How to identify whole grain products?

Most European dietary guidelines suggest swapping out white, refined cereals for whole grains. But picking out the whole grain versions can be confusing sometimes. How can I tell if my bread, bagel, English muffin, or granola bar is whole grain?

Here are five criteria to support you in making the switch to the whole grain option and which products to look out for that are not necessarily whole grain.

1. Check if the product has a whole grain logo/claim
2. Check if the product has the word ‘whole’ before any grain
3. Check if the product has whole grains as the first ingredient
4. Check if the product has whole grains as the first ingredient and little added sugars
5. Check if the product meets the 10:1 ratio of total carbohydrates to fibre
Food products that are not necessarily whole grain

Let’s see how well you can spot whole grain products!

Check if the product has a whole grain logo/claim

There aren’t any EU-wide rules for labelling whole grains, but some countries have come up with their own guidelines for labelling or making health claims about whole grain foods.¹

If you live in one of these countries, checking for a whole grain logo or claim might be an easy way to recognise a whole grain product. Keep reading below for more information about what it means in your country. If your country is not listed, jump to tip 2!

In Denmark

Denmark uses a voluntary whole grain logo that shows up on foods with a higher content of whole grains [fuldkorn] and low amounts of fat, sugar, and salt. To earn this logo, a product needs to meet certain standards for whole grain content and also keep levels of things like fat, sugar, fibre, and salt in check. For instance, a product qualifies for the logo if:

For breakfast cereals and muesli: at least 65% of ingredients are whole grain (calculated on the dry matter of the product) and the product contains less than 8 g/100 g of fat, less than 13 g/100 g of sugars, less than 9 g/100g of added sugars, at least 6 g/100g of dietary fibre, and less than 1.0 g/100 g of salt.
For bread: at least 50% of ingredients are whole grain (calculated on the dry matter of the product), at least 30% is whole grain calculated as QUID (the ratio between the weight of all the whole grain ingredients and the weight of the finished bread, expressed as percentage), and the product contains less than 7 g/100 g of fat, less than 5 g/100 g of sugars, at least 5 g/100 g of dietary fibre, and less than 1 g/100 g of salt.
For pasta and noodles: at least 60% of ingredients are whole grain (calculated on the dry matter of the product) and the product contains at least 6 g/100 g of dietary fibre and less than 0.1 g/100 g of salt.

In Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

Denmark, Norway, and Sweden use the voluntary Nordic Keyhole. This little symbol on the front of food packaging tells you that the product has more whole grains and meets other healthy standards, like having less fat, sugar, and salt, and more fibre compared to similar foods without the symbol. To use the keyhole symbol:

For flour and grain products: 100% of flours, grains, and flakes must be whole grain (dry matter).
For whole grain crispbread, pasta, breakfast cereals and porridge (dry matter): at least 50% of ingredients must be whole grain.
For whole grain soft bread: at least 25% of ingredients must be whole grain.
At least 50% of ingredients must be whole grain based on product weight. Total dietary fibre must be equal or less than 4.5 g per 1000 kJ and products must meet conditions for fat, sugar, salt for the keyhole symbol.

In the Netherlands²

A food may only be referred to as a whole grain product if the cereal component of the product contains 100% whole grain flour.
When using both whole grain flour and non-whole grain flour, the manufacturer can state how much whole grain flour has been used, but then the amount of non-whole grain flour must also be indicated (e.g., ‘cracker with 50% whole grain flour and 50% refined flour).

In Belgium³

Whole grain bread and other bakery products: 100% of flours must be whole grain. Therefore, if a bread is called ‘whole grain’ [volkoren/intégral] you can be sure it’s fully whole grain and no parts white, refined flour are used.
If only a part of the flour is whole grain in a product, the percentage must be displayed. Where the product is made with a mixture of equal parts whole grain flour and refined flour, the term ‘semi-whole grain’ [half-volkoren/semi-complets] may be used.

In Germany⁴

Whole grain bread and other baked goods (e.g., biscuits, crackers, pretzels, etc.): at least 90% of flours must be whole grain.
Whole grain pasta: 100% of flours must be whole grain.
For other food groups, such as pizza dough or muesli, whole grain products are not regulated.

Keep in mind that whole grains are just one piece of the puzzle. It’s also important to watch out for things like sugar, salt, and overall calories. In some countries, even if a product has a whole grain label or claim, it might still contain a lot of sugar (more than 22 g per 100 g) or salt (over 1.5 g per 100 g), which can have negative effects on health.

Check if the product has the word 'whole' before any grain

When you’re checking out product labels, look for ‘whole’ or ‘whole grain’ right before the name of a grain in the ingredients list.

However, with this criterion it’s still possible to pick out a bunch of products that are mostly refined grains with just a little bit of whole grains since it doesn’t take into account the amount of that ingredient in the product. Remember that ingredients that are present in a higher quantity in the product appear near the beginning of the ingredients list, while those present in smaller quantities near the end. Plus, it could overlook other whole grain options because some, like oats or bulgur, don’t have the word ‘whole’ in their name while they’re always a whole grain option.

