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Whole Grain Isn't the Whole Story

2/8/2019

32 Comments

 
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by David Hagenbuch, founder of Mindful Marketing & author of Honorable Influence

You’re at a restaurant with friends and order a pepperoni pizza.  The waiter brings the pie, which has a single piece of pepperoni in the middle.  Your whole table expresses surprise, to which the server replies, “The pizza has pepperoni, so it is a ‘pepperoni pizza.’”  Most people would not appreciate that response, yet that appears to be the tack some food marketers are taking in promoting their whole grain products.
 
You’ve probably noticed the phrase “whole grain” appearing more and more on product packages, ranging from breakfast cereals to bread.  What’s your interpretation when you see “whole grain” on the front of a box?  It’s reasonable to assume that all of the product’s grain content comes from whole grains, or at least that whole grain is the primary/first ingredient.  However, when you turn the box around to read the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) required nutrition and ingredient labeling, there’s often an unsettling surprise.
 
Many products that promote themselves as being made from “whole grain” actually contain very little whole grain.  Instead, their primary ingredient is refined flour, “a pulverized version of what may, at some point, have been a whole grain.”  Whole grain contains every part of a grain kernel, “the bran, the germ and the endosperm (the inner most part of the kernel),” whereas the process of refining flour often involves “stripping off the outer layer, where the [more nutritious] fiber is located.”
 
How is this potentially misleading labeling allowed?  Many blame lax directives by the FDA, which last issued “draft guidance on whole grain labeling in 2006.”  The FDA, which regulates food labeling, continues to allow food manufacturers to print “whole grain” on the front of their packages without any absolute or relative reference information, i.e., how many grams of whole grain the product contains or how much whole grain there is relative to refined flour.
 
But, does printing “whole grain” on the front of a food package really deceive consumers?  Several significant stakeholder groups believe it does.  The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has advised the FDA to “require firms to disclose either the percentage of whole grains and refined grains on pack, or the grams of both refined and whole grains per serving.”  Similarly, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a Washington DC-based consumer advocacy group, has “urged the agency to make whole grain labeling clearer to consumers.”
 
Whole grain labeling becomes even more confusing when it appears on “hearty-looking, and sometimes artificially colored,” food items like multigrain or wheat bread.  Such mismatched visuals are especially misleading for the elderly.
 

But, as consumers, don’t we bear responsibility for what we place into our grocery carts and eventually into our mouths?  All we need to do is turn the package around and read the FDA-mandated list of ingredients to see where whole grain ranks into the mix.

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Consumers should be expected to act rationally and make logical interpretations about product labeling.  However, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), it’s unfair to subject people to deceptive messages that a “reasonable consumer” would find misleading.  Courts have applied this reasonable consumer standard in ruling against those employing whole grain deception.
 
The most notable litigation likely has involved one of the best-known snack crackers, Cheez-It, the product of one of the world’s leading food manufacturers--Kellogg’s.  In December of 2018, a second circuit appeals court ruled against the packaged-goods icon in a class action lawsuit that claimed deceptive labeling on “Whole Grain” Cheez-Its, a relatively new extension to the company’s flourishing cracker line.
 
Printed on the front of the box, in large letters, is the phrase “WHOLE GRAIN.”  Above those words, in a much smaller font, are the words “MADE WITH.”  Meanwhile, a very big (4.5” x 4.5”) and unusually dark Cheez-It serves as a background image.  Despite those distinct package design elements, which are very different than those of Original Cheez-Its, when one turns both boxes to the side, the nutrition facts for each list “enriched flour,” not whole grain, as the first ingredient.
 
It’s not surprising, therefore, that the second circuit appeals court agreed with the consumer plaintiffs, issuing a unanimous decision that said the whole grain cracker’s nutrition facts “contradict, rather than confirm, [Kellogg’s] ‘whole grain’ representations on the front of the box.”
 
