A staple food is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for an individual or a population group, supplying a large fraction of energy needs and generally forming a significant proportion of the intake of other nutrients as well. For humans, a staple food of a specific society may be eaten as often as every day or every meal, and most people live on a diet based on just a small variety of food staples. Specific staples vary from place to place but typically are inexpensive or readily available foods that supply one or more of the macronutrients and micronutrients needed for survival and health: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, and vitamins.
The Essence of Staple Foods
At its core, a staple food is a dietary cornerstone, a food item consumed regularly and in substantial amounts, forming the foundation of an individual's or community's diet. These foods are not mere side dishes; they are the primary sources of energy and nutrients, often dictating the overall health and well-being of those who depend on them.
Characteristics of Staple Foods
Staple foods are derived from either plant or animal products that are digestible by humans and can be supplied in substantial quantities. Generally, staple foods are those eaten in bulk that supply energy to humans, predominantly in the form of sugars and carbohydrates, and so are mainly plant-based, as meats and eggs are predominantly protein and fat, though dairy products provide all these.
Several characteristics define a staple food:
- Regular Consumption: Staple foods are consumed frequently, often daily, becoming a habitual part of the diet.
- Significant Contribution: They provide a large proportion of the daily energy and nutrient requirements.
- Accessibility: Staple foods are typically inexpensive and readily available within a specific region.
- Cultural Significance: They are often deeply embedded in the cultural traditions and culinary practices of a population.
- Versatility: Many staple foods can be prepared in various ways, adding diversity to the diet.
Historical Significance
Early agricultural civilizations valued the crop foods that they established as staples because, in addition to providing necessary nutrition, they generally are suitable for storage over long periods of time without decay. Such nonperishable foods are the only possible staples during seasons of shortage, such as dry seasons or cold temperate winters, against which times harvests have been stored.
Read also: Essential Plant-Based Foods
Examples of Staple Foods
Typical examples include grains (cereals and legumes), seeds, nuts, and root vegetables (tubers and roots). Common plant-based staples include cereals (e.g. rice, wheat, maize, millet, barley, oats, rye, spelt, emmer, triticale, and sorghum), starchy tubers (e.g. potato, sweet potato, yam, and taro) or root vegetables (e.g. cassava, turnip, carrot, rutabagas) and dried legumes (lentils and beans). Animal-based staples include various types of meat (typically livestock and poultry), fish, eggs, milk, and dairy products (e.g. cheese). Other staple foods include sago (derived from the pith of the sago palm tree), and large, fleshy fruits (e.g. breadfruit, breadnut, coconut, and plantains).
Just 15 plant crops provide 90 percent of the world's food energy intake (exclusive of meat), with rice, maize, and wheat comprising 2/3 of human food consumption. Roots and tubers, meanwhile, are important staples for over one billion people in the developing world, accounting for roughly 40 percent of the food eaten by half the population of sub-Saharan Africa. Roots and tubers are high in carbohydrates, calcium, and vitamin C, but low in protein.
Cereal Grains
Cereal grains are a cornerstone of diets worldwide. Rice is a food staple for more than 3.5 billion people around the world, particularly in Asia, Latin America, and parts of Africa. Rice has been cultivated in Asia for thousands of years. Scientists believe people first domesticated rice in India or Southeast Asia. Rice arrived in Japan in about 3,000 years ago. The Portuguese most likely introduced it into South America in the 16th century. Today, the world’s largest rice producers are China, India, and Indonesia. Outside of Asia, Brazil is the largest rice producer. Rice grows in warm, wet climates. It thrives in waterlogged soil, such as in the flood plains of Asian rivers like the Ganges and the Mekong. "Deepwater rice" is a variety of rice that is adapted to deep flooding and is grown in eastern Pakistan, Vietnam, and Burma.
Corn, known outside the United States as maize, is native to Central America, where it was domesticated by the Aztecs and Mayans. Corn remains the most widely grown crop in the Americas today. The United States is the world’s largest corn grower, producing more than 40 percent of the world’s corn. China, Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina also produce large amounts of corn. Corn is used in a variety of ways and can be stored relatively easily. This is why it is such a popular food staple. Dried, ground corn is called cornmeal. Many cultures make porridge out of cornmeal, including polenta in Italy and sadza in Zimbabwe. Cornmeal is also used to make cornbread or treated with limewater to make masa, the main ingredient in tortillas. Corn kernels can be soaked in lye to produce hominy. Coarsely ground hominy is used to make grits, a popular food in the southeastern United States. Grits are a popular breakfast food, as are corn flakes and other cereals made from corn. Brazilians make a dessert called canjica by boiling corn kernels in sweetened milk. In the Americas and the United Kingdom, many people like to boil, grill, or roast whole ears of corn and simply eat the kernels off the cob. Cooked kernels may also be removed from the cob and served as a vegetable. Certain varieties of corn kernels, when dried, will explode when heated, producing popcorn. Corn is also used to produce corn oil, sweeteners such as corn syrup, and cornstarch, which is used as a sweetener and thickening agent in home cooking and processed food products. Alcohol from fermented corn is the source of bourbon whiskey.
