Marketing whole grain breads in Canada via food labels

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.

• Whole grain labelling is expanding in Canada, but it is voluntary and unregulated.
• On average, breads with whole grain labels were higher in fibre and magnesium.
• Lower sodium content was also observed among breads with whole grain labels.
• Whole grain labels predicted fibre content better than ingredient list information.
• Breads with whole grain labels were less likely to be low in price.