The USA Rice team of Asiha Grigsby (left) and Katie Maher at their rice-filled booth
Mar 25, 2022
LAS VEGAS, NV – USA Rice joined more than 315 food and beverage exhibitors for the inaugural SIAL America show here this week attended by buyers, importers, exporters, and food manufacturers from around the world.
SIAL America is part of the world’s preeminent global food network that includes nine food events delivering 700,000 attendees and 16,000 exhibitors annually, including shows in Paris and Shanghai where USA Rice also participates.
“This is the first U.S. event for SIAL and in the current climate, in-person events are never a guarantee but this was a terrific experience,” said Asiha Grigsby, USA Rice director of international promotion for the western hemisphere who headed up the USA Rice presence. “We gathered a good number of trade leads for our members and had very productive conversations with trade, other exhibitors, and media.”
Katie Maher, USA Rice director of strategic initiatives, created the eye-catching display of U.S.-grown rice that incorporated sustainability messages and supplier directories. It attracted a lot of interest and questions about the 18 varieties of U.S.-grown rice shown from arborio to sweet rice.
“I think all the supply chain and pandemic-related disruptions really opened people’s eyes to a somewhat fragile food system,” Maher said. “People are making adjustments and working to get ahead of the next problem. I had a lot of people ask me about inventory, supplies, logistics, and how the rice industry is dealing with all these ups and downs. The consensus seemed to be that there are more challenges ahead but that U.S. rice industry is seen as dependable and creative."
Future SIAL events include the Shanghai show in May and Paris in October. SIAL America 2023 will be back in Las Vegas and Grigsby said she would recommend participating again.