The first edition of the International Whole Grain Day on 19th November aims at celebrating the positive impact of whole grain on nutrition, wellbeing and sustainability. The event will look at how policymakers and stakeholders can work together to encourage more people to “make their grains whole” as part of healthy and sustainable dietary patterns, via a moderated, interactive panel discussion. The panel discussion will be followed by a networking reception. 

The objectives and key themes of the event are: 

• Encourage more people to “make their grains whole” as part of healthy and sustainable dietary patterns.
• Act as an incubator for exchanging whole grain good practices, knowledge and initiatives across Europe to create an EU whole grain movement.
• Create enabling environments from farm to fork, so consumers can better access healthier, affordable, convenient and delicious whole grain products.
• Nudge consumers into making whole grain a daily habit via the promotion of meaningful whole grain recommendations in National Food-Based Dietary Guidelines. 
• Call on the EU and national governments to implement nutrition policies that address whole grain policy gaps (i.e. labelling and recommended intakes) and create enabling environments to support healthy, tasty and sustainable dietary switches. 
• Request official endorsement of the International Whole Grain Day 2019 and the subsequent yearly editions (2020 +)

Read more about the Whole Grain Initiative at http://www.wholegraininitiative.org/en/1862-activities