How a simple grain can improve global health and wellbeing

Lincoln, Neb. -More than 70 leaders in agriculture, public health and nutrition will gather on Nov. 7 to explore ways to improve human health and reduce healthcare costs by transforming the global food supply.

The Wheat Fiber for Rural Wealth and Health Roundtable event will be hosted at the Graduate Hotel in Lincoln in cooperation with Nebraska Food for Health Center at the University of Nebraska by the Coalition for Grain Fiber. The Nebraska Wheat Board will be the lead sponsor. Registration is now open to the public at (www.fihf.org/events)

The agenda will focus on fighting chronic disease by increasing the dietary fiber in non-GMO, commodity wheat – one of the world's most consumed foods. According to the coalition, improvements in the nutritional content of white and whole wheat flour are projected to save thousands of lives and billions of healthcare dollars globally.

Wheat provides 20% of global calories and one-third of Americans' fiber. Leveraging natural variation to increase the grain's fiber will help mitigate critical fiber underconsumption that contributes to obesity, diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease.

The approach does not rely on changes in consumer behavior or impact the retail price of staple foods. However, it will maintain or increase farm profitability.

"By acting today, we can develop the strategies, methods and economics to improve nutrition in other commodities," says Dr. Rod Wallace, founding president of the Coalition for Grain Fiber.

Dr. Jeffrey P. Gold, President of the University of Nebraska, will kick-off the event. Other speakers include: 

• Nathan Mueller, State Soil Specialist, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

• Stephen Baenziger, Chairman, Foundation for Innovation in Health Foods

• Katherine Frels, Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

• Shannon Pinson, Research Geneticist, USDA-ARS

• David Holding, Professor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

• Payam Vahmani, Assistant Professor, University of California, Davis

• Jake Westlin, VP of Policy and Communications, National Association of Wheat Growers

• Marusa Jonas, Assistant Extension Educator, University of Nebraska

• Georgia Jones, Associate Professor, of Nebraska-Lincoln

• Christopher Gustafson, Professor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

• Conrad Lyford, Professor, Agricultural and Applied Economics, Texas Tech University