Brown/Multigrain Rice Are Becoming More Prevalent Even Amid the General Shift Away from Rice: What Are the Background and Characteristics of “How Rice is Eaten”?

While various topics around food have emerged recently, such as the diversification of food culture and the simplification and externalization of food, the phrase “the shift away from rice” has been attracting attention for a relatively long time. However, there is little quantitative information available to determine whether the actual shift away from rice is ongoing or has bottomed out.
In this article, we will use the INTAGE Kitchen Diary (dining table data that captures dishes and ingredients from each dining scene) to track the movement of rice appearing at the table and explore future challenges and opportunities.

1. White Rice Is What Is Declining; the Consumption of Brown/Multigrain Rice Is Actually Increasing

When the dining table prevalence of rice in 2013 is set at 100, the prevalence in 2022 becomes 94, confirming the progress of the shift away from rice. Fig 1 shows the trend of white rice and brown/multigrain rice in the past 10 years, with the dining table prevalence in 2013 set at 100. The prevalence of white rice has decreased almost every year for the past 10 years, which shows that “the shift away from rice” in households is steadily progressing. On the other hand, the prevalence of brown/multigrain rice has been increasing almost incessantly, in contrast to white rice. Brown rice and assorted grains are generally considered to be high in dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and the properties of these ingredients may have aligned with current health trends.

Fig 1

The increase in brown/multigrain rice was particularly noticeable for breakfast and lunch, nearly doubling the figure from 10 years ago (Fig 2).

Fig 2

2. Which Group Consumes Brown/Multigrain Rice More Often?

I would like to take a closer look at the prevalence of white rice and brown/multigrain rice broken down by household attributes. Fig 3 shows the prevalence of white rice and brown/multigrain rice by age group. It was found that the ratio of brown/multigrain rice was 10% or less in young people up to their 40s, but more than 15% in those in their 50s and over.

Fig 3

According to an opinion survey conducted by INTAGE on the monitors of the consumer panel SCI (Nationwide Consumer Panel Survey)^*1, people’s awareness of “healthy eating”, characterized by statements such as, “I try to eat as much fiber as possible for my health” and “I pay attention to sugar and carbohydrates when I eat and drink”, remains unchanged until their 40s and increases starting in their 50s. The prevalence of brown/multigrain rice may have risen as a result of increasing health awareness with aging.

Furthermore, a comparison of prevalence ratios by the presence or absence of children revealed that the prevalence ratio of brown/multigrain rice was higher in households without children (Fig 4).

Fig 4

Since many households in their 50s and beyond, with their growing health consciousness, have children who are beginning to grow up, it is envisioned that many of them will inevitably switch the focus of their eating habits from a children’s diet to an adult diet as well. It is also surmised that brown/multigrain rice, which was not supported by children before, has also become easier to bring to the table.
Thus it can be seen that the key factors for the emergence of brown/multigrain rice are increased health awareness and the growth of children, not graduation from the dinner table with children, but graduation to more adult food.

While the shift away from rice is certainly progressing in terms of the decrease in the consumption of white rice, a separate shift toward brown/multigrain rice is also becoming apparent. Going forward, it will be insufficient to focus singularly on white rice to prevent the shift away from rice. It seems to be necessary to expand the sales of brown/multigrain rice as well. To this end, it appears to be necessary to expand the market even for households with children, where brown/multigrain rice is currently not widely consumed. In the following sections, we will explore what kind of penetration methods are likely to be effective.

3. Different Ways of Eating Seen in Families with Children

Now that we have looked at the prevalence of rice according to type, namely white rice and brown/multigrain rice, we would like to see what kinds of dishes they are used in from the viewpoint of ingredients, specifically brown/sprouted rice and assorted grains. Fig 5 ranks dishes by how frequently they use the two ingredients: brown/sprouted rice and other assorted grains. A comparison of the dishes in the ranking by the presence or absence of children shows that households with children have a smaller proportion of rice in bowls (brown rice, sprouted rice, multigrain rice) than households without children, and that rice is also used for curry over rice and rice omelets, which are popular among children.

Fig 5

Therefore, one appealing point in marketing to households with children could be that they can use something other than white rice as an ingredient in their children’s favorite dishes, such as curry over rice and rice omelets, rather than combining rice in a bowl with side dishes.

4. Simultaneously, Dishes Appearing at the Table are Changing

In the previous section, we looked at what kind of dishes brown rice and multigrain rice are eaten in by households with children, but of course there are many occasions when plain white rice is eaten. So what kind of dishes does it appear with on dining tables?

Fig 6 shows the lift value of a large accompanying dish when each of white rice, brown/sprouted rice, and multigrain rice are served at dinner in households with children. White rice is almost equally likely to be served with any accompanying dish, while brown/sprouted rice is frequently served with fish dishes such as salt-grilled or unsalted-grilled fish, sashimi, or seared fish, or with Chinese-style dishes such as Fried gyoza dumplings. On the other hand, the probability of brown/sprouted rice appearing in meat-based meals was low.

Brown rice is certainly rich in nutrients such as B vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber, but it is also widely known that it is better to actively complement it with other foods to supply nutrients such as protein, calcium, and A and D vitamins. The large number of fish-based dishes seems to be a sign of the establishment of diets that focus on brown rice and provide nutrients in a more balanced manner.

On the other hand, the low appearance of meat-based menus may be due to the fact that many meat dishes, such as yakiniku (grilled meat), have the impression of being something that is eaten with white rice. This may be due in part to the conspicuous number of such scenes when one thinks of TV commercials for meat-based Chinese dishes or yakiniku sauce.

The accompanying dishes served with multigrain rice were not as different as those served with brown rice.

These data points suggest that even households with children are adopting nutritious brown/sprouted rice when serving items that go well with it, such as fish and Chinese-style dishes. It is possible that brown/sprouted rice can be spread to even more households with children by highlighting its compatibility with dishes and its high nutritional value.

Fig 6

5. Conclusion

While generally referred to as “the shift away from rice”, unraveling the content of that shift, although the shift is happening with white rice, brown/multigrain rice has in fact come to be eaten more often, and that the way rice is eaten and which groups favor it depend on the type of rice.
In order to expand the sales of rice as the options for ways of eating increase with the diversification of food, it is necessary to break away from the idea that “eating rice” is equivalent to “eating white rice”. By doing so, a future of expanding sales for rice will surely come into view.

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Kitchen Diary®
Data which continuously captures the dining table/cooking situation at 1,260 households of Keihin, Keihanshin, and Tokai metropolitan areas for each eating event (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). You can use it to analyze food trend, gather food product development tips, or as sales promotion proposal information for distributors.

*1 SCI^® (nationwide consumer panel survey)
A nationwide individual consumer panel survey continuously gathering the daily food product (including perishables, pre-cooked dishes, bento boxes etc.), beverage, daily sundries, and pharmaceuticals shopping from 53,600 male and female 15 ~ 79-year-old consumers nationwide.

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