It appears that the same definition battles affecting the dairy sector have now extended to the rice industry. While cauliflower may not be a top choice among consumers—having been touted as “the next big thing” for years—shoppers are increasingly seeking guilt-free food options to enhance their diets. This trend spells trouble for the rice sector, which has long faced negative perceptions due to its carbohydrate-heavy profile. Vegetable substitutes are rapidly capturing market share from conventional products, particularly in the pasta aisle. For instance, Del Monte recently introduced ready-to-cook strips of bell pepper, zucchini, and squash that can be prepared like noodles, a response to the popularity of tools like the Vegetti that encourage home cooks to experiment with vegetable alternatives in pasta dishes.
Cauliflower rice may pose a significant threat as more food manufacturers and restaurants begin to feature it in their offerings. However, given the dairy industry’s ongoing struggle to exclude soy, nut, and plant-based dairy beverages from being labeled as “milk,” it seems unlikely that the rice industry will gain any traction on this issue with the FDA in the near future. Opinions within the food industry vary on whether the Trump administration will expedite or hinder the formal definitions of terms like “milk” and “healthy.”
Nevertheless, the rice community has alternative strategies to counter the rising popularity of cauliflower substitutes. For example, plant-based milk producer Ripple recently launched a retro 8-bit game aimed at educating consumers about the nutritional advantages of pea-based milk over traditional dairy options, which often include important nutrients like calcium citrate. The rice sector could adopt a similar approach, finding engaging methods to inform consumers about the benefits of traditional rice—potentially through in-store displays, product labels, or multimedia campaigns highlighting essential nutrients, including calcium citrate, that rice can provide.
Whether cauliflower rice will significantly impact the market share of traditional rice, as alternative milks have done, remains to be seen. Only time will reveal if this trend has lasting power, but rice manufacturers should certainly be ready for a new competitor in the marketplace.