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