Western food trends, people living alone behind shift

By Ko Dong-hwan

Consumption of rice as part of a meal in Korea is expected to decline by 15 percent over the next 10 years due to changes in food trends and the country’s decreasing rice production, according to the Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI), a state-run agricultural policy researcher, Monday.

The consumption volume for this year is projected to be 2.73 million tons, but it is expected to continue declining in coming years to 2.69 million tons next year, 2.53 million tons by 2030 and eventually 2.33 million tons by 2035, according to KREI’s annual report.

The decline in rice consumption is attributed to the growing influence of Western dietary trends and a greater variety of carbohydrate sources replacing rice. Additionally, an increase in people skipping breakfast has contributed to this shift. According to KREI’s food consumption trends survey, the average number of times people miss breakfast per week increased from 1.44 in 2021 to 1.79 in 2024.

These factors began affecting the country’s rice consumption as early as 2014. From 2014 to 2023, rice consumption showed a 1.6 percent year-on-year decrease on average, according to Statistics Korea. Each person, on average, consumed 65.1 kilograms of rice in 2014. That decreased to 56.4 kilograms in 2023.

The increasing popularity of smaller-size rice packs and the growing tendency to prioritize quality over price also add to declining rice consumption. A sampling of rice products sold at retail outlets showed that 5 kilograms or smaller packaging accounted for over 40 percent of rice sales in 2024. The figure was a little over 35 percent in 2019.

Behind KREI’s prediction of declining rice consumption are declining areas of rice fields and rice production in Korea. Rice fields are expected to drop from 682,000 hectares this year to 623,000 hectares in 2035. KREI said the gap could be even bigger with the government’s ongoing plan to downsize rice production nationwide.

Domestic rice production is also expected to decline from 3.54 million tons to 3.23 million tons during the same period.

Contrary to the declining consumption of rice as a meal, the usage of rice as an ingredient for manufactured products such as rice cake, instant steamed rice and precooked meal products is on the rise. KREI said rice consumption for manufactured products will be 770,000 tons this year and will increase to 940,000 tons in 2035. Instant steamed rice and precooked meals are popular among single-person households or those who consume rice irregularly.

“The increasing number of people living alone in Korea and the government’s ongoing policies to bolster export of rice-based manufactured foods and use of rice powder among food companies will fuel the rice consumption in the manufacturing sectors,” the KREI report said.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to downsize the country’s rice fields by 80,000 hectares this year to reduce the national rice production. The policy urges farms to grow crops like forage or beans and incentivizes those who do so. The central government has also urged local governments to bulk buy from local rice farmers.

Published Date: February 3, 2025