Webinar
Behind the Grain: Refining Perspectives on the Public Health Role of Enriched and Fortified Grain Foods
Date: Thursday, February 19, 2026
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET
This CPE activity webinar is CDR approved with 1.25 CPEUs awarded.
Since the 1940s, enrichment and fortification of staple grain foods have addressed public health issues by improving micronutrient intake and associated diet quality, nearly eliminating B vitamin deficiency diseases, and significantly reducing the prevalence of neural tube defects – which is critical since Americans don’t eat enough whole grain foods to achieve these benefits. Enriched and fortified refined grain foods have also become a primary source of dietary fiber, an underconsumed nutrient of public health concern.
Despite these science-based public health successes, the new 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend eating no enriched and fortified grain foods. At the same time, consumers are increasingly focusing on achieving macronutrient targets – with an emphasis on eating more protein – to achieve better health. Focusing only on whole grain foods, without acknowledging the other staple grain foods that Americans enjoy, could lead to greater consumer confusion about the beneficial role of carbohydrate-containing foods. Also at risk is exacerbating already low intakes of dietary fiber, inadequacy of key nutrients for vulnerable populations (e.g., iron, folate), worsening diet quality, and increasing the rate of NTDs, as well as associated medical costs.
This webinar will address the scientific rationale behind enrichment and fortification of grain foods and elevate opportunities to help Americans navigate dietary guidance and optimize their health with enriched and fortified staple grain foods as part of a healthy dietary pattern.
Speakers
Heather Eicher-Miller, PhD
Dr. Eicher-Miller is a professor in the department of Nutrition Science at Purdue University and serves as the Director of Indiana’s Emergency Food Network. Her research is focused on food insecurity which affects 12% of U.S. households and creates uncertainty regarding the availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods.
Dr. Eicher-Miller’s work has documented immediate and chronic adverse dietary and health outcomes associated with food insecurity among diverse populations. Her efforts to evaluate and create evidence-based interventions, programs, and policies has reduced food insecurity and improved access to resources which enhance health. She has also developed novel analytical and methodological techniques, including temporal dietary patterning, to more effectively quantify and evaluate the relationship between food insecurity, diet, and health.
Dr. Eicher-Miller holds an MS and PhD from Purdue University.
Chesney Richter, PhD
Chesney K. Richter, PhD is a nutrition scientist at Nutrition In Demand with expertise in dietary patterns, cardiovascular health and nutrient contributions of foods within U.S. dietary guidance. Her research interests include cardiometabolic risk factors, such as blood lipids, blood pressure, and inflammation, and the role of specific foods or supplements and dietary patterns in chronic disease prevention.
Dr. Richter’s work includes randomized controlled trials, controlled feeding studies, and population-based analyses examining plant-based foods, omega-3 fatty acids, and nutrient adequacy in U.S. diets. Her research has contributed to peer-reviewed publications in leading nutrition and medical journals and to scientific statements informing cardiovascular nutrition guidance.
Dr. Richter holds a dual-title PhD in Nutritional Sciences and Clinical & Translational Science from The Pennsylvania State University and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Arizona.
