USA Rice released the annual U.S. Rice Domestic Usage Report today, tracking domestic shipments and consumption of U.S. milled rice from August 2022 through July 2023. This year’s report has added rice flour as a new category under rice delivered to industrial food processors. Additionally, this year’s report continues to include consumer research data that gives a clearer picture of who is eating rice, where they are consuming it, and where they are buying it. These changes have provided better representation of the industry, and a more accurate picture of which types and how much rice is consumed in the U.S.
According to the report, approximately 60 percent of U.S. rice shipments went to domestic markets, with the remaining exported. The retail and foodservice industries account for much of the domestic market usage, and are evenly split, with ethnic food distributers and re-packers offering additional opportunities for distribution. Meanwhile, consumption of domestically produced rice grew 3 percent during the reporting time period, while exported rice consumption grew by 6 percent. Overall, per capita consumption has risen by 12 percent over the past 10 years.
The market year 2022-23 report reflects a further stabilization of market impacts following the coronavirus pandemic, during which many people were forced to change their eating and shopping habits due to health restrictions.
“Each year with the Domestic Usage Report we strive to compile a thorough and informative resource for the U.S. rice industry,” said Gary Reifeiss of Producer’s Rice Mill and chair of the DUR subcommittee. “This year, with the inclusion of rice flour as a new category and the updated consumer research data, the DUR continues to move closer to this goal.”
The report is free for USA Rice members who have participated in data collection. All others can go here to purchase a report for the reduced fee this year of $250 ($500 for non-members).