Kellogg’s effort to include more whole grain in its crackers is good in that “scores of studies link the amount of whole grain [people consume] to better health.”  So, the 8 grams of whole grain found in a serving of Cheez-Its can help get people closer to the target daily intake of 48 grams of whole grains for adults.
 
The problem, however, is that when the front of a package promotes “WHOLE GRAIN” in large letters, against a dark background, it’s reasonable for consumers to conclude that the product’s principal ingredient is whole grain.  People might even presume that the crackers are somehow healthy, which is a hard argument to make for any snack cracker, including Cheez-Its, which have the following daily values:  total fat–10%, saturated fat–8%, sodium–10%, and total carbohydrates–6%.
 
Consumers should read the labels and exercise good judgment for the products they use.  However, food marketers also should help people make right choices and not mislead them with mixed messages on product packages.  Their continued prevalence on supermarket shelves suggests that Kellogg’s Whole Grain Cheez-Its are a success, but the cracker's first ingredient really is “Single-Minded Marketing.”

 
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32 Comments
Kate
2/23/2019 05:53:14 pm

Hi. I really enjoyed reading your blog as it made me think more about what ingredients are in my favorite snack foods and how healthy they actually are. It is crazy how misleading big fonts can be sometimes! Thank you for your research!

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Julia
2/24/2019 06:31:09 pm

Hey, Dr. Hagenbuch! I found what you had to say about misleading consumers around whole grain in products very insightful and it was very enjoyable to read. I, myself as a customer, have found myself purchasing products for their 'whole grain' content, not knowing how low the whole grain count actually is in these products. Thanks for your in-depth research! I was surprised and glad to see that people are actually doing something about this in court!

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Avalon Eickhoff
2/25/2019 06:47:09 pm

I found this post very interesting and intriguing. It is not surprising to me of this false advertising. I think labeling “whole grain” on products misleads some consumers. Marketers are taking advantage of people’s busy lives. Customers put a certain trust in companies that they will correctly advertise. This makes me wonder, are we being too naïve? It seems to me that companies are mainly focused on what benefits the company, not the consumer. I do not think this is the case for every company, but it appears that most companies are this way. This is a good lesson to always read the actual ingredient and be alerted to false advertising.

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Kat
3/5/2019 09:47:02 pm

I personally believe that labeling products as whole grain when it is not truly what consumers believe is wrong. Marketers need to speak in language that consumers understand, and while they do know that consumers generally believe that products labelled as whole grain are healthier, marketers in this case exploit that to deceive the consumers. I personally also held the belief that whole grain actually meant that there the product was mostly whole grain.
In the end, both parties are responsible. Consumers need to be aware of the products they purchase, but marketers have the duty to not mislead consumers.

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Courtney
3/6/2019 09:01:27 pm

This article is helpful to me as a consumer, because it relates to decisions that I make every week when I go to the grocery store. Do I buy the "healthier" option according to the label or visuals on a box? Or am I responsible to check every ingredient in my food to make sure I am getting what the company/brand promised me? Personally, I believe that while I am responsible for basic knowledge of what I'm buying, I should be able to trust that labels are not going to mislead me. I should reasonably be able to deduce the true nutritional facts of a product, and I'm glad that the appeals court came to the same conclusion.

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Joo Yee
3/6/2019 10:41:52 pm

Marketing, in its most basic and ethical sense, is a fair exchange between the marketer and the consumer. In this case of Kellogg's marketing, it can be debated that this is unfair exchange. Customers pay for these 'whole grain' Cheez-Its assuming that the product would promote their health in some way, relative to original Cheez-Its. Although the small amount of whole wheat flour in these 'whole grain' Cheez-Its does put them a small step above the original version in terms of 'healthiness', the actual extent of health benefits is far from what the customer buying these Cheez-Its believes. While the advertising wording "made with WHOLE GRAIN" is TECHNICALLY not false, it cannot be denied that Kellogg's is exploiting the vulnerability and gullibility of consumers in their marketing.