Wheat was first domesticated in the Middle East, in the area known as the Cradle of Civilization near what is now Iraq. Domesticating this reliable, versatile staple food was key to the development of agriculture. Wheat grows well in temperate climates, even those with a short growing season. Today, China, India, the United States, Russia, and France are among the largest wheat producers in the world. The majority of breads are made with wheat flour. Wheat flour is also used in pasta, pastries, crackers, breakfast cereals, and noodles. Wheat can be crushed into bulgur, which has a high nutritional value and is often used in soups and pastries in the Middle East.
Read also: Staple Foods of India
Roots and Tubers
In addition to cereal grains, roots and tubers are common food staples, particularly in tropical regions. Yams are an important food in the rainforests of West Africa. They are most commonly peeled, boiled, and pounded into a pulp to make a dough called fufu. Cassava, also known as manioc, is a food staple for more than 500 million people. This tuber originated in the Amazon rainforest of South America and was introduced into West Africa in the 16th century. Now, cassava is important to the diets of many people in Latin America and Africa. Taro is a staple food on some of the Pacific islands, such as Hawai'i, Fiji, and New Caledonia, and also in West Africa. The Hawaiian national dish, poi, is a thick paste made from taro that has been boiled, mashed, and fermented. Potatoes are native to the cold climate of the Andes Mountains. They were the food staple of the Inca Empire in the 15th and 16th centuries. Introduced to Europe by explorers of the 16th century, potatoes are now a food staple in Europe and parts of the Americas. The leading potato producers are China, Russia, India, the United States, and Ukraine.
Animal Products
However, not all places are suitable for agriculture, and so pastoralism can be favored instead, as it has the advantage that animals can live off of land unsuitable for agricultural crops and consume the local plant matter that is otherwise inedible to humans and convert that into-meat, offal, fat, eggs and milk-that humans can eat. Animals can therefore provide staples to human diets in inhospitable ecosystems such as deserts, steppe, taiga, tundra, and mountainous terrains.
Regional Variations
The dominant staple foods in different parts of the world are a function of weather patterns, local terrain, farming constraints, acquired tastes, and ecosystems. For example, the main energy source staples in the average African diet are cereals (46 percent), roots and tubers (20 percent), and animal products (7 percent). Most of the human population lives on a diet based on one or more of the following staples: cereals (rice, wheat, maize (corn), millet, and sorghum), roots and tubers (potatoes, cassava, yams, and taro), and animal products such as meat, milk, eggs, cheese, and fish.
Other Food StaplesAlthough cereal grains and tubers make up the majority of the world’s food staples, they are not the only dominant foods in the world. The Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania have traditionally relied on food provided by cattle for the majority of their diet. Milk, meat, and blood are traditional ingredients in Maasai diets. Today, grain has become a staple food of the Maasai, but they still drink large quantities of milk. Cultures indigenous to polar climates, where fresh fruits and vegetables are scarce, rely on meat and fish as food staples. For example, indigenous peoples in Alaska and northern Canada have traditionally eaten seal, walrus, and whale meat in addition to many kinds of fish. In tropical climates, people often rely on starchy fruits such as plantains and breadfruit. In parts of Africa and Asia, especially India, legumes such as beans, lentils, and chickpeas are staple foods.
Nutritional Considerations
Consumed in isolation, staple foods do not provide the full range of essential nutrients. The nutrient-deficiency disease pellagra is associated with a diet consisting primarily of maize, while the disease beriberi is associated with a diet of refined white rice. Scurvy can result from a lack of vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid.
Read also: The Hoxsey Diet
Most staple foods are currently produced using modern, conventional farming practices. Rice is most commonly cooked and eaten as separate entire grains, but most other staple cereals are milled into a flour or meal that can be used to make bread, noodles, pasta, porridge, and mushes like mealie pap (although both can be eaten either as grains or ground into flour). Root vegetables can be mashed and used to make porridge-like dishes such as poi and fufu.
