Why aren’t there more whole grain products on the market? Whole grain pasta is rare on supermarket shelves and costs about twice as much as regular pasta. Despite the presence of “seven grain” breads and several types of wheat bread, the labels on most of these do not say “whole wheat” or “whole grain”. White rice is plentiful; brown rice (which I assume is whole grain) is much less so.
Are whole grain products more expensive to produce? What is it about their taste or texture that allows the refined products to so thoroughly dominate whole grain products in the marketplace?
Well, that wheat pasta is naaaasty - a lot of people, me included, don’t like the texture at all. I don’t know why you don’t see more of the other products, but that’s probably the reason for not seeing the gross wheat pasta.
Among other things, whole grains generally contain more fatty acids and oils (and other complex chemicals like vitamins) than the predominantly starchy kernel used in refined grain products. These go rancid or spoil, decreasing shelf life and requiring more careful control of conditions by manufacturers, distributors and retailers.
For example, wheat germ should usually be refrigerated after opening, and used within months, or it will develop a rancid smell and flavor and breakdown products which can actually be unhealthy. Refined flour, which is almost entirely starch and a little protein, may not spoil for years at cool dry room conditons (which implies a modest exclusion of air, but not necessarily a seal).
In the case of some oil-rich grains, like flax seed, spoilage can be rapid and serious.