You’re being duped by your breakfast: whole grain isn’t whole grain at all

Does it say “whole grain” in huge letters on the packaging? According to the Consumers’ Association, there’s a good chance you’re being duped. Many producers put “whole grain” on the packaging, even though only a pinch of whole-grain flour has been used in the product, along with mostly regular flour.

The rules are actually quite clear: if a product says “whole grain,” it must be made from one hundred percent whole-grain flour—in other words, the flour used in the product must be made from whole grains. But manufacturers don’t always follow those rules. The so-called whole-grain products also contain other types of flour. A few ears of grain are added to the packaging, making you think you’re doing a great job. Then it turns out your breakfast cracker is packed with sugar and fat . Fine too, but at least say so!

Whole-grain deception

The Consumers’ Association has had enough. “Manufacturers must stop this whole-grain deception and comply with the guidelines of the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA),” Sandra Molenaar, director of the Consumers’ Association, said to RTL Nieuws a few years ago. The main complaint: it isn’t clear how much whole-grain flour products contain or what else has been added.

The Consumers’ Association named the worst offenders: AH Bio whole-grain rusks turned out not to be made from one hundred percent whole-grain flour, while Liga Vitalu whole-grain crackers and Zonnatura whole-grain rice and corn cakes also duped consumers. And those Santa Maria Tortilla with wholewheat? Delicious, especially in this Breakfast burrito recipe, but definitely not healthier.

Fake multigrain roll

Earlier, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre took on dark slices of bread. That dark-brown bread with nuts and seeds isn’t nearly as healthy as you might think; sometimes it even contains just as little fiber as white bread. The trick: the flour for the bread is roasted, giving it a dark color. So a multigrain roll isn’t as healthy as it looks either.

Digestive whole grain with wheat flour

The fact that far from all whole-grain products in the supermarket are actually whole grain is also shown by a recent sample survey by the NVWA. More than a quarter of the products examined were incorrectly labeled as whole grain. The NVWA examined a total of 190 whole-grain products from the supermarkets of seven major chains. Rusks, crackers, cookies and pasta, among other products, were scrutinized. Fifty-one products should not have been called whole grain.

Albert Heijn, among others, made a mistake with its own-brand cookies, such as “Digestive whole grain with wheat flour.” The packaging of its crispbread was also misleading, as was that of the Jumbo own brand. The packaging of the own-brand g’woon crackers was misleading too. And Conimex noodles? Not as whole grain as promised either. The producers received a warning and must adjust their packaging.

Read also:

• Are vegetable rolls healthier than our regular bread?
• Multigrain or whole grain?
• 6 foods that never spoil