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This post was written by Pooja Mottl.

Today’s Healthy Monday tip: Watch your bread (labels).

We’ve talked about reading between the lines of the label-crazed food industry before. Earlier this month, our government’s watchdog agency, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), released a report giving the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency responsible for oversight of our nation’s food supply, a failing grade when it comes to preventing false and misleading labeling.

According to the report, the agency’s enforcement efforts “have not kept pace” with the large increases in food products, and as a consequence, food labels.

A case in point highlights the misguided nature of whole grain and grain-product labeling, in particular. The non-profit Center for Science in Public Interest (CSPI) has filed a formal complaint with the FDA urging it to stop the mislabeling of a product by Thomas’ brand that boasted its muffins were “made with whole grain” when in actuality its primary ingredient was refined white flour.

The Thomas’ incident is not alone. Since 2005, when the USDA promulgated the need for at least 3 ounces of whole grains daily in its revamped food pyramid, products touting the virtues of whole grains have soared. Unfortunately, detecting and purchasing whole grain foods has become a challenge. Labels and food claims flank boxes and packages in supermarket aisles all across our nation. However, surprisingly, whole grains still account for only 10-15% of products on store shelves.

Sadly, we may have become a nation so ignorant about food claims that getting hoodwinked by manufacturers is commonplace. Ingredient formulations have become increasingly complicated, especially when it comes to grain-based products. Recently, upon a more thorough investigation of a product’s label, I found the first ingredient read:

Unbleached unbromated enriched flour (Wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid)

Apparently, some grain-based ingredients need to be defined by an additional set of even more ingredients.

Moreover, we have processed grains so much that we have lost touch of what “whole grains” really are. “Wheat flour”, for example, or simply a brown-colored product can have very little to do with whole grain. A true whole grain is simply the entire seed of the grain plant and a whole grain product is made from the three component parts of the seed: the endosperm, the germ and the bran. Most flour, in contrast, is refined in a way that dissects both the bran and the germ, leaving only the endosperm to compose the final product.

The mania over whole grains is due to the extraordinary health benefits they have been found to supply. Earlier this month, a study conducted by General Mills found that a whole grain diet had the ability to “lower risk of heart disease as much as prescription drugs”. Furthermore, studies have found that whole grains can reduce risks of cancer, stroke and diabetes while supplying valuable antioxidants not found in fruits and vegetables. When grains are refined, more than half of the amount of Vitamin E, B6, Fiber, Zinc and Potassium is lost.

The labeling scheme identifying whole grains was so confusing that in February of 2006, the FDA drafted guidance for the industry on whole grain labeling. Unfortunately, the guidance hasn’t stopped manufacturers from using ever increasingly misleading tags. In 2007, CSPI threatened to sue Sara Lee for mislabeling and misrepresenting the amount of whole grain in its “Soft & Smooth Made With Whole Grain White Bread” product declaring it had as much fiber as 100% whole wheat bread. It took until July of this year for the company to agree to a settlement with CSPI, forcing it to make clear that the product consisted of only 30% whole grain.

According to CSPI, many food manufacturers try to “give consumers the impression that their white-flour-based products are ‘made with whole grain’ even if there is only a small amount”.

Here’s what we need to know:

• If a label says “100 percent whole wheat” you can be assured you are getting entirely whole wheat grains.

• Look at the ingredient list: If “whole wheat flour” is first, as opposed to “wheat flour”, the product is made with at least a major portion of whole grains – however, the actual percentage share is indecipherable.

• Be wary of labels declaring “good source of whole grain” when whole grains are not at the top of the ingredient list.

• “Enriched” flour does not mean “whole grain”.

• The words “wheat”, “durum”, “bran” and “multigrain” have nothing to do with “whole grain”.

• Look for an official bronze and black stamp from the Whole Grains Council (WGC), by the USDA on packages; a “100% Stamp” ensures that the product is entirely whole grain approved and a basic “Whole Grain Stamp” announces that the product contains at least half the USDA recommended serving of whole grains.

Bottom line: As we continue to navigate through the depths of label labyrinth, we find there are no concrete rules of engagement when it comes to whole grains apart from the FDA guidelines and the WGC stamps, so it is up to you, the consumer, to keep your eyes peeled and make your demands known by continuing to purchase whole grain products. The food industry will take notice.

You can find a list of pure whole grains at the WGC’s website.