Baking&Snack - May 2013 - 14

WFC takes action against ‘Gut Reactions’
A letter written on behalf of the Wheat Foods
Council disputes assertions about modern wheat breeding made in the April issue
of National Geographic. In the article “Gut
Reactions,” Joseph A. Murray, MD, of the
Mayo Clinic said gluten overload in Western
diets is a reason US incidence of celiac disease
has at least quadrupled since the 1950s.
Celiac currently is estimated to afflict 1
in 141 individuals, the National Geographic
story estimated.
In a letter to the magazine, Brett F.
Carver, PhD, a professor in the Department
of Plant and Soil Sciences at Oklahoma
State University in Stillwater, said that
while he was interviewed for the story by
National Geographic, neither he nor anyone
else with a view different from that of Dr.
Murray’s was quoted in the story.
“As someone who has long respected
the integrity and accuracy of the National
Geographic, I was very disappointed to read
the article ‘Gut Reactions’ in your April issue,” Dr. Carver said in his letter. “This was
very one-sided, inadequate coverage of an
extremely complicated issue.”
In the National Geographic article,
Dr. Murray said modern wheat planting

choices likely exacerbate the problem of
celiac disease because farmers and bread
makers prefer wheat varieties with higher gluten content. Dr. Murray, who has
worked in a research program sponsored
by the National Institutes of Health that
focuses on celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, was involved in a study that ap-

Our reaction on ‘Gut Reactions’
A simple story in the April issue of National Geographic
should become the poster child for everything that’s wrong
with our national discussion of critical health and nutrition
issues. Titled “Gut Reactions,” the article cited a respected
Mayo Clinic physician who blames gluten overload in
Western diets for the huge surge in celiac disease during the
past half-century. In just two paragraphs, the writer indicted farmers, bakers, snack producers, meat processors and
spice manufacturers as the culprits for this overload. All too
often, medical coverage in the media is one-sided and, like
selective memory, blatantly ignores evidence to the contrary. Such a single-minded focus on complex medical topics makes for best-selling books and filling up magazines,
but it’s not an intelligent discussion on debilitating issues
such as autoimmune diseases. A healthy debate is always
better than a gut reaction in the long run.

/ Baking & Snack / May 2013

peared online in The American Journal of
Gastroenterology recently.
Dr. Carver, who also chairs the National
Wheat Improvement Committee, said in
his letter that the protein content of wheat
has maintained an average of 12% since
1979, according to records kept by US
Wheat Associates.
“It is true that more vital wheat gluten is in our food supply than in the
past, but that has nothing to do with
the gluten content inherent in modern
wheat,” Dr. Carver said. “That wheat gluten has maintained a steady state over
time is entirely consistent with the multiple end-users for which wheat varieties
are developed.”
He added, “Urban myths have led some
American consumers to believe that wheat
has been genetically engineered and is no
longer the same wheat that ancient civilizations — or even our grandparents — used
to eat.”
The entire letter from Dr. Carver may be
found at the Wheat Foods Council’s website at www.wheatfoods.org.
— Jeff Gelski, associate editor,
Milling & Baking News

Beefsteak bolsters
Bimbo’s rye portfolio
Grupo Bimbo, Mexico City, boosted its presence in the rye
bread market after completing its $31.9 million purchase of
the Beefsteak brand from Hostess Brands, Irving, TX. The
transaction was funded with cash holdings.
Beefsteak has been sold out of Hostess’ facilities in
Biddeford, ME, and Hodgkins, IL. The Northeast and Midwest
are among the strongest markets in the nation for rye bread.
According to data from SymphonyIRI Group, a Chicagobased market research firm, Pepperidge Farm, Norwalk,
CT, markets the top-selling rye/pumpernickel bread brand
with dollar sales of $59.5 million in the 52 weeks ended Dec.
23, 2012. Beefsteak was No. 2, with dollar sales of $49.2 million. Horsham, PA-based Bimbo Bakeries USA’s Oroweat
rye bread sold $35.6 million during that period while the
company’s Arnold brand had $19.9 million in sales.

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Baking&Snack - May 2013

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