Sorghum for Schools

Have you ever had quinoa in the base of your buddha bowl at a restaurant? Maybe a turkey & ham sandwich on rye bread for lunch? A farro salad at a family cookout? Well, these are all ancient grains, a type of grain that has remained mostly unmodified by humans for over the past thousands of years. This means that these grains still contain an abundance of fiber and essential vitamins & minerals, unlike their genetically modified counterparts, wheat and corn, which aren’t as nutritionally beneficial. 

Sorghum - up close.

Different countries around the world have embraced these holistically advantageous grains, with African, Middle Eastern, Indian, and Chinese cultures consistently incorporating these grains into their traditional recipes and daily life. But sadly, the West has not appreciated these ancient grains as much as the other aforementioned regions, but it looks like that might be about to change.

On July 20, 2022, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a press statement indicating that they will now be including an ancient grain in the USDA’s Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs - sorghum.

First, you may be wondering what sorghum is. Well, sorghum is an ancient grain, and like the others mentioned above, is full of nutritional benefits. Sorghum contains 27% of your daily fiber needs and 39% of your daily magnesium needs in just one 3.5 ounce serving. They are also a compelling source of polyphenol plant compounds, which act as antioxidants in the human body. This is beneficial because antioxidants help neutralize free radicals, which can be possibly harmful if they accumulate, increasing the risk of disease.

And possibly the most fun fact about sorghum is that it's GLUTEN-FREE. Unlike a lot of ancient grains which contain gluten, sorghum does not. For those who have celiac disease or choose to eat gluten-free, this ancient grain is a great, nutritional option. 

So, why is it important sorghum is being added to the USDA’s Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs? Well, it’s important because the USDA’s Food Buying Guide is what school foodservice directors (the people in charge of determining what food is served at school) follow to buy ingredients for student lunches. On July 1st, 2022, the USDA announced that at least 80% of the grains in schools’ lunches (and breakfasts) each week must come from whole grains and not refined grains (all ancient grains are classified as whole grains). So adding sorghum to this list will open up more foods for the foodservice directors to choose from in order to meet this requirement.

Now you may be wondering what form sorghum will take in student lunches. Top Michelin star-level chefs might be able to incorporate this grain into a meal that makes it taste good, but it might be much harder to do on a national scale and in a way that is appealing enough for students to want to eat in the lunch, or discrete enough that they don’t even know. Well, Lanier Dabruzzi, the Sorghum Checkoff Director of Food Innovations & Institutional Markets, recently said that the sorghum will most likely be found “in bowls, salads, soups, baked goods, and more.”

Hopefully adding sorghum to the USDA’s Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs isn’t the last step the USDA takes in making school lunches healthier and more nutritious, as many advancements still need to be made. Some of these include having more allergy-friendly options, more options that fit different religions dietary restrictions, and overall making the cafeteria a more inclusive and healthy place for all.

Looking to add more sorghum to your diet? Our friends at Bread SRSLY make a wonderful gluten-free sourdough with sorghum.