This is a special message from ConAgra Mills®.
Interest in whole grain foods on menus has never been higher, signifying a huge opportunity for restaurant operators. Advances in new, better-tasting whole grain flours and blends are making it possible for foodservice operators to capitalize on growing consumer nutrition awareness while keeping their mainstream consumers happy.
This growth in whole grain awareness is due at least in part to the positive pressure from legislators and influencers promoting whole grains to reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes, help with weight management and improve mental alertness. Government regulations are urging more whole grain consumption in the Child Nutrition Act for school lunches and in the new 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines. And non-regulatory movements for more whole grains, including Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Campaign and whole grain advocacy by celebrity chefs including Jaime Oliver and Rachael Ray are making whole grains an everyday food, particularly at retail and in schools.
Thanks to innovative whole grain ingredients, chefs are realizing that they can menu whole grains and deliver great nutrition with the same texture and appearance in the finished product as regular white flour. Ultimately, whole grain menu items must meet consumer taste expectations before they can help restaurants capitalize on the opportunity that exists. The product answering that challenge is ConAgra Mills Ultragrain® whole wheat flour, which delivers all-natural whole grain nutrition with a mild flavor, lighter color and softer, smoother texture, reassuring consumers that your menu items taste the same as always. Ultragrain has been the driving force behind many highly successful “whole grain white” products at retail, and has become the gold standard for balancing nutrition with taste appeal.
Whole Grains: A Natural at Breakfast
Of all dayparts, breakfast has shown the greatest acceptance of whole grains to date. At ConAgra Mills® in Omaha, Nebr., Senior Executive Chef Steve Hodge has been witnessing the rise of whole grains in the breakfast daypart.
“It seems that every restaurant that we go to in the breakfast arena is offering some kind of whole grain item, such as whole grain bagels, croissants or toast,” said Hodge.
“We are finding it more and more on the specials boards in the morning as operators test the waters,” added Hodge. “And we’re seeing things we didn’t see in the past, like Eggs Benedict made with whole wheat English muffins.”
Some foodservice operators are adding the goodness of whole grains to their breakfast menus with Ultragrain® whole wheat flour and with foodservice-ready products made with Ultragrain. In each application, Ultragrain preserves the light or fluffy texture, mild flavor and lighter color of the original products, from pancakes to croissants. But because it is whole grain, it is significantly higher in minerals, vitamins and fiber.
“Ultragrain is made from a unique, all-natural wheat that is sweeter, milder and lighter in color than conventional wheat that, when combined with our patented milling process, results in a whole wheat flour with the same particle size as refined flour,” said Hodge. “We’ve found in our consumer testing that it has great appeal among those who grew up with traditional white flour products.”
Whole Grains: Primed for Mainstream Success at Lunch
The opportunity for whole grains is also growing at lunch, the most important daypart for restaurants in terms of sales. Whole grains offers a world of possibilities and a palate for new applications as operators compete for share of this critical meal occasion.
Adding whole grains to the lunch menu does not require building entire new categories of items, as operators have shown. “Actually, it’s easy for operators to include whole grains in sections of the menu that they already feature, such as pasta items, sandwiches and pizza,” said Hodge.
The actual game-changers, however, are whole grain foods with mainstream appeal, particularly pasta made with whole grains that tastes like traditional pasta.
Ultragrain Pasta™ from J.M. Swank brings the healthful benefits of whole grains to consumers who enjoy the flavor and texture of traditional pasta. It is made with a blend of 51% Ultragrain and traditional semolina. One taste of Ultragrain Pasta, available in penne, elbow macaroni, rotini, spaghetti, lasagna and 9-grain orzo, shows that it is free of the dark color, grainy texture, brown specks and strong flavor that some consumers may have once associated with whole grains, while still delivering that all important al dente bite.
Whole Grains: Opportunities Abound on Kids’ Menus
When it comes to children’s meals, things are looking up. New legislation and public policy initiatives, consumer research studies and healthy whole grain foods that taste great all point to an increasingly receptive market for better kids’ menus.
And that momentum for improved kids’ meals is growing in restaurants. Chefs from across the country have joined the First Lady’s Chefs Move to Schools program to help schools develop menus with healthy and appealing options.
Operators are naturally hesitant to add better-for-you items unless they meet children’s expectations for taste, texture and appearance. However, ConAgra Mills' consumer research indicates that both mothers and children feel positively about whole grain foods and are willing to order them on kids’ menus in restaurants, if they can be assured that children will enjoy them.
In a ConAgra Mills research study with mothers, there was no drop-off in order interest when a kids’ menu was converted from regular refined wheat products to whole wheat items. This positive view was increased when taste reassurance was offered.
Another ConAgra Mills study with school children compared the overall taste satisfaction of hamburger buns and pizza crust containing 51 percent Ultragrain, with buns and crusts made from regular white flour.
“Kids liked the taste of the Ultragrain buns and pizza crust just as much as the regular products,” said Dave Sheluga, director of consumer insights for ConAgra Mills. “We saw the same level of preference and overall appeal.”
Another hit with kids is Ultragrain Pasta. “We have tested the pasta in several applications with kids and they loved it,” said Hodge. “We find a lot of school districts use it in their weekly menu offerings.”
“When integrated with the foods they already love — hamburger buns, pizza crusts, pasta, the breading on chicken tenders — studies show that kids continue to consume the Ultragrain version of their favorites at the same or higher rates,” Sheluga said. “And as we all know, better-for-you food is only an advantage if the kids eat and enjoy it.”
In summary, if foodservice operators have any worries about the taste appeal of whole grains, try introducing Ultragrain at a range of inclusion levels: 25%, 51% and/or 100%. Even at a lower level, your menu items will still deliver in the range of 8 grams of whole grains per serving, and the whole grain taste will be virtually undetectable.
For more information on the studies mentioned in this article, visit conagramills.com
For more information on Ultragrain flour and finished goods made with Ultragrain, click on the links below:
Ultragrain.com http://www.ultragrain.com/index.jsp
Sneaky Chef http://ultragrain.com/videos.jsp?flv_str=SneakyChefConsumer
Eagle Mills Flour with Ultragrain at retail http://ultragrain.com/eagle_mills_flours.jsp