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Xin Dee
3/7/2019 12:16:19 am

This is one of the BIG reason I read the ingredient list on all the food that i purchase. I remember that one time when I was buying bread at the grocery store. I was looking for a loaf of whole wheat bread, that has less than 5 ingredients or that is without corn starch, sugar, palm oil, artificial flavour and preservatives. I spent 20 minutes in that aisle, going through all the whole wheat breads. One would think as long as it's whole wheat, it's healthy. Wrong! What the packagings don't mention are all the other unhealthy and harmful ingredients that are presence in the products. "Gluten Free", "Non-GMO" and "Vegan" labellings have become more and more common. It's sad to see that companies are endorsing these because they are trying to fit into the healthy eating trend.

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Abbie
3/7/2019 12:37:32 am

I'm wondering what benefit a company such as Kellogg's gains from marketing something as whole grain when it is clearly not. Are these "whole grain" cheez-its more expensive (a serious question - not hypothetical.) If so, then this would be an extremely unethical marketing strategy! Forcing consumers to pay for what they assume is a "healthier" option when it is made with virtually the same ingredients is pretty deceitful. If it isn't the case that they are more expensive, and Kellogg's is making the same amount of money per whole grain box as they are per regular box, then I'm not sure what the point is. Is it just so the consumer feels like they have more options and would choose Kellogg's over some other brand with similar whole wheat products? Either way.. consumer is still paying money for a product with a misleading title. This is why reading the ingredients list is always a good idea :)

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Breana
3/7/2019 02:50:20 pm

This is a interesting post. Every time I see "healthy" labels like this I would think it would be a healthier alternative but turns out it is not. This would be a helpful resource to check the ingredients carefully if myself or someone else would want to eat healthier. Great post!

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Kevin Kratz
3/16/2019 07:00:12 pm

This blog kinda blew my mind. So many times we see what is on the front of the box and just assume that what the producer says is true. However in reality this is many times not the case. It was also so interesting that companies will go to great lengths to make parts of phrases on their packaging look different then they are by hiding words.

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Joy Blea
3/16/2019 08:12:24 pm

I have never thought about whole grain deception before. I find it fascinating that we can be so easily tricked into thinking something is whole grain by the simple packaging and differences from the original packaging. This makes me curious as to whether or not Organic labels are completely accurate.

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Britt LeMay
3/17/2019 05:28:52 pm

Reading the information in blog actually made me a little annoyed at the Cheez-it brand! I agree that this marketing tactic was single-minded because it does not uphold the societal value of transparency and truth. Of course the box says "(made with) Whole Grain" and it does show whole grain as an ingredient, but this marketing tactic is very misleading to customers. I agree that consumers should be checking nutrition facts if they are concerned with their health, but the large disconnect between the front of the box and the side panel might make the consumer feel like they are being lied to. If Cheez-its wants to market their cracker product as a healthier alternative to their original cracker, it should actually be healthier.

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Paula-Marie Labate
3/17/2019 11:12:14 pm

This blog post has so much truth to it. From personal experience, I have seen people become more willing to pay higher prices for products that claim to be derived/made from whole grain as individuals often believe that these labels mean that the product is healthier for them. Being an athlete, I have been given much nutritional advice and therefore, I know I should be reading labels of food products when determining whether products are organic, fresh, and truly healthy. Although this blog targets the Cheez-its brand, there are so many companies that are trying to take advantage of increasing their prices because they claim that their products are essentially healthier, when in fact it is just a scam on consumers. This is actually hard to read and sad to see companies attempting to put individual’s health on the backend of revenue and perceptions. This post is very insightful and is a must read for all individuals.

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Edwyn Ramos
3/17/2019 11:53:30 pm

I found this blog very interesting. When I think of false advertising, i do not understand why companies would not say what is contained in the product it sells. Because the society that we live in today, people sometimes claim that eating healthier essentially costs more. But when you think about does it really cost more? It would not cost more if the actual product is not healthier to what it seems. When people find out that products are actually misleading, then their value in the market would definitely go down and cause the product to decrease in sales. In my opinion, companies should be honest for the sake of their stakeholders.

