Naked barley is a rich source of fiber and nutrients but is not widely consumed due to various challenges. There is also no uniform or standardized way of classifying food barley. In order to address these challenges, research was carried out by using organic winter and spring naked barley that were grown in the Pacific Northwest, Midwest and Northeast for three years and were assessed using ten food quality traits. Oregon State University scientists studied how genetics and environment influence barley composition and functionality. A minimum number of traits that could usefully characterize the overall food functionality of naked barley were also identified. Overall, this study has provided new information on naked barley food quality and it has identified needs for future work to improve food barley as an ongoing effort to encourage people to eat more barley. This presentation will cover the various challenges food barley faces, what constitutes food quality of barley with an emphasis on cooking and baking, and the main takeaways of the research project.