May 3, 2025 marks the exhilarating 2-minute Kentucky Derby gallop, with mint, shrimp and Brussels sprouts gracing the race’s usually pricey menu.

Food has been the heart and soul behind this grand race of the American South since its 1875 kick-off.

The yearly meet excels with a julep mint cocktail, whose ingredients include water, mint leaves, ice and premium rum. 

According to Forbes, pantries at the horse-racing complex at Churchill Downs will handle over 28,000 bunches of mint. 

This year, the cocktail will face off with 3,000 pounds of shrimp, America’s number one seafood.

The shrimp count is a sliver of that of the 2024 event when the derby organisers had listed 9,000 pounds. 

Also giving the rum a run for its money are 3,120 pounds of Brussels sprouts to make up the salad recipes. 

Like the Super Bowl half-time show when thousands eat guacamole, the Kentucky Derby serves choice foods to over 150,000 guests. 

Expensive Dole Outs

With such lush food offerings, price tends to be always a little elevated at the race, and 2025 is no different.

The official beer or julep mint will set fans back at $22 per glass, while water will cost $5 a bottle. 

Insiders call it “highway robbery” to purchase a Randal Jackson beer here at $18 while in 2001 it cost $7.

Salads will also most likely be in the upper range. Fresh Brussels sprouts for instance normally cost between $3 and 5 a pound at any typical U.S.’ grocer. This hints at their premium cost as a cooked delicacy at the upcoming derby.

So, as the rosy race gets down, mint drinks alongside shrimp and Brussels sprouts will be the real deal.  For the bigger picture, below are statistics on the American love for both foods.

United States Shrimp and Brussels Sprouts Statistics

Shrimp and sprouts are two foods on the opposite ends of the American cuisine economy. While shrimps rank as the most consumed seafood, sprouts are for high end and mostly elderly buyers. 

Other than production leaders the Netherlands, Germany and the UK, the United States is among the biggest Brussel sprouts-consuming nations. By 2019, consumption in the U.S. had risen to 0.78 pounds per capita, from 0.33 pounds in 2011. This means each American eats 0.9 pounds of this salad vegetable per year. 

Does the United States Export Brussels sprouts?  

In 2023, the U.S. ranked third worldwide for sprouts shipments. The export value clocked $37.8 million, representing some 14.5% global trade share. Neighboring Mexico led the tally with over three times the above export value, at $106 million. 

Is the United States a big importer of sprouts? 

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the United States. imports huge amounts of the vegetable. In 2023, for example, imports of fresh sprouts were at $106,485,000, three times the exports. This is even as frozen spouts’ imports a year later, in 2024, amounted to $22,027,000.

How much shrimp does USDA buy each year? 

Unlike sprouts, the U.S.’ shrimp trade takes place in equal measure domestically and internationally. Regarding the domestic facet, the USDA buys millions of dollars worth of shrimp and vegetables annually for school programs. In 2020, the department bought over $75 million of shrimp, which in 2023 would more than triple to $225 million.