The ICC has announced the recipients of its prestigious ICC Academy Fellowships and the Clyde H. Bailey Medal, and Friedrich Schweitzer Medal at the DF26 in Norwich, UK.

The Clyde H. Bailey Medal was presented to Dr. Elke Arendt, UCC; IE, for outstanding achievements in cereal science and technology.

The Friedrich Schweitzer Medal, which honors the legacy of one of the ICC's founding figures, was presented to Dr. Luc Saulnier, INRAE, FR, for distinguished service in the furtherance of the aims and ideals of ICC.

Dr. Rikard Landberg, Sweden, Dr. Gerhard Schleining, Austria, Dr Iris Joye, and Dr. Tatsuya Ikeda, Japan were awarded the ICC Academy Fellowships in recognition of their outstanding contributions to cereal science and technology.

Both Dr. Schleining and Dr. Ikeda unfortunately could not be with us onsite.

The awards recognize the outstanding achievements and contributions of these individuals to the field of cereal science and technology, and their dedication to advancing the ICC's mission of promoting research, education, and standardization in the industry.

Congratulations to all awardees!

News

13 October 2026

REGISTER HERE

Following continued interest in our previous two sessions, held in March and July 2026, this webinar returns for a third session to support private-sector organisations across the food value chain in turning whole grain ambitions into action. The session will revisit how companies can strengthen their market position while contributing to healthier food environments through greater integration of whole grains.

Consumer demand for healthier and more sustainable food choices continues to grow. At the same time, dietary guidelines increasingly prioritise whole grains, and the scientific evidence supporting their health benefits is well established. Together, these trends point to a clear priority: increasing whole grain intake.

Yet in most markets, consumption remains well below recommended levels. This gap represents both a public health challenge and a tangible business opportunity across the food value chain.

By making whole grain products more available, visible and appealing, businesses can help shape purchasing habits at scale. As organisations that influence formulation, pricing, communication and access, industry actors play a decisive role in what becomes accessible, attractive and ultimately normalised in the marketplace. Every gram counts.

For industry, this means opportunities to respond to evolving consumer expectations, strengthen brand relevance and competitiveness, drive innovation and market growth, and build long-term value through products that combine health, sustainability and commercial appeal.

In this session, we will explore:

• Why whole grains are becoming a strategic business opportunity in today's evolving marketplace
• What actions companies across the food value chain can take to increase availability, visibility and uptake
• How to move from intention to implementation, including collaboration opportunities through initiatives such as the Whole Grain Initiative

The conditions for change are in place. The question is: will you lead?

Speakers:

• Caroline Sluyter, Senior Director of Operations, Oldways / Whole Grains Council, US
• Mikkel Andersen, Global Lead Health & Nutrition, Lantmännen Unibake International, DK
• Prof. Dr. Christophe Courtin, Professor of Food Biochemistry at KU Leuven, KU Leuven, BE
• Dr. Ece Nevra Göncü, Head of Nutrition, Regulatory and Scientific Affairs, Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), CH

This webinar is free and will be held in English.

REGISTER HERE

Please find more information about the ICC Whole Grain Initiative at: https://www.wholegraininitiative.org/

News

27 August 2026

ICC standards are the official analytical methods and procedures published by the International Association for Cereal Science and Technology to ensure consistency, comparability, and quality in cereal and food testing. According to ICC’s own validation procedure, these standards are checked regularly to determine whether re-validation is needed, for example when the scope is expanded or other significant changes affect the method.

ICC standards play an important role in cereal science and food analysis because they provide harmonized methods that laboratories can use to generate reliable and comparable results. Their value lies not only in technical accuracy, but also in creating a common language for research, industry, and quality control.

To keep these methods fit for purpose, ICC regularly reviews whether a re-validation is necessary. Re-validation may be triggered by changes such as an expanded scope, modifications to the method, new equipment, updated reference materials, or other developments that could affect performance. This approach helps ensure that the method remains robust, relevant, and scientifically sound over time.

The plan to re-validate ICC standards therefore follows a structured quality-management logic: identify the need for re-validation, assess the impact of the change, define the validation requirements, and document the outcome transparently. In practice, this means that only methods that continue to meet the expected performance criteria are maintained as ICC standards.

