September is National Rice Month, as designated by Congress in 1991 to increase awareness of U.S.-grown rice and recognize the contribution the rice industry makes to the U.S. economy. In fact, U.S. rice accounts for over 80% of the rice consumed in America.  Additionally, about half of the U.S. crop is exported each year to countries around the world. Learn more about U.S. rice.

To acknowledge the versatility, nutritional and economic value of U.S. rice and its impact domestically and abroad, National Rice Month celebrations will take place across the U.S. in grocery stores, restaurants, schools and rice-growing communities.

New “U.S. Rice in the Classroom” Teaching Tool for Culinary Educators

USA Rice will introduce a comprehensive teaching tool for culinary educators in September. The curriculum contains all the essential information for teaching students how rice is grown, the importance of rice in foodservice operations, its role in international cuisine, and how to select, cook and handle rice properly. “U.S. Rice in the Classroom” includes a teaching manual along with a corresponding PowerPoint Presentation on CD and cooking demonstration videos to give educators and students a complete learning tool about rice. Reserve your copy now.

To ensure the new teaching tool would meet the needs of educators, USA Rice surveyed a chef/educator panel and participated in the Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education (CAFÉ) Leadership Conference at Kendall College, a recognized culinary school in the heart of Chicago. At the info fair, USA Rice gathered valuable first-hand feedback from culinary directors attending from across the country.  U.S. rice was also featured in the opening night reception with Sushi and Shrimp Fried Rice demonstrations, with attendees enjoying unique recipes including Chocolate Dessert Sushi.

Annual Healthy Rice Bowl Contest

Also in honor of National Rice Month in September, the USA Rice Federation announced at this year’s School Nutrition Association Annual Conference their annual “Healthy Rice Bowl Contest” for K-12 Foodservice Directors. The contest celebrates the healthfulness of rice and its many benefits to children and encourages school foodservice personnel to creatively offer rice on their menus.

To participate school foodservice operators will feature Healthy Rice Bowls using U.S. rice on their menu, send in a description and submit one or more photos of students and staff enjoying the creation. The winner of the contest will receive two Aroma rice cookers, a heavy-duty commercial rice cooker for their school and a 10-cup rice cooker for their home kitchen. In addition, the winner will be featured on MenuRice.com.
 Learn more about Healthy Rice Bowls.

At the SNA conference, USA Rice was also honored with a 30-year exhibiting award and partnered with Mars Foodservice/Uncle Ben’s to demo several healthy rice bowl recipes that meet different day part needs. Attendees sampled the popular chicken taco rice bowl and had an opportunity to win an aromatic rice cooker. They also received rice fact sheets, recipe brochures and the “Rice Reprise” article featured in the June/July issue of School Nutrition.

In addition, USA Rice surveyed 172 attendees at the conference, with key findings including:

• 91% of respondents have changed their menu to address childhood obesity.
• Whole grain brown rice is used by 46% of respondents to satisfy daily whole grain nutritional recommendations
• 61% of respondents said their rice usage increased over the past year
• The top three most popular rice dishes with students are Spanish-style rice, steamed white rice and Mexican-style rice