The Danish Whole Grain Campaign

The intake is much too low
Rye bread and oatgrains are the main sources of wholegrain intake in Denmark, but only 6% of the Danes eat the amount of wholegrain recommended by the authorities. Particularly young people eat too little.

This is what we aim to do
The aim of the wholegrain campaign is to create target-oriented and effective interventions to ensure that the Danes eat more wholegrain and thereby improve public health.

The objective is achieved through a unique partnership across sectors and disciplines including health- and patient organizations, business, government, retail and trade.

Our focus is to make wholegrain and wholegrain products available to the Danes through new standards and markets, supported by tasty and easily accessible wholegrain products.

Our vision
The wholegrain campaign encourages Danes to eat more wholegrain in order to improve public health

Our mission
The wholegrain campaign increases the accessibility of wholegrain products and increase awareness of the beneficial effects of wholegrain

Our results
This is what the partnership has achieved so far:

• A scientific basis to identify the benefits of eating more wholegrain

• A map of which products provide the amount of wholegrain eaten by the Danes today

• An official dietary recommendation for the intake of wholegrain that amounts to 75 gram per day for adults

• A Partnership logo, which guarantees that a product contains a high percentage of wholegrain, and also has a healthy nutritional profile in terms of fat, sugar, salt and fibre

• The logo has been applied on at least 100 products sold in at least 30% of the Danish retail stores and in many local bakers’ shops from January 2009

• Production of materials for distribution to bakers and retailers as well as for use in the training of employees (link to the leaflet)
 
• A Partnership including 20 partners and 8 supporters that contributes and participate in the wholegrain campaign
 
• An anthropological study of the Danes perceptions and habits in terms of bread and wholegrain

• 8 famous voluntary wholegrain ambassadors from the world of sport and media. The Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries supports the campaign by being an ambassador  
 
• Massive support from the media resulting in more than 150 articles and other publicity from the lauch in January 2009