General Mills Is Making a Big Bet That ‘Kernza’ Is the Grain of the Future
The health food and environmentally conscious crowd always seem to be touting the latest in hip grains. For a while, “ancient grains” seemed to be the top choice – with quinoa, spelt and sorghum appearing everywhere. But now, a major player in the food game, General Mills, is making an investment in another grain you may not have previously heard of before: Kernza.
General Mills has earmarked a half-million dollar charitable donation to support research of the emerging grain, a relative of wheat, according to Food Business News. Specifically, the donation will go to the Forever Green Initiative at the University of Minnesota in partnership with The Land Institute, a non-profit organization and creator of the “Kernza” name. Additionally, General Mill’s organic brand Cascadian Farm has agreed to make an initial purchase of the grain – though how much and what the brand plans to use it for aren’t being disclosed. Still, these moves have already given Kernza a boost, propelling the little-known grain into the news.