Eating grains, especially whole grains, provides health benefits. People who eat whole grains as part of a healthy diet have a reduced risk of some chronic diseases. Any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley, or another cereal grain is a grain product. Bread, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals, tortillas, and grits are examples of grain products.

But it is important to note that grains are divided into two groups: whole grains and refined grains. Whole grains contain the entire grain kernel — the bran, germ and endosperm. Examples include: whole-wheat flour, bulgur (cracked wheat), oatmeal, whole cornmeal, and brown rice. Refined grains have been milled, a process that removes the bran and germ. This is done to give grains a finer texture and improve their shelf life, but it also removes dietary fiber, iron and many B vitamins. Some examples of refined grain products are white flour, degermed cornmeal, white bread and white rice. Most refined grains are enriched. This means certain B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid) and iron are added back after processing.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s official definition of “whole grain foods” is that all three ingredients of the cereal grain, the bran, germ and endosperm, are in the same relative proportion as found in nature. This is intended to prevent processors from adding back a small amount of bran and germ to label their food whole grain. Check the ingredient list for the words “whole grain” or “whole wheat” to decide if a product is made from a whole grain. Some foods are made from a mixture of whole and refined grains. Bran provides fiber, which is important for health. However, products with added bran or bran alone (e.g., oat bran) are not necessarily whole grain products.           

Reading food labels can give us quite a bit of important information about the foods we eat, but what about the dates on packages? Food companies put dates that let you know how long the product is safe, how long it will be fresh and by when it should be sold. Other than with baby foods and formulas, these dates are voluntary. There is no requirement to date food products. So how do we know what they all mean?

There are basically four different types of dates put on food packages. The “sell by” date tells the grocers when to stop selling the product. It doesn’t necessarily mean it is not safe after that date, but does imply that is the last day of guaranteed freshness.

A “best used by” date is very similar to the “sell by” date. This is the date that the manufacturer recommends using the product by for best quality, taste, flavor and texture. It does not mean that after the “best used by” date that the product is no longer safe to eat.

Some foods have “use by” or “expiration” dates. Foods with these types of dates should not be eaten after the date listed on the package. After a “use by” or “expiration” date, food may no longer be safe to eat and should be disposed of.

There are also packing codes which are difficult for consumers to interpret. These are known as coded dates or closed dates. These numbers help track products as they are shipped and are used in the case of a recall.

Carolyn Penniman is Emmet County Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Educator. The MSU Extension column appears on the first and third Fridays of each month. Penniman can be contacted at the Emmet County Extension office, 3434 Harbor/Petoskey Road, Harbor Springs, Mich. 49740; telephone 348-1770.