News from the Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council

ISSUE 19| Dec 2016

Welcome...

As 2016 comes to an end it brings International Year of Pulses to a close, but there's still plenty of opportunities to keep celebrating the diverse world of delicious pulses. January 18th has been established as Global Pulse Day, and the GLNC team will be celebrating with some pulse-based fun and games in the office. For ideas on how to celebrate check out pulses.org.

2017 will be another big year for GLNC with the release of our 2017 Consumption and Attitude Study, a brand new social media platform and some other exciting news as well. Check out our In Focus section for a sneak peek at what's in store in the world of grains and legumes for 2017.

From the team at GLNC, very best wishes for a fun-filled festive season and a wonderful 2017. We hope you get some time to put your feet up and enjoy a festive treat and maybe even a grain or legume or two?

As always, for the latest news and resources please visit our website and join us on social media @GrainsLegumesNC.

Best wishes!

Michelle

Michelle Broom

General Manager

Looking Ahead to 2017: 5 Key Food Trends

What are the biggest trends in food, health and wellness in 2017 and where do the opportunities lie? Key trends can become valuable growth opportunities so we've taken a look at 5 of the key trends for 2017 including innovation in digestive wellness, plant based foods, the snack market and consumer perception of carbohydrates. >>MORE

Whole Grains and Legumes: A Source of Dietary Fibre for Toddlers

The current dietary guidelines lack recommendations for whole grains and legumes for toddlers. However, the early introduction of whole grains and legumes should be encouraged to promote healthy eating habits from a young age and to ensure adequate dietary fibre intake. We take a look at the recommended serve sizes for whole grains and legumes. >>MORE

Making the Most of the Whole Grain Opportunity

New research examining global whole grain intakes suggests that Australia is doing better than some countries for whole grain consumption. But we still have a long way to go to meet the amount of whole grain recommended for good health and chronic disease risk reduction. >>MORE

Spotlight On: Flageolet Beans

This month we're looking at a relatively little-known bean - the flageolet! Flageolets are small, immature kidney beans which are frequently used in French cooking. Traditionally dried in the shade to ensure they keep their pale green colour, flageolets have a creamy texture and delicate taste once cooked. Due to their delicate flavour they are ideal when paired with strong flavours, like a rich tomato stew or garlicky sauce. They also make a great substitute for cannellini, haricot or butter beans in many recipes - try replacing the cannellini beans in this recipe with the same quantity of flageolet beans for a deliciously different taste.

Find out more about different legume varieties here.

GLNC Industry Briefing Day, November 2016

On 24th November GLNC hosted a successful Industry Briefing Day for members of industry and media representatives, with a focus on whole grains and an update on the effect of the Whole Grain Code of Practice for Ingredient Content Claims.

The event demonstrated the impact that the Code has had on the category so far - one of the key take-home messages was that the Code has resulted in the addition of over 400 Olympic sized swimming pools worth of whole grain into the food supply, since its launch in 2013 - a fantastic result.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who attended the event and made it such a success. We look forward to holding another Industry Event next year!

To find out more about the Code click here.

Highlights from the Nutrition Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting

The Nutrition Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting was held in Melbourne from the 29th of November to 2nd of December. The conference brought together nutrition scientists from around the world to hear the latest research on the association between food and health. While there were many great presentations, we've summarised just some of the highlights here.

Innovations in Pulses: The Future of Pulse Production & Consumption

In November, Michelle was invited to speak at the Innovations in Pulses symposium held at the Functional Grains Centre in Wagga Wagga. Attended by over 70 people from across the pulse industry, the symposium looked at new innovations from breeding technologies to measuring bioactive ingredients in lentils. Presentations from the day can be accessed on the Functional Grains Centre website.

Kellogg's Present their NEW Baked Muesli Breakfast Biscuits with Cranberries, Almonds & a Hint of Honey

Kellogg's Baked Muesli Breakfast Biscuits are a convenient on-the-go breakfast biscuit, baked until golden with delicious ingredients you can actually see. They're high in whole grain wheat and oats and are high in fibre too. Plus they're the only breakfast biscuit to achieve a Four Star Health Rating. Currently available in a five pack with two biscuits per serve, there are so many ways to enjoy them - with yoghurt, with a cuppa or as a snack. Find them in the breakfast aisle.

Kellogg's have also introduced two gluten free variants so now everyone can enjoy a convenient breakfast on-the-go!

For more information click here.

Lean Cuisine Pots of Goodness Are In Stores Now

Lean Cuisine brings you a delicious new range of nutritious meals to tempt your tastebuds - Pots of Goodness. Take your pick of five exotic flavours - Indian Tandoori Chicken, Japanese Garlic & Ginger Chicken, Mexican Chicken Chipotle, Spanish Chicken and Thai Green Chicken Curry.

Pots of Goodness are made with the finest all natural ingredients including quinoa, freekeh, black beans, lentils and sweet potato for a taste that's out of the ordinary.

These little Pots don't just taste great, they pack a hefty nutrition punch as well. Each little Pot contains at least two serves of veggies and has a Health Star Rating of 4 stars or more.

Lean Cuisine Pots of Goodness are stocked at Coles and selected independent retailers.

For more information please visit the Lean Cuisine website here.