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The black-and-gold Whole Grain Stamp now appears on 5,000 products on grocery shelves around the world. The number of products sporting the stamp, administered by the nonprofit Whole Grains Council (WGC) and Oldways, has jumped 25 percent in nine months from 4,000 products in July 2010.

"The rapid growth of the Whole Grain Stamp signifies that whole grains really are the new norm for consumers, and the stamp makes it easy for them to find significant sources of whole grain in products," says Kara Berrini, Oldways and WGC program manager. "We'd like to applaud the food industry, including all our Whole Grains Council Members, as well as our Scientific and Culinary Advisors, for helping move the science, palatability and availability of whole grains to a whole new level."

Part of the accelerated growth is due to international interest in the stamp. The Whole Grain Stamp now is found on store shelves in 22 countries, having spread to Canada, throughout Central and South America, to the United Kingdom and Ireland, New Zealand and China.

"A decade ago, whole grains were almost unknown in many countries," says Cynthia Harriman, Director of Food and Nutrition Strategies for Oldways and WGC. "And yet today, brown rice is gaining a foothold in China and Japan, whole grain pasta is becoming commonplace in Italian supermarkets, and a Mexican company is one of the driving forces bringing whole grain breads to Latin America."

Health guidelines in countries worldwide are including recommendations to consume whole grains at an increased rate, and the stamp is quickly becoming an international standard. About 10 percent of the WGC's 275 members are based outside the United States, and about 15 percent of products using the stamp are being sold outside the United States.

The Whole Grains Council, an initiative of Boston-based 501(c)3 educational non-profit Oldways, has promoted whole grains for better health since 2003 and introduced the Whole Grain Stamp in 2005. For more information about the Whole Grains Council, visit www.wholegrainscouncil.org.