"Whole grain" foods being produced at fastest pace ever in U.S.
Food companies are churning out more "whole grain" products to appeal to American consumers worried about gaining weight. More than 3,700 products were launched since 2005 with a "whole grain" claim in the U.S., according to research group Mintel, and the pace is quickening.
David Browne, senior analyst at Mintel, said 2010 has been particularly strong so far, with 651 whole grain products launched across all food categories in the U.S. At this rate, 2010 would be the biggest year ever in terms of total whole grain product launches.
The share of all products with whole grain claims has gone up consistently since 2005. That year, just 2.3 percent of all new product launches had a whole grain claim, whereas in 2010, that percentage has grown to 5.6 percent. "While sales of these products are still small, there are a lot of good signs for the whole grain market," said Browne, who noted that 18 percent of all-natural food products launched this year have the whole grain claim.
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