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Leo Thompson
3/18/2019 01:35:32 am

Hi! Really great topic to talk about. This whole story is something very extraordinary so I am glad that you decided to write about it. I like the fact that you seem to choose topics that interest you. They may be different every month, but it is a topic that you feel passionate about and I like that you aren't just focused on a certain area.
Furthermore, marketing, in its most basic and ethical sense, is a fair exchange between the marketer and the consumer. In this case of Kellogg's marketing, it can be debated that this is unfair exchange. Customers pay for these 'whole grain' Cheez-Its assuming that the product would promote their health in some way, relative to original Cheez-Its. Although the small amount of whole wheat flour in these 'whole grain' Cheez-Its does put them a small step above the original version in terms of 'healthiness', the actual extent of health benefits is far from what the customer buying these Cheez-Its believes.

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Tiffany Logan
3/18/2019 02:46:12 am

As a person who loves to snack on Cheez-Its, I am surprised that this brand would be dishonest in this way. I think it is very wrong for companies to print something on their packaging that is deceptive or incorrect. Even if there is only a little bit, they should not print it like it is the main ingredient or healthier to eat. Honesty is always the best policy. Deception will drive away customers in the end who are loyal customers, and this is not something companies want to do.

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Joshua
3/18/2019 05:40:29 am

I agree with the mindful matrix, and think that this way of marketing (though somewhat unethical) is single-minded because it creates a lot of stakeholder value making it seem like it is a healthier alternative to "normal" cheez-its when really they only make the box change, where the ingredients change very little. This is what makes it go against societal values and where I think that it mostly can draw a bad rap. I also found it interesting to read about the consumer perspective and how a logical consumer would see this box and have the assumption that it is mainly whole grain and that it is promoting a healthier alternative. A consumer should not have to delve so deeply into the ingredients that they can only find whole grain near the bottom of the list (when ingredients are listed from most frequent to least frequent).

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Makaila
3/18/2019 02:31:42 pm

I thought your research was interesting in the fact that I was unaware of the whole grain deception. It is also interesting that food companies can mislead their customers in certain products and lying about what the whole grain content is and for the most part it is being undetected and not a headline in the news. Not only is it dishonest but it is also unethical from the companies stand point.

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Ranita Tang
3/18/2019 06:38:41 pm

When some companies label products with “whole grain”, it may not necessarily be completely made of whole grain. This is a deceptive level of marketing but still not completely illegal due to the companies following the FDA’s guidelines completely. They may lose customers when found out, but this is still technically a legal business. FDA should revise their regulations and make it airtight so that people can’t find any other loopholes or exploits.

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Megan Chea
3/18/2019 07:22:56 pm

By reading this article, I learned to be extra aware when I grocery shop for foods with specific ingredients I look for. Many food companies do their best to make their foods look more appealing for their customers to buy based on their big labels, this meaning that they find loop holes in their marketing tactics. With the Cheezits here, the company technically isn't lying about the whole grain in their crackers, however by putting this it makes the customer think they are being that much healthier by purchasing these boxes of cheezits instead of the classic flavor.

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Anthony
3/18/2019 10:14:02 pm

Very interesting article. As consumers, we just assume that whatever is says on the box should be what it actually means. However, that is not always the case and Cheese-its are a good example. The Whole Grain and Original product are very alike and may people may not stop and look at the ingredients. They just think it's healthier and go on their way. We as consumers should be more mindful in what we buy and make companies be more truthful in their products.

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Josh
3/18/2019 10:49:58 pm

I found this blog very insightful because I was actually unaware that whole grain products actually contained little grain. I admit that I sometimes get whole grain products because of what it is, and sometimes I don't bother to look at the calories or anything. This is a smart marketing tool, but it is misleading and unfair to customers. Very fun blog to read!

