Washington, D.C. – On Sept. 23 and 24, a live wheat field, approximately one quarter of an acre in size, will sprout from the streets of the nation’s capital in an effort to promote food literacy via farm-to-fork wheat education. The American Bakers Association, along with fellow members of the grain chain, will unite to deliver an authentic experience to consumers and members of Congress during the Wheat Foods Council’s second Urban Wheat Field. The event will take place on Maryland Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets, SW.
“ABA is excited to be a part of the Urban Wheat Field in Washington, D.C.,” said Robb MacKie, ABA president and CEO. “This event provides a key opportunity for members of Congress and the public to fully understand what it takes to put food on the table. There is a lot of hard work that goes into producing each loaf of bread or box of crackers.”
Highlights of the Urban Wheat Field exhibit include:
- A guided tour to take groups through every step of wheat growth and harvest via a live wheatfield and a full-size combine.
- A milling area, which demonstrates how grain becomes flour that is used to make the foods theyeat. Visitors will see an operating mill and grind their own flour with tabletop grinders afterexiting the wheat field.
- Live baking demonstrations that take place throughout the day and a baking station that will behanding out hot out of the oven fresh bread for sampling, allowing visitors to learn how milledflour is transformed into everyday foods.
- Registered dietitians on hand to teach people about the way in which wheat foods fuel the bodyand provide essential nutrients. Against the backdrop of a mock grocery store aisle, nutritionexperts will deliver a lesson in reading nutrition facts labels and determining proper serving sizes,as well as explain the benefits of whole grain and enriched grain foods.
The Urban Wheat Field is designed to foster a better understanding of a food’s nutrition and lineage by enabling people to experience the process by which a kernel of wheat becomes a wheat food. To learn more, visit the Wheat Foods Council’s Web site at www.wheatfoods.org.
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About the American Bakers Association
The American Bakers Association (ABA) is the Washington D.C.-based voice of the wholesale baking industry. Since 1897, ABA has represented the interests of bakers before the U.S. Congress, federal agencies, and international regulatory authorities. ABA advocates on behalf of more than 700 baking facilities and baking company suppliers. ABA members produce bread, rolls, crackers, bagels, sweet goods, tortillas and many other wholesome, nutritious, baked products for America’s families. The baking industry generates more than $70 billion in economic activity annually and employs close to half a million highly skilled people.
About the Wheat Foods Council
The Wheat Foods Council is a nonprofit organization formed in 1972 to help increase public awareness of grains, complex carbohydrates, and fiber as essential components of a healthful diet. The Council is supported voluntarily by wheat producers, millers, bakers and related industries.
Source: American Bakers Association