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. 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. 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. This article explores the staple foods that are most important to the American diet, considering their historical context, nutritional value, and cultural significance.
Defining "Staple Food"
A staple food is defined as a food that is eaten regularly, even daily, and supplies a major proportion of a person’s energy and nutritional needs. These foods are the foundation of a diet, providing the bulk of calories and essential nutrients necessary for sustaining life. Staple foods are derived from either plant or animal products that are digestible by humans and can be supplied in substantial quantities. 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).
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.
Historical Context of Staple Foods in America
The history of staple foods in America is deeply rooted in the continent's indigenous crops and the influence of immigrant populations. Pre-colonial foodways were heavily dependent on native plants and animals. The Routledge History of American Foodways highlights the diets of pre-colonial populations.
Native American Staples
Before European colonization, Native American diets varied greatly depending on the region. However, certain foods were common staples across many tribes. Corn, beans, and squash, often referred to as the "Three Sisters," were cultivated together and formed the basis of many diets. These crops provided carbohydrates, protein, and essential vitamins and minerals.
Read also: Essential Plant-Based Foods
Influence of Colonization
With the arrival of Europeans, new staple foods were introduced to the Americas, and vice versa. Wheat, rice, and livestock became increasingly important in the diets of both colonists and Native Americans. The Columbian Exchange dramatically altered the food landscape, leading to the widespread adoption of crops and animals from both hemispheres.
Key Staple Foods in America Today
Today, the American diet is diverse, but certain foods remain dietary cornerstones. These staples contribute significantly to the population’s energy and nutritional intake.
Corn (Maize)
Corn, known outside the United States as maize, is native to Central America, where it was domesticated by the Aztecs and Mayans. 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 incredibly versatile and used in many forms. 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
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
Rice
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.
Potatoes
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.
Other Notable Staples
Beyond these primary staples, several other food groups play significant roles in the American diet:
- Meat, Poultry, and Fish: These provide essential proteins and fats.
- Dairy Products: Milk, cheese, and yogurt are important sources of calcium and other nutrients.
- Fruits and Vegetables: These contribute vitamins, minerals, and fiber to the diet.
- Legumes: Beans, lentils, and other legumes are valuable sources of protein and fiber.
Nutritional Considerations
While staple foods provide the bulk of energy and nutrients, they do not always offer a complete nutritional profile. 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. It is essential to supplement staple foods with a variety of other foods to ensure a balanced diet.
The Role of Staple Foods in Food Security
Staple foods play a crucial role in food security, ensuring that populations have access to a reliable and affordable source of nutrition. 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. However, factors such as climate change, economic inequality, and political instability can threaten the availability and accessibility of staple foods, leading to food insecurity.
Read also: Global Staple Food Variations
Staple Food Varieties for SNAP Retailer 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 Varieties
Click on each category to view a description and examples of food varieties in each category:
- Vegetables or Fruits Category
- Meat, Poultry, or Fish Category
- Dairy Category
- Bread or Cereals Category
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*)