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Alex Adamopoulos II
3/18/2019 11:16:26 pm

My first reaction when seeing the picture at the top of this story was one of excitement. I've always loved Cheezits, but have avoided them due to their lack of nutritional value. However, after reading this article, I am more disappointed than I was coming in. It is obvious that a lot of companies make their better ingredients seem more prevalent, but it is unfortunate that "whole grain" is being used to deceive customers into purchasing seemingly healthier products. It is certainly a smart marketing tactic, but it is deceptive and not mindful for the nutritionally conscious.

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Aubrey
3/18/2019 11:20:07 pm

Dr. Hagenbunch, thank you for this post! It reminded me of how often I see these misleading labels on products I purchase every time I go out to go grocery shopping. Something I find interesting in the photo you posted is how in fine print above the "whole grain" label it says "made with"--it's harder to catch since the font is smaller and at first glance makes it seem as though the entire product is whole grain. I am glad that this issue has been brought into conversation so that people in marketing can bring positive change to ethics behind their profession.

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Andy
3/18/2019 11:22:43 pm

This is a very interesting article! As consumers we assume sometimes what we read on the box is true before looking deep into it. The food world is a very competitive market and as customers we should know that all food products are trying to market to us in some way. I believe that buying a deceptive product like whole grain cheez-its is the consumers fault, although packaging may be misleading. It is sad that "whole grain" products are tricking customers into buying a less tasty product with the same amount of calories.

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Michael F.
3/18/2019 11:56:50 pm

I found this article to be very interesting. Whenever I see something on the outside of a box like "whole grain" or "Made with natural ingredients", I think it's safe to assume that they actually are made with them but this article showed me that that's not always the case. With rising competition, companies will do whatever it takes to get more people to buy their products that are "healthier options" and thats exactly what Kellogg's did with their Cheez-it's. This is great for the company since it brings in more revenue, but not so much for the customer because it is both deceiving and wrong since they aren't truly getting what they thought they were buying.

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Lexie
3/19/2019 01:18:54 am

This topic is so interesting as there are many products, now, that are listing whole grain as an enticing factor. This blog has led me to question how many of those actually have a "made with" in smaller letters above whole grain. Kellogs, being the large company they are, should know that deciving customers like this is not right.

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Jazmin
3/19/2019 01:23:24 am

This article was very interesting. Thank you so much for sharing this knowledge! I am sure that many other people were shocked while reading this blog and the faults within advertising. Not only did you address that the false advertising is important to look at and to know but you also mentioned how as consumers we need to be more aware of such circumstances. It is difficult for me to understand how these companies get away with incorrect advertisements like this. I wonder how many other companies are just as misleading?

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Evan Lee
3/19/2019 01:56:49 am

This article was an interesting read. What stuck out to me was just the fact that Kelloggs was selling a product that was clearly not what it was cut out to be. I do see how companies do need to sell as much as possible to make a profit, but to go as far as to lie to the consumers to what it actually is? I think this is an unlawful practice and that it should be cracked down upon. I am not one to really check labels but if it says in bold letters "WHOLE GRAIN" then I would assume it is as such. Thank you for sharing this insight and information. I'll definitely use this in the future.

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Victoria Taylor
3/20/2019 10:32:17 pm

I think this is a very interesting post. Obesity was a huge problem in the United States in the early 2000s. In the past ten years, people have started caring about their health a lot more. During the Obama presidency, Michelle Obama led a health campaign and laws have changed regarding food served in school cafeterias. Parents especially want the best for their children. So, when they see products that say "whole grain" on food that their children like such as Cheez-its, they will most likely purchase it. I think it is wrong and misleading. Yes, people can just look at the ingredients on the back if they wanted to, but no one wants to read the nutrition facts on every single food item they buy. That would be very time consuming. Thanks for the interesting post. Now I know to look at the ingredients especially on products that claim to be "healthier".

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MckinneyVia link
5/11/2022 08:09:27 am

I very much appreciate it. Thank you for this excellent article. Keep posting!

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Jr D link
7/19/2022 07:58:48 pm

This is a very informative—edifying article to all. Thanks a lot! Continue to post!
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