains to the menu will profit."The
full resources of the Whole Grains Council
stand ready to help food outlets profit
quickly and easily from whole grains.
Restaurants can turn to the WGC to find
sources for whole grain ingredients and
products, delicious recipes, and even
to arrange onsite cooking demonstrations
and recipe development services from the
WGC?s culinary advisors.
Winners
of the Whole Grains Challenge will be
announced in September, to celebrate Whole
Grains month. An entry form will be posted
at www.WholeGrainsCouncil.org
starting May 1st. To recognize the wide
variety of places that Americans eat away
from home, awards will be made in ten
different categories: Quick Service, Fast
Casual / Family, Fine Dining, Lodging
& Catering, Workplace, K-12 Schools,
College / University, Healthcare, Military,
and Other.
The
Whole Grains Council was founded
in 2003 by Oldways, the
Boston-based food issues think tank known
for translating the science of nutrition
into effective programs to encourage healthier
eating.
For more information
or to interview chefs and foodservice
managers already serving whole grains,
please contact:
Oldways-
Food Advocates for Better Eating and Drinking
Courtney Davis - Media Relations Manager
266 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02116 USA
(617) 896-4888
courtney@oldwayspt.org
www.oldwayspt.org