September is the month for celebrating rice, and now, it’s also the month for celebrating whole grains. The Whole Grains Council held a special competition to kick off its inaugural year for recognition in September.
In addition to being National Rice Month, September has, for the first time, been declared “Whole Grains Month.” To celebrate, the Whole Grains Council (WGC) announced the winners of its “Whole Grains Challenge” to food service operators. Restaurants, schools, hotels and hospitals nationwide entered whole grain dishes they serve on a regular basis. In the casual/family restaurant category, PF Chang’s China Bistro and Pei Wei Asian Diner, which each serve a choice of enriched white or whole grain brown rice, won for serving 10 million pounds of brown rice last year. When offered a choice, about 45 percent of their diners chose brown rice.
As the whole grains trend continues, whole grains and whole grain brown rice is expected to be featured on more restaurant menus.
USA Rice is a founding member of the Whole Grains Council and leverages WGC activities to promote brown rice.
For more information and to see winners of the Whole Grains Challenge, visit the WGC Web site.