title: Marketing whole grain breads in Canada via food labels.
abstract: A recommendation for increased whole grain consumption was released in Canada in 2007 to promote adequate intakes of fibre and magnesium. Since then, a proliferation of 'whole grain' claims on food packaging has been observed, but whole grain labelling is voluntary and unregulated in Canada. Through a detailed survey of bread sold in three supermarkets, this study examined how the presence of front-of-package reference to whole grain relates to (i) the presence and nature of whole grain ingredients, (ii) nutrient content, and (iii) price of the product. Twenty-one percent of breads bore a reference to whole grain on the front-of-package and the front-of-package reference to whole grain was a better predictor of fibre content than any information that could be gleaned from the ingredient list. On average, breads with a whole grain reference were higher in fibre and magnesium and lower in sodium. Mean price did not differ by presence of a whole grain reference, but breads with whole grain labelling were less likely to be low in price. Voluntary nutrition labelling may be targeting a discrete market of health-conscious consumers who are willing to pay premium prices for more healthful options.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, 150 College Street, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 3E2.
authors.forename: Dunja
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sumanac
authors.forename: Rena
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mendelson
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tarasuk
mesh_terms: D001939:Bread; D002170:Canada; D003132:Commerce; D004043:Dietary Fiber; D002523:Edible Grain; D005515:Food Labeling; D006801:Humans; D008274:Magnesium; D040541:Marketing; D009753:Nutritive Value; D012964:Sodium
chemical_list: D004043:Dietary Fiber; D012964:Sodium; D008274:Magnesium