Americans Are Eating More Rice

Food Consumption Americans Are Eating More Rice Nathan Childs (202) 219-0840 lthough rice has not histori Growth in use will likely be Use Soars, Diversifies Acally been a major item in strongest among processed prod Since the Late 1970's the American diet, U.S. con ucts-specifically packaged rice sumption is on the rise and is ex mixes-as demand for prepared During the 1970's, total U.S. rice pected to continue increasing foods continues to grow. Use of consumption (including imports, during the rest of the 1990's. rice in pet food should continue to which were minute during that pe Continuing to move rice away expand, as premium high-quality riod) grew 27 percent. But in the from merely side-dish status at lines see greater sales as the econ 1980's, consumption rose 76 per meals will be the fast-growing omy picks up. Growth will also cent. Per capita consumption, in Asian-American and Hispanic likely remain strong for certain spe cluding brewers' use, was nearly American populations, improved cialty rices, such as brown rice, as 22 pounds in 1991--double the health awareness among consum consumers demand fiber-rich amount in 1975. If present growth ers coupled with a perception of foods. rates continue, per capita use rice as a healthy food, greater con venience in preparing rice, tasti ness of rice with many entrees, a large variety of prepared rice dishes and flavored mixes avail able, a greater number of restau rants serving rice dishes, and adaptation of rice by-products (such as brokens, rice bran, and rice-bran oil) to new consumer uses. Prior to the 1989 /90 market year for rice, more rice was exported -I' from the United States than was eaten or used in beer by Americans each year. In the 1990's, however, U.S. rice exports have shown little long-term growth, and domestic use has exceeded exports. Today, domestic consumption is outpac ing population growth, leading to continued growth in per capita use. The author is an agricultural economist with the U.S. consump#on of rice Is on the rise and Is expected to continue Increasing during Commodity Economics Division, Economic Re the rest of the 1990 's. If present growth rates continue, per capita use should be at least search Service, USDA. 25 pounds by 1995. Food Consumption should be at least 25 pounds by tion as a whole. Some consumer Specialty Rices Have 1995. surveys indicate that, in certain lo Become More Popular U.S. rice consumption is divided calities, Asian-Americans eat up to into three categories: direct food 150 pounds of rice a year, com Direct food use of rice expanded use, processed food, and beer. Di pared with the national average of faster in the 1980's and early 1990's rect food use is the largest category around 18 pounds. Currently the than during the previous 15 years. and includes regular milled white fastest growing ethnic group in the And, consumption of domestically rice as well as specialty rices, such United States, Asian-Americans grown specialty rice has risen at a as parboiled, precooked, pre have contributed to the increasing faster pace than regular milled cooked-parboiled, precooked-par per capita rice consumption. white rice. boiled brown rice, brown rice, and Asian-Americans accounted for Domestic specialty rices' share aromatic rice (see box). 43 percent (2.48 million people) of of direct food use rose from 18 per The share of the domestic rice total immigration into the United cent, or 3.4 million hundredweight market going to direct food use has States from 1981 to 1989. The num (cwt) in 1980/81, to about 21 per averaged almost 59 percent during ber of Asian-Americans in the cent (6 million cwt) in 1990/91. the last decade, while that going to United States doubled in the These figures would be even processed food has expanded from 1980's, rising from 1.6 percent of higher if they included imported 14 to over 21 percent. Brewers' the population in 1980 to about 3 specialty rices and specialty rices share has declined from 25 to un percent in 1990. used in processed foods. Such im der 20 percent. Hispanic-Americans are the Na ports, which came to almost 3.5 mil tion's second fastest growing popu lion cwt (milled basis) in 1990/91, have been expanding. Trend Will Likely lation group, increasing 53 percent during the 1980's. Hispanic-Ameri Growth over the last decade has Continue With Changing cans accounted for 9 percent of the been strongest for brown rice and Ethnic Mix total U.S. population in 1990. parboiled (including precooked As the number of Americans African-Americans also eat parboiled) rice. These two specialty rices are perceived as nutritious, who eat rice as