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In Europe, a definition of whole grain was recently launched by a group of researchers from the HealthGrain EU project (2005–2010) (van der Kamp et al. 2014). This definition is based on the following scopes

1 More comprehensive than existing definitions

2 Pan – European

3 Reflecting current industrial flour manufacturing practices

4 Useful mainly for nutritional guidelines and labeling purposes

The main part of this definition states: “Whole grain shall consist of the intact ground, cracked, or flaked kernel after the removal of inedible parts such as the hull and husk. The principal anatomical components (the starchy endosperm, germ, and bran) are present in the same relative proportion as they exist in the intact kernel. Small losses of components (that is less than 2% of the grain/10 % of the bran) that occur through processing methods consistent with safety and quality are allowed.”

The following cereals are included: wheat, (including spelt and emmer, faro, einkorn, khorahan wheat, durum), rice (including brown, black and other colored rice varieties), barley (including hull‐less or naked barley but not pearled), maize (corn), rye, oats (including hull‐less or naked oats), millet, sorghum, teff (tef), triticale, canary seed, Job’s tears and fonio (black fonio, Asian millet) as well as the pseudocereals amaranth, buckwheat tartar buckwheat, quinoa and wild rice.

In Europe, the European Food Safety Authority states that the term whole grain is not sufficiently defined to be used for health claims and therefore the explanatory text of the HEALTHGRAIN definition claims: “This whole grain definition is expected to be useful in the context of nutritional recommendations and guidelines, and nutrition claims. Health claims on the other hand must be based on documentation of specific effects of grains or grain components of the diet.”

This summary of some existing definitions of whole grain indicates main similarities between different countries. One clear difference however is that the Nordic countries do not include pseudocereals. Which grains are to be included are sometimes determined by the grains that dominate on the market in a region. Another determining factor is what the definition should be used for: scientific studies (where consumption should be related to health effects), consumer information or product development.