Written by: Emily Holdorf, MS, RDN, International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA)
Emily serves as the Influencer & Community Manager at IFPA. With a Master of Science in Human Nutrition from the University of Alabama and a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from SUNY Oneonta, Emily has been a registered dietitian since 2016.
Corn is one of those versatile food items that takes on different identities depending on how it’s classified. Botanically speaking, corn is considered a fruit. However, it is more commonly referred to as either a vegetable or a grain, based on its stage of harvest and usage.
According to the USDA, whether corn is classified as a vegetable or a grain depends on when it is harvested. When corn is still soft and fresh, it is treated as a vegetable. This is the type of corn you typically enjoy on the cob, in frozen niblets, or as canned kernels. However, when corn is left to mature and dry out, it is considered a grain. At this point, the corn can be ground into cornmeal or popped into popcorn.
Where The Food Comes From learned about fruit and vegetable classifications when we visited the University of Georgia back in Season 4, Episode 13: Fruit Or Veggie!?. We thought we knew what’s what, until… watch the full episode now!
The distinction is important when it comes to the way we consume corn in different forms. For example, corn tortillas, polenta, and cornbread are made from dried corn and are classified as grain-based foods. Similarly, popcorn is considered a whole grain. The key factor in determining whether corn is a whole grain or not lies in how it is processed. To be classified as a whole grain, the corn must retain all three parts of the kernel: the bran, germ, and endosperm.
If the corn is milled to remove the bran and germ, it is no longer considered a whole grain. To be sure whether your cornmeal products are whole grain, it’s a good idea to check the Nutrition Facts label on the back of the packaging. Look for terms like “whole corn” or “whole grain corn” to confirm that the product retains all the nutritious components of the grain.
The post Is corn a vegetable or a grain? first appeared in The Foundation for Fresh Produce’s Have A Plant® blog.
About The Foundation For Fresh Produce And Have A Plant® Movement
The Foundation for Fresh Produce’s vision is to grow a healthier world by changing the trajectory of human health. The produce industry has the potential to provide solutions for many of the world’s greatest health and economic challenges – especially those surrounding nutrition and hunger.
The Foundation focuses on improving the appeal of fruit and vegetables as an integral part of people’s diets, supporting the development of infrastructure and supply chain solutions that provide easier access, and establishing strategic alliances that enable children and families to form healthier eating habits.
The transformative Have A Plant® Movement inspires consumers with compelling reasons to believe in the powerful role fruits and vegetables can play to fuel happy, healthy and active lifestyles.
