Who would have thought that rice, the basic staple of the Chinese diet, would also board the "pre-made meal" express? After a flurry of pre-made dishes, today we can even eat pre-made rice. Nongfu Spring's parent company, Yangshengtang, under its brand "Mother," has launched pre-made rice, and this year, it has invited many consumers to become experience officers for its new multigrain rice products. In recent years, more and more brands have entered the pre-made rice market, including Hema Fresh, Jinlongyu, and Ziyan Baijiwei, offering pre-made rice that only needs microwave heating, contains no preservatives, has a shelf life of up to one year, and boasts clean ingredient lists.
Pre-made rice from Mother, Xifan, and Jinlongyu Image source: Brand Tmall flagship stores Compared to domestic consumers, it is Chinese students abroad who are more familiar with this product. On Xiaohongshu, many international students share their experiences of buying pre-made rice at Asian supermarkets: "It's definitely more expensive than cooking your own rice, but you don't have to wash the pot." "I haven't used a rice cooker in almost 5 years; this rice is really convenient and delicious." "At first, I thought the design was weird, but after seven years here, I've found this kind of rice is really great!" "Does China not have this microwave rice? I'd call it my lifesaving invention." Although pre-made rice is not yet common in the Chinese market, it has become a daily choice for consumers in Japan and South Korea. Today, let's explore the new trends in pre-made rice—cooked rice packaged for sale.
Pre-Made Meals Are Not Just "Dishes"
There's Also 3.5 Yuan Pre-Made Rice
"What's the hassle with rice? Just toss it in the rice cooker and set the timer." In the comment sections of posts about pre-made rice, there are always skeptical voices. If cooking rice is so simple, do we really need pre-made rice?
Cooked rice Image source: Made With Lau Ordinary consumers may not yet see the need for pre-made rice, but the industry has spotted the business opportunity from international students and meal-preppers. In various meal-prep videos, bloggers often prepare rice in advance, cooking a week's worth at once for easy access, so a meal can be ready in 3 minutes. International students also have a need for individually portioned rice; one student said, "Cooking a big pot of rice and freezing it is a basic move for us overseas students." Saving time, suitable for single servings, and eliminating the need to wash rice cooking utensils—these are the reasons ordinary consumers make their own pre-made rice. Many international students and meal-preppers are accustomed to preparing their own pre-made rice Image source: Xiaohongshu Starting from the needs of international students and meal-preppers, pre-made rice can solve this problem well. It comes in single-serving packages, only needs microwave heating, and can be ready in 3 minutes without washing dishes. Therefore, pre-made rice has attracted more and more brands to enter the market. In 2022, the brand "Mother" under Yangshengtang, the parent company of Nongfu Spring, launched instant hot rice that can be heated in the microwave, emphasizing "convenience for every meal," using seasonal new rice, and with a formula free of additives—only water and rice