National Rice Month 2021 Off to a Strong Start

ARLINGTON, VA – More than thirty years ago, an act of Congress designated September as National Rice Month (NRM), and ever since the U.S. rice industry has capitalized on the annual month-long celebration to raise awareness of U.S.-grown rice and recognize the contributions the U.S. rice industry makes to America’s economy.  

This year, USA Rice has a full docket of activities to promote consumption of U.S.-grown rice and spotlight all the men and women behind the great grain.  

“National Rice Month gives us the opportunity to shine the light on the folks that work so hard year-round to produce a nutritious and high-quality crop,” said Cameron Jacobs, director of domestic promotion.  “Everyone in the U.S. rice industry deserves special recognition and appreciation for fighting through droughts, floods, and fires to ensure another successful harvest.”

NRM outreach kicked off with the publication of special editions of two domestic promotion e-newsletters, one customized for school foodservice and the other for consumers, and both filled with recipes, tips, giveaways, resources, and industry news.  A series of recipe contests in collaboration with FeedFeed, the largest digital and culinary online food community reaching tens of thousands of chefs daily, are ongoing.  There’s also a separate NRM recipe contest especially for whole grain rice dishes.  USA Rice has partnered with the ShopRite grocery stores  throughout the mid-Atlantic region to conduct in-store and virtual promotions with their retail dietitian teams.

“National Rice Month is about engaging and celebrating rice with both new and well-known audiences,” said Robbie Trahan, Louisiana rice miller and chair of the USA Rice Domestic Promotion Committee.  “We’re employing a combination of retail and digital outreach tactics to reach consumers at multiple touch points and with different themes, from nutrition to versatility, from meal prep tips and recipes to sustainability.”

In addition to all the promotional activities, the annual National Rice Month scholarship video contest is in full swing for high school seniors from the six rice-growing states.  Thanks to the generous contribution of scholarship sponsor American Commodity Company, eligible participants can submit a three-minute video for a chance to win scholarship prizes totaling $10,000.  Video entries are judged based on creativity, quality, and effectiveness in telling a unique story about U.S.-grown rice.

“The trend of caring where your food comes from and how it is sourced has never been stronger, and we’re actively working to connect the dots by reaching new consumers as they shop and scroll with NRM and U.S.-grown messaging,” said Trahan.