New loaf labelling sliced

Lacks the germ, bran of nutritious whole grain; proposed label change stalled

Five years after unveiling a proposal to end consumer confusion over “whole wheat” claims on bread products, Health Canada says it has no plans to change the food- labelling rule.

OTTAWA — Five years after unveiling a proposal to end consumer confusion over “whole wheat” claims on bread products, Health Canada now says it has no plans to change the food- labelling rule.

The department identified a problem in January 2007, when it proposed revising food regulations to make it clear to consumers whole wheat is not necessarily whole grain.

The standard for whole wheat flour in Canada’s food regulations, dating to 1964, permits the exclusion of five per cent of the wheat berry. This effectively means about 70 per cent of the germ is typically removed, so regular whole wheat bread can be made with flour with a significant percentage of the germ missing.

Studies linking the consumption of whole grains with a lower risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes have made whole grains popular among health- conscious shoppers.

But when grains are refined, the nutrient- packed germ and bran are gone, undermining the disease- fighting potential.

“When I’m counselling and I say to my clients, ‘ What kinds of breads do you eat?’ They’ll say, ‘ Only whole grain. I eat whole wheat all the time.’ So I’ll say, ‘ Whole grain whole wheat?’ and they’ll say, ‘ Pardon me?’ ” said Rosie Schwartz, a Torontobased dietitian and author on nutrition.

In 2007, Schwartz thought it was a redundant line, but then she discovered the loophole and pressed Health Canada to change the regulations.

“I thought 100 per cent whole wheat was 100 per cent whole grain. To me, whole means entire,” said Schwartz.

Health Canada said in a statement it had been “exploring the idea of changing the standard for whole wheat flour to help reduce consumer confusion between whole wheat and whole grain products.”

But since its 2007 proposal, which reached an “early stage consultation,” there’s been no formal proposal.

“The development of any regulatory project is done within the context of the regulatory priorities of Health Canada,” the department now says.

Schwartz said she’s disappointed since Health Canada tabled the proposal in 2007.

“They’re not interested in the health of Canadians. They’re interested in the health of industry.”

In an interview, Paul Hetherington, president of the Baking Association of Canada, said Health Canada hasn’t raised the issue with his group in a long time.

“We spent a lot of time with Health Canada and ( Agriculture Canada) looking at name options,” Hetherington said.

“The result of all that work? It came out nil. So there was a lot of effort put into looking at an acceptable name option to consumers as well as industry, and unfortunately that work didn’t identify any potential name option for us.”

The tricky part is “whole wheat” bread is considered a “transition product” sandwiched between the least healthy ( white bread) and the healthiest ( whole grain), Hetherington said. “We’re concerned about the holis-tic aspect of this, the nutrition aspect of the diet. The whole wheat category is a very important transition for consumers, so if we lose the whole wheat category, would consumers defer back to white because they don’t like the taste and texture of a whole grain?”

Schwartz called this argument “ridiculous.”

She said most health- conscious shoppers don’t think of whole wheat bread as a “transitional product” because they think they are “already there.

“I don’t think it’s a taste issue.

“It’s the shelf life. If you have the germ in the product, the product will not last forever.”