15 Food Companies and 19 Products Selected
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 23rd that it has selected 15 food companies, including Nongshim, Seongsimdang, and Pulmuone, and 19 products to carry out the 2023 "Powdered Rice Product Development Support Project."
An official from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs explained, "Powdered rice is cultivated similarly to regular rice but can be utilized as a new food ingredient, drawing attention as a means to achieve food sovereignty and balance rice supply and demand. The ministry is promoting the powdered rice product development support project to enable the food industry to directly handle and research new materials and create new products."
During the business operator recruitment held from January 6 to February 17, a total of 77 food companies applied to develop 108 products, recording a competition rate of 7.2 to 1. The evaluation committee, composed of experts in food processing and the food industry, selected 19 products considering the potential use of powdered rice raw materials, business feasibility of the products, and the companies' product development capabilities.
The food companies selected for the product development project plan to complete prototype development and consumer evaluations within the year. Through this project, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs aims to expand the consumption base of powdered rice beyond the limitations of the existing rice processed food market.
Separately from the product development project, the ministry is also promoting a research and development project to increase the utilization of powdered rice as a food ingredient. Five food companies will participate as executing institutions to develop "low-sugar rice flour technology" and "rice flour aging delay materials," and the ministry expects field-customized basic research to be conducted.
The powdered rice, which serves as the raw material for both the product development support project and the research and development project, is planned to be dry-milled on a large scale. Since powdered rice can produce high-quality powder without soaking in water, large-scale dry milling is possible. It is environmentally friendly and has relatively low milling costs.
Jeon Han-young, Director of Food Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, "Powdered rice is attracting attention as a material that solves the structural overproduction problem of regular rice, increases South Korea's food self-sufficiency rate, strengthens food sovereignty, and drives growth in the food industry as a new food ingredient. The powdered rice product development project is expected to serve as a catalyst for expanding the use of powdered rice raw materials in the food industry and to be an opportunity to spread powdered rice products that meet consumer demand."
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