Trojan — Horse…or Whole Wheat Flour?

To me, this seems like a no-brainer. For a bag of flour to say that it is ‘Whole Wheat Flour’ it needs to contain the whole kernel of wheat. What else could it possibly mean?

According to Wikipedia here (part way down the page) it can mean this in Canada: “It is legal to advertise any food product as “wholewheat” with up to 70% of the germ removed. While the resulting product will contain the benefit of fiber in the nutritional information, it lacks the more recently-discovered health benefits of antioxidants found in the wheat germ. Canadian consumers can be assured of wholegrain products by a label stating 100% whole grain wholewheat.”

Why do I care? Because I’ve been baking whole wheat bread for the last thirty years. I’ve had trouble finding flour I liked and, once I’ve found some, I’ve gone out of my way to purchase it. We believe in whole grains. But I thought that whole wheat flour was whole grain.

This past year we had the opportunity to buy locally grown wheat. I gave a sample of the flour we’ve been using to the gal who would grind my grain. Her analysis? It isn’t 100% whole wheat. She’s owned a health food store and has been grinding grain for thirty-some years. I trust her more than I trust the label on the bag.

But I’m choked.

What’s a Trojan Horse? Wikipedia tells me: “A Trojan Horse has come to mean any trick that causes a target to invite a foe into a securely protected bastion or place.”

That much seems true.