a primary staple in more rice per capita than the na their diet increases, direct food use tional average, and their numbers rich in vitamins and minerals, an aid to good health, and good could expand in the 1990's at a are growing faster than the popula sources of fiber. greater pace than during the tion as a whole. The African-Ameri can population expanded 13.2 1980's. Parboiled Asian-Americans and Hispanic percent between 1980 and 1990, to constitute 12.1 percent of the Na Parboiled rice is soaked as Americans consume more rice per tion. rough rice in water, drained, and person than does the U.S. popula- then heated, typically by steaming. In this process, nutrients that would normally be lost during mill ing are retained in the kernel of the Figure l rice. All parboiled rice is southern U.S. Rice Consumption Has Soared Since the Late 1970's long grain. Parboiled rice has supe Million cwt rior milling qualities-fewer ker 60 nels are broken in the process Beer1 compared with regular milled white rice. Processed food Although it takes more time, Direct parboiled rice is also easier to cook 30 food use2 l than regular milled white rice, dis integrates less during cooking, re mains better separated, and sticks together less. Parboiled rice retains its shape, texture, and taste longer 0 1966/67 1980/81 1990/91 after cooking than does regular Marketing year milled white rice. These are impor tant properties for restaurants that 2 'Treasury Department data. 1ncludes imports, specialty rices, and regular milled white rices. place food under heat lamps or in FoodReview 20 Food Consumption Separating the Different Types of Rice Aromatic Rice be eaten as is, or may be milled Rice oil is extracted from rice These scented rices include into regular-milled white rice. bran. basmati and jasmine rice. Cooked brown rice has a slightly Basmati rice has a distinctive chewy texture and a nutty flavor. Rough Rice odor when cooked, has a desir- The light brown color is caused Also called paddy rice, is har- able taste, doubles its grain by the presence of seven bran lay- vested, whole-kernel rice with length, and the grains remain ers, which are very rich in miner- the hull remaining. Rough rice is completely separate. Basmati rice als and vitamins-especially the sold to mills for dehulling and is grown mostly in the Punjab B-complex group. polishing. area of central Pakistan and northern India, and is mainly Head Rice Second Heads bought by higher income Middle Whole kernels of milled rice. Fragments of grains broken Eastern countries and the United The kernel must be at least three- during milling, which are at least States. Basmati rice is sold at fourths the length of a whole ker- one-half as long as whole kernel prices roughly double those for nel. but less than three-fourths. This long-grain rice. is the largest size of broken rice. Parboiled Rice Also includes jasmine rice, Rough rice soaked in warm Grain Sizes which is a fragrant rice preferred water under pressure, steamed, Rice in the United States is pro- by much of the Asian community and dried before milling. Par- duced and marketed according in the United States. Jasmine boiled rice cooks up fluffier and to three Government-established rices cook soft, moist, and clingy. sticks together less than does grain size and shape types-long, Almost all jasmine rice imports regular milled white rice. Desired medium, and short. The length/ are from Thailand. by consumers who like a chewy width ratio is 3.0 or more for and wholesome taste, but takes long-grain rice, 2.0-2.9 for me- Brewers' Rice longer to cook than regular dium-grain rice, and 1.9 and be- The smallest size of broken milled white rice. low for short-grain rice. rice fragments. Used in making Long-grain rice accounts for pet foods and as a source of car- Precooked Rice bohydrates in brewing. about 70 percent of U.S. rice pro- Rice that has been cooked and duction, medium-grain almost 30 dehydrated after milling. This re- Brokens percent, and short-grain less than duces the time required for cook- 1 percent. Most long-grain rice in Kernels of rice that are less ing. Includes quick-cooking rices, than three-fourths of the length the United States is grown in the instant rices, and boil-in-the-bag southern producing area (Arkan- of the whole kernels. Brokens are rices. used in beer, processed foods, sas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Mis- and pet foods. souri, and Texas). Over half of all Rice Bran medium-grain rice comes from The outer cuticle layers and Brown Rice California, with Arkansas and germ directly beneath the hull.

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