Staple Foods and SNAP Eligibility
Retail food stores must meet Criterion A or Criterion B staple food requirements in order to be eligible to participate in SNAP. Staple foods are the basic foods that make up a significant portion of a person’s diet and are usually prepared at home and eaten as a meal. Staple foods do not include prepared or heated foods or accessory foods. The four staple food categories include: Fruits or vegetables; Meat, poultry, or fish; Dairy products; and Breads or cereals. Staple food varieties1 are different types of food within a staple food category. Included below are lists of acceptable staple food varieties in the four staple food categories, which can be used to determine whether or not a food item is a staple food for purposes of SNAP retailer eligibility. The lists also indicate which food items are considered to be perishable staple food varieties, which are either frozen staple food items or fresh, unrefrigerated, or refrigerated staple food items that would spoil or suffer significant deterioration in quality within 2-3 weeks at room temperature. Please note that a shelf-stable food item that does not require refrigeration until after it is opened is not a perishable food. Also included below is an illustrative list of examples of staple food stocking units. A stocking unit is a can, bunch, box, bag, or package in which a product is usually sold. The lists of examples that follow are intended to be illustrative and provide guidance, and should not be construed as an exhaustive list of staple food varieties or staple food stocking units.
Examples of Staple Food Stocking Units
Stocking units are a can, bunch, box, bag, or package in which a product is usually sold. This list of examples serves to define “stocking unit” for the purposes of Criterion A eligibility. If a food item would not usually be sold individually, then it does not individually constitute a stocking unit. Such food items are usually sold in bunches, boxes, bags, or packages with a number of other identical items (e.g., a loaf of bread, a bunch of grapes, a carton of eggs, a bag of rice, or a package of sliced turkey). The individual sale of such food items would be impractical, given their small individual size. For such products, it is the bunch, box, bag, or package that represents one stocking unit. What follows is an illustrative, but not exhaustive, list of such products and their standard stocking unit size.
- Small fruit and berries: a package of blueberries or a package of strawberries
- Leaf vegetables: a head of lettuce or a bunch of collard green leaves
- Stalk/root vegetables: a bunch of carrots or a bunch of celery sticks
- Deli sliced items: a package of turkey slices or a package of cheddar cheese slices
- Grains: a bag or sack of rice or a box of oatmeal
If a food item is usually or often sold singly, then that single unit may constitute one stocking unit. What follows is an illustrative, but not exhaustive, list of such products and their standard stocking unit sizes:
- Loose fruit: a banana or an apple
- Large fruits or vegetables: a watermelon or a pumpkin
- Small portion or single-serving packages: a yogurt cup or a fruit cup
If a food item (e.g., grains, dried fruits, nuts, deli cold cuts, etc.) is stored singly in a common container or unit, but sold to customers by weight, then the standard stocking unit is considered to be one pound. A bulk canister containing three pounds of dried cranberries, available to and sold to the customer by weight, therefore, would constitute three stocking units of one variety in the fruit or vegetable staple food category. If FNS determines that a bunch, box, bag, or package usually sold as a unit has been subdivided into unreasonably small units in order to meet this depth of stock provision, FNS will not consider such food items to constitute a stocking unit for the purposes of this depth of stock provision.
Vegetables or Fruits Category
In the vegetables or fruits staple food category, “variety” is generally defined by product kind or main ingredient. This means that apples, bananas, and lettuce each represent discrete varieties. This also means that 100% apple juice and applesauce are not each considered discrete varieties, as they are both considered apples. For multiple-ingredient food products, the first ingredient determines variety; a can of ravioli with tomato sauce listed as the first ingredient would constitute a variety in the vegetables or fruits staple food category (i.e., tomato). What follows is an illustrative, but not exhaustive, list of eight acceptable varieties in the vegetables or fruits staple food category. Within each variety are two different examples of food items for that variety. The multiple-ingredient food item examples in this list would be acceptable only if the main ingredient is in the vegetables or fruits staple category. Perishable foods are indicated with an asterisk (*).
Vegetables or Fruits Examples
- Potatoes (potatoes* or frozen tater tots*)
- Oranges (100% orange juice* or fresh oranges*)
- Tomatoes (canned tomato soup or sun-dried tomatoes)
- Apples (dried apples or pre-cut apple go-packs*)
- Pumpkin (canned pumpkin or fresh whole pumpkin)
- Bananas (fresh bananas* or frozen bananas*)
- Lettuce (fresh head of iceberg lettuce* or pre-cut and bagged romaine lettuce*)
- Pineapples (canned pineapple rings or fresh whole pineapple*)
Meat, Poultry, or Fish Category
In the meat, poultry, or fish staple food category, “variety” is generally defined by product kind or main ingredient. This means that chicken, pork, and beef each represent discrete varieties. This also means that beefsteak and ground beef are not each considered discrete varieties, as they are both considered beef. For multiple-ingredient food products, the first ingredient determines variety. For example, a can of beef stew with beef listed as the first ingredient would constitute a variety in the meat, poultry, or fish staple food category (i.e., beef). What follows is an illustrative, but not exhaustive, list of eight acceptable varieties in this staple food category. Within each variety are two different examples of food items for that variety. The examples of multiple ingredient food items in this list would be acceptable only if the listed main ingredient would be considered a variety in the meat, poultry, or fish staple category. Perishable foods are indicated with an asterisk (*).