Overall, the re-validation process supports the credibility of ICC standards and strengthens confidence in the results generated with them. It is a practical safeguard that keeps methods aligned with current scientific and analytical requirements.

The following working groups were set up:

• 1. Grains, Sampling and sample preparation (milling)
• 2. Carbohydrates
• 3. Macronutrients (Working group already started)
• 4. Micronutrients
• 5. Safety
• 6. Rheology (Working group already started)
• 7. Enzymatic activity, Allergens, Statistics

We also warmly invite interested parties to join the relevant working groups and contribute their expertise to the ongoing development and re-validation of ICC standards. Participation in these groups offers a valuable opportunity to support scientific quality, share practical experience, and help shape methods that meet the needs of research and industry.

ICC membership is not required to join a working group. If you are interested in contributing, please send your expression of interest to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and include a short biographical sketch outlining your background.

News

09 July 2026

Webinar follow-up report

The webinar “How industry can drive change in closing the whole-grain gap” made a strong case for why whole grains should be a strategic priority for the commercial sector. The speakers highlighted the combined health, sustainability, consumer, policy, and business arguments for accelerating the shift from refined grains to whole-grain products.

The session was driven by the ICC Whole Grain Initiative, organized and hosted by EUFIC and ICC, with the clear aim of inspiring industry stakeholders to take a more active role in increasing whole-grain usage and consumption. The speakers positioned whole grains not only as a nutrition issue, but as a systems topic with relevance for public health, environmental sustainability, and commercial innovation.

Main messages

Christophe Courtin, Professor at the University of Leuven in Belgium, where he leads a research group focused on cereals, whole grains, and health, emphasized that replacing refined flour with whole-grain flour retains valuable bran and germ fractions, which improves nutritional quality and reduces environmental impact. He also referenced evidence linking higher whole-grain intake with better health outcomes, including lower risks of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, colorectal cancer, and overall mortality. The presentation also stressed that current whole-grain intake remains far below recommended levels in Europe and globally.

Mikkel Andersen, industry representative from Lantmännen Unibake in Copenhagen, Denmark, underlined that the market opportunity is real: consumers increasingly associate whole grains with health, and many also perceive them as tasty and suitable for everyday products such as bread, cereals, pasta, and rice. At the same time, they noted that price, availability, and habit remain the biggest barriers to change.

Policy and institutional momentum

Caroline Sluyter, Senior Director of Operations at Oldways in Boston, USA presented examples showing that whole grains are gaining ground in policy and institutional settings. She highlighted growing alignment in dietary guidelines, stronger focus on labeling, public procurement, and public-private partnerships, as well as examples from Denmark and Sweden where coordinated action has helped increase whole-grain intake. The message was that the policy environment is increasingly supportive, and industry can now move faster in response.

Industry role and examples

A key theme of the webinar was that the private sector sits closest to consumers and therefore has the strongest ability to influence everyday dietary choices. The speakers outlined several levers for action, including reformulation, affordability, shelf placement, promotions, clear labeling, and taste-led marketing. They also shared examples of companies and retailers already making progress, such as Cereal Partners Worldwide, PepsiCo, Lidl, Walmart, Albert Heijn, Kelenova, Podravka, Lantmannen, and Brüggen.

Key outcomes and resources

The webinar closed with a practical call to action: join the ICC Whole Grain Initiative working groups, subscribe to updates, follow the initiative’s channels, and engage with International Whole Grain Day in November. Ece Göncü, Head of Nutrition, Regulatory and Scientific Affairs at Cereal Partners Worldwide and also President of CEREAAL, the European Breakfast Cereals Association, presented sector toolkits developed to support reformulation in breakfast cereals and baked goods, and noted the recent announcement of an ISO standard for whole grain as a major milestone for definitions, regulation, and future claims.

Overall, the webinar reinforced that closing the whole-grain gap will require coordinated action across science, policy, and industry, with the private sector playing a decisive role in turning evidence into accessible, affordable, and appealing products for consumers.

News

09 July 2026