Multigrain saltine crackers are made using a blend of enriched wheat flour and whole grain flours, as opposed to the original recipe which uses enriched wheat flour. Despite the addition of multiple grain flours, saltine crackers with multigrain contain no fiber, and no more protein or vitamins than the original saltine crackers.
Nutritional Facts
A 14 g serving of saltine crackers with multigrain is the equivalent of about six crackers and contains 60 calories, including 10 g carbohydrates, 1.5 g fat, 170 mg sodium, and 1 g protein. Each serving yields 4 percent of the Recommended Daily Allowance for iron established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The original saltine crackers have 60 Calories per serving, but a slightly higher amount of carbohydrates with 11 g and sodium with 190 mg.
Ingredients
Nabisco lists the ingredients for Saltines with Multigrain as enriched flour -- wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, or Vitamin B2, folic acid, soy bean oil, whole grains -- barley, millet, triticale, sorghum, rye, whole wheat flour, salt, partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, baking soda, malted barley flour, calcium carbonate and yeast.
Multigrain Defined
While consumers may be led to think anything labeled "multigrain" is a wholesome, nutritious product, it does not need to meet any nutritional criteria to be labeled this way. Barbara Schneeman, Ph.D., the director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's office of nutritional products, labeling and dietary supplements reported on CBS news in 2006 that "using the term multigrain or seven-grain doesn't necessarily mean that product contains whole grains."
History
Premium saltines were first made in 1876. Later, the Nabisco company bought the Premium company and continued manufacturing the crackers as Premium saltines, which are thin white squarish crackers dusted with salt. Nabisco makes multiple saltine varieties under the Premium Saltine label including fat-free, low sodium, unsalted tops, mini saltine, and soup and oyster crackers. Premium Saltine with multigrain is the only product with multiple grain flours.
Considerations
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration defines "whole grains" as cereal grains including corn, rice, oats and wheat, and they must be intact, ground, cracked or flaked. In other words, the entire whole grain kernel is being used in processing, including the bran, germ, and endosperm. The bran and germ contain the unsaturated fats, fiber, protein, and B vitamins that support health. When processors refine grains, they remove the bran and germ, therefore taking away these nutrients, in order to extend the shelf-life of the flour and give it a finer texture. Saltines with multigrain are made with mostly enriched, refined wheat flour and some whole grains.
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