Another heads-up: even if a product meets this criterion, it might still have a lot of sugars, salt, and calories. Make sure to check the nutrition declaration and try to limit foods high in sugars (more than 22 g of sugar per 100 g) and salt (more than 1.5 g of salt per 100 g).

Check if the product has whole grains as the first ingredient

To find out if a product has whole grains, check the ingredients list on the label. Look for words like ‘whole’ or ‘whole grain’ before the name of the cereal, like ‘whole wheat pasta’ or ‘whole oats.’ Whole grain ingredients also include oats, brown rice, amaranth, buckwheat, bulgur, popcorn, and other whole grains.

If whole grains are listed as the first or second ingredient (after water), you can usually consider it a whole grain food. This is because ingredients in the ingredient list are listed in descending order of weight. So, those present in higher quantities appear near the beginning of the list, while those in smaller quantities appear near the end.

Even if a product meets this criterion, it might still be loaded with sugar and calories. Be sure to check the nutrition declaration, and try to go easy on foods that have a lot of sugar (more than 22 g per 100 g).

Check if the product has whole grains as the first ingredient and little added sugars

If whole grains are listed as the first or second ingredient (after water) and added sugars like ‘sugar,’ ‘brown sugar,’ ‘syrup’, ‘fruit juice concentrate,’ or ‘dextrose’ aren’t among the first three ingredients, you can usually consider it a more nutritious whole grain food. This is because ingredients in the ingredient list are listed in descending order of weight. So, those present in higher quantities appear near the beginning of the list, while those in smaller quantities appear near the end.

Why should we choose products with little added sugars? This is because it’s best to keep our intake of added and free sugars as low as possible since the more sugar we eat, the higher the risk of negative health effects.

Still, be careful! Some of these products might still have a lot of salt, so be sure to check the nutrition declaration. Try to go easy on foods with more than 1.5 g of salt per 100 g.

Check if the product meets the 10:1 ratio of total carbohydrates to fibre

Let’s take a look at the nutrition declaration on your food. For every 10 grams of carbohydrates, you should see at least 1 gram of fibre. So, if a bread has 45 grams of carbs per 100 grams, it should have at least 4.5 grams of fibre per 100 grams.This 10:1 ratio is a good way to figure out if a product is whole grains because it’s similar to what you’d find in whole wheat flour. Foods that match this ratio usually also have less sugar, salt, and calories. In a scientific experiment, this 10:1 carbohydrate to fibre ratio was able to identify the most healthful whole grain products in comparison to the other criteria.⁵

While this is an easy-to-apply rule to help you identify nutritious whole grain options, it can’t tell the difference between the fibre that’s naturally in whole grains and the fibre that’s added separately. While more fibre (regardless its source) is better than no fibre at all, added fibre might not be as good for you as the fibre from whole grains. The product could also be refined and have added fibre back in. You can spot added fibre on the ingredient list – it’ll show up as things like ‘bran,’ ‘psyllium husk,’ ‘inulin,’ or ‘chicory root.’

Food products that are not necessarily whole grain

When you see terms like ‘multi-grain,’ ‘stone-ground,’ ‘100% wheat,’ ‘seven-grain,’ ‘bran,’ or ‘enriched’ on food products, don’t assume they’re all whole grain! Here’s what these terms really mean:

Multi-grain: this means the product is made with a mix of different grains, but it doesn’t guarantee that any of them are whole grains.
Stoneground: this refers to how the grain is milled – using traditional stone mills. It often means the grain is ground more coarsely, but it doesn’t always mean it’s whole grain.
100% wheat: this means that the product is made entirely from wheat, but it might not be whole wheat and miss out on the benefits of whole grains.
Seven-grain: this means that the product contains seven different types of grains. Again, it doesn’t mean they’re all whole grains.
Bran: this is the outer layer of the grain that’s packed with fibre. Products labelled with bran usually have this part added, but the rest of the grain might still be processed.
Enriched: this means the product has had some nutrients added back in after processing, but it usually doesn’t include all the nutrients from the original whole grain.

Finally, don’t be fooled by colour – brown bread can get its hue from ingredients like molasses or colouring additives, not necessarily whole grains.

References

Mathews, R., & Chu, Y. (2020). Global review of whole grain definitions and health claims. Nutrition Reviews, 78(Supplement_1), 98-106.

Mozaffarian, R. S., Lee, R. M., Kennedy, M. A., Ludwig, D. S., Mozaffarian, D., & Gortmaker, S. L. (2013). Identifying whole grain foods: a comparison of different approaches for selecting more healthful whole grain products. Public health nutrition, 16(12), 2255-2264.

NVWA. (2024). Volkorenproducten. Accessed 18 November 2024.

Brood en Gezondheid. (2024). Volkoren definitie. Accessed 18 November 2024.

Lebensmittel Klarnheit. (2023). Ist der Begriff „Vollkorn“ rechtlich gesuchützt? Accessed 18 November 2024.