Arlington, Virginia
May 8, 2008
Source:
USA Rice Federation
Brown rice, a 100 percent whole
grain food, joins the recognized ranks of healthful whole
grains, according to an announcement this week from the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) that will allow brown rice food labels to bear the whole
grain health claim. This will enable consumers to easily
identify brown rice as a food to help them increase whole grain
consumption and reduce their risk of heart disease and certain
cancers.
Brown rice and other whole grain foods are widely recommended to
consumers by the public health community including the American
Heart Association, American Cancer Society and the 2005 Dietary
Guidelines for Americans for their protective effects against
heart disease and certain cancers. In fact, the Dietary
Guidelines recommend “making half of all grain servings whole,”
or three daily whole grain servings in a standard 2,000-calorie
reference diet. Still, data from a recent consumer survey
conducted by EatingWell magazine and the USA Rice Federation
show that the majority of Americans (65 percent) are not meeting
their whole grains quota.1
Consumers can now be on the lookout for brown rice labeled with
the FDA whole grain health claim: “Diets rich in whole grain
foods and other plant foods and low in total fat, saturated fat
and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease and some
cancers."
FDA’s action explicitly extends an existing health claim to
include whole grain rice. For the first time, FDA states that
all single ingredient whole grain foods qualify for the claim
regardless of whether they meet the requirement for a minimum
level of dietary fiber, as long as they meet the other general
health claim requirements. The dietary fiber requirement was
established in 1999 in order to monitor compliance with the
claim. FDA now states that compliance for single ingredient
whole grain foods will be monitored by examining package
ingredient statements, not through fiber content. The science on
which the health claim is based clearly acknowledges that the
health benefits of whole grains are independent of their fiber
content.
From a public health perspective, this news means that now
there’s one more option for the nearly 90 percent of Americans
who know that whole grains should be part of a healthy diet and
the 70 percent who say they would be likely to increase whole
grain consumption if the benefits were clearly listed on the
package1.
“Rice is the most popular grain around the world, which makes
brown rice a great choice for increasing whole grain intake,”
says Joann Slavin, PhD, RD, whole grains expert and Professor of
Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota. “In
the United States, where chronic diseases such as heart disease
and cancers are common, encouraging whole grain brown rice
consumption could have a significant public health impact.”
One hundred percent whole grain brown rice is an economical,
nutritious and versatile food. With only the inedible hull
removed, brown rice contains beneficial phytonutrients including
antioxidants, anthocyanins, phytosterols, tocopherols oryzanol
and many other potentially protective substances that have been
found to help reduce the risk of heart disease, certain cancers,
type II diabetes and potentially aid in weight maintenance.
Brown rice also contains 15 vitamins and minerals, including
B-vitamins, potassium, magnesium, selenium, iron, and 2 grams of
fiber per one half cup of cooked rice.
According to the EatingWell/USA Rice survey:
- 87 percent of consumers
know that whole grains are good for them. However, while
more than 80 percent know whole grains can be protective
against cardiovascular disease, less than two-thirds are
aware that they also offers protection against certain
cancers.
- There’s still confusion
about what foods are whole grains. While 80 percent of
consumers know that brown rice is a whole grain, more than
80 percent also mistakenly think that bran cereal and breads
marked simply as “wheat” are also whole grains.
- Most individuals (80
percent) said they would be likely to eat more whole grains
if these foods were clearly labeled as whole grains; and
another 68 percent said they would increase consumption if
the health benefits were stated on the package.
“Since eating just one cup of
brown rice is equivalent to two of the three recommended daily
whole grain servings, the new health claim will certainly assist
people in meeting their whole grain goals,” said Slavin.
"This is a milestone event. Today brown rice joins the
recognized ranks of healthful foods that are entitled to make
this claim. Having this information on packages of brown rice
will help consumers increase whole grain consumption and reduce
their risk of heart disease and some cancers," said Al Montna,
chairman of the USA Rice Federation.
The FDA action adds support to the growing body of scientific
data that shows that rice is a healthy food choice. Recent
research found that rice eaters are more likely to eat a diet
consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.2 Americans
who eat rice have healthier diets than non-rice eaters and may
have reduced risk for chronic diseases including heart disease
and type II diabetes.2, 3 Compared to people who do not eat
rice, people who eat rice consume less added sugar and fat;
consume more nutrients, such as folic acid, potassium and iron
that are contained in rice products; are less likely to be
overweight or have an increased waist circumference; have 34
percent reduced risk of having high blood pressure; and have a
21 percent reduced risk of metabolic syndrome.3
In both whole grain brown and enriched white forms, rice is a
complex carbohydrate that is naturally low in calories, is
sodium-, gluten- and cholesterol-free, has just a trace of fat,
and contains no trans or saturated fat. Due to its mild flavor,
rice also complements many other healthy foods, including
vegetables, lean meat, seafood, poultry, beans and soy foods.
Rice is nutritious due to its nutrient profile, and it is also
highly-digestible and non-allergenic, and can be enjoyed by
young and old alike. Rice poses no risk for those who are
sensitive to or intolerant of gluten or other proteins commonly
found in other grain-based foods.
U.S.-grown rice accounts for nearly 88 percent of the rice
consumed in America, and there is an ample supply of U.S.-grown
rice for the domestic market. Rice is grown and harvested by
farmers in five south central states and California according to
the highest quality standards. The U.S. produces short, medium
and long grain rice, as well as specialty rices including
jasmine, basmati, and arborio, red aromatic and black japonica,
among others.
For more information, visit
www.usarice.com.
1. Whole Grain Consumer Awareness Telephone Survey conducted by
Opinion Research Corporation, April 2008. 2. Betres-Marquez
S.P., Jensen H.H., and Upton J.L. (2005) Trends in rice
consumption and contribution of rice to the total diet of
Americans. Abstract presented at Texas Dietetic Association
Meeting. 3. Fulgoni III, V.L., Fulgoni, S.A., Upton, J.L., and
Moon, M. (2008) Rice consumption is associated with a greater
nutrient density, lower blood pressure, decreased body weight,
smaller waist circumference and a reduced risk for metabolic
syndrome in adults. Experimental Biology meeting abstracts [on
CD-ROM], Abstract #1081.
USA Rice Federation is the
national advocate for all segments of the rice industry,
conducting activities to influence government programs,
developing and initiating programs to increase worldwide demand
for U.S. rice, and providing other services to increase
profitability for all industry segments. |
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