Meat, Poultry, or Fish Examples
- Turkey (e.g., fresh deli-sliced turkey* or fresh ground turkey*)
- Chicken (e.g., fresh chicken cutlets* or frozen chicken nuggets*)
- Beef (e.g., fresh ground beef* or beef jerky)
- Tuna (e.g., fresh albacore tuna steak* or canned albacore tuna fish)
- Catfish (e.g., frozen catfish filet* or smoked packaged catfish)
- Lamb/Mutton (e.g., fresh lamb chops* or fresh ground lamb*)
- Pork (e.g., pork loin* or fresh sliced ham*)
- Chicken eggs (e.g., fresh chicken eggs* or liquid chicken egg whites*
Dairy Category
In the dairy products staple food category, “variety” is generally defined by product kind or main ingredient. This means that yogurt, cheese, and milk each represent discrete varieties. This also means that Swiss cheese and cheddar cheese are not each considered discrete varieties, as they are both considered cheese. Plant-based dairy products are also considered a variety in the dairy products staple food category based on their main ingredient and the traditional dairy product for which they are a substitute. For multiple-ingredient food products, the first ingredient determines the variety such that a jar of Alfredo sauce with milk listed as the first ingredient would constitute a variety in the dairy products staple food category (i.e., milk). Exceptions to this include plant-based dairy products, butter substitutes, and infant formula, which are considered staple food varieties in the dairy products category even though the first listed ingredient of those products is not always dairy-based. What follows is an illustrative, but not exhaustive, list of nine acceptable varieties in the dairy products staple food category. Within each variety are two different examples of food items for that variety. The multiple ingredient food item examples in this list would be acceptable only if the main ingredient is in the dairy products staple category (with the exceptions of plant-based milked alternatives, butter substitutes, and infant formula). Perishable foods are indicated with an asterisk (*).
Dairy Examples
- Cheese (e.g., fresh deli sliced cheddar cheese* or packaged grated parmesan cheese)
- Milk (e.g., skim milk* or whole milk*)
- Almond-based milk (e.g., refrigerated almond milk* or shelf-stable almond milk)
- Butter (e.g., frozen sweet cream butter* or fresh salted butter*)
- Butter substitute (e.g., margarine* or non-dairy spread*)
- Sour cream (e.g., fresh, lite sour cream* or fresh, organic sour cream*)
- Yogurt (e.g., fresh whole milk French vanilla yogurt* or fresh nonfat peach yogurt*)
- Infant formula (e.g., liquid, ready-to-feed formula or powdered milk formula)
- Soy infant formula (e.g., liquid, ready-to-feed formula or powdered soy formula)
Bread or Cereals Category
In the bread or cereals staple food category, “variety” is generally defined by product kind or main ingredient. This means that buns/rolls, bread, and pitas each represent discrete varieties. This also means that hotdog buns and hamburger buns are not each considered discrete varieties, as they are both considered buns/rolls. For multiple-ingredient food products, the first ingredient determines variety such that a frozen chicken pot pie with wheat flour listed as the first ingredient would constitute a variety in the bread or cereals staple food category (i.e., wheat). What follows is an illustrative, but not exhaustive, list of nine acceptable varieties in the breads or cereals staple food category. Within each variety are two different examples of food items for that variety. The multi-ingredient food examples in this list would be acceptable only if the main ingredient is in the bread or cereal staple category. Perishable foods are indicated with an asterisk (*).
Bread or Cereals Examples
- Bread (e.g., a loaf of rye bread* or a loaf of multigrain bread*)
- Pasta (e.g., gluten-free spaghetti or whole wheat rotini)
- Tortillas (e.g., corn tortillas* or flour tortillas*)
- Bagels (e.g., poppy seed bagels* or plain bagels*)
- Pitas (e.g., low-carb pita* or whole wheat pita*)
- Cold breakfast cereal (e.g., rice-based cereal or oat-based cereal)
- Buns/rolls (e.g., frozen dinner rolls* or hot dog buns*)
- Infant cereal (e.g., wheat-based infant cereal or oat-based infant cereal)
- Rice (e.g., a bag of rice or a rice-based frozen meal*)
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