ARLINGTON, VA -- For March National Nutrition Month, USA Rice partnered with the registered dietitians at ShopRite to tell shoppers about the gluten-free and nutritional benefits of U.S.-grown rice.  ShopRite, a chain of more than 250 stores in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, distributes its monthly Gluten-Free newsletter to more than 30,000 shoppers, and U.S.-grown rice took center stage in the March edition.

 

The newsletter displayed the Grown in the USA logo and included a feature titled, "10 Reasons to Think Rice for Gluten-Free Diets," which emphasized the many health benefits U.S. rice.  To inspire home cooks, USA Rice's Chunky Vegetarian Chili and Greek Rice Stuffed Tomatoes were called-out as gluten-free recipes to try.  Rice was also featured in other sections of the newsletter including: "Tips on Packing a Gluten-Free Lunch," which encouraged shoppers to prepare a whole grain salad with rice and; "Gluten-Free Doesn't Mean Grain Free," which highlighted rice and wild rice as healthy gluten-free grains and suggested mixing brown and wild rice together for added whole grain variety.

 

"An estimated 21 million Americans have celiac disease or some form of gluten-sensitivity," said Katie Maher, USA Rice's manager of domestic promotion programs.  "It's important to bring awareness around this serious genetic autoimmune condition and inform people that U.S.-grown rice is a safe, sustainable, and nutritious solution for a gluten-free lifestyle."

 

USA Rice finds ways to work with retail dietitians throughout the year to increase visibility of U.S.-grown rice and boost consumer awareness of the many benefits of U.S. rice.

 

Contact:  Deborah Willenborg (703) 236-1444

Jay Davis at Rice Belt Warehouse (r) goes deep with Hudgens Jeter (l) and Nat McKnight

WASHINGTON, DC -- Net rice sales of 46,600 MT for 2014/2015 were down 57 percent from the previous week and 45 percent from the prior four-week average, according to today's Export Sales Highlights report.  Increases were reported for Japan (13,000 MT), Guatemala (8,000 MT), unknown destinations (7,700 MT), Mexico (5,100 MT), and Costa Rica (4,200 MT). 

Exports of 62,200 MT were down 24 percent from the previous week, but up 19 percent from the prior 4-week average.  The primary destinations were Colombia (20,000 MT), Costa Rica (11,500 MT), Panama (10,000 MT), Mexico (7,800 MT), and Canada (3,900 MT).

This summary is based on reports from exporters from the period March 20-26.