Despite not being grown in the UK, rice is big business here, with UK rice industry worth around £1 billion annually.

​

Our appetite for rice seems insatiable. Rice eaten per person per week has grown 530% since the 1970s, with a staggering 88% of UK households buying rice.  The industry is a vibrant and continuously developing. Microwavable rice was developed in the UK and is perfectly suited to today's smaller households and people with less time to spend in the kitchen. Rice pouches now make up over half retail sales by value.

​

Rice is also placed in our culture in other ways - the food scene. There are more Indian restaurants in the UK than any other cuisine except British. Rice-based cuisine, including Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Indonesian etc accounts for more than 20% of restaurant styles.  So it’s not surprising that rice consumption is still growing today at a steady pace as our tastes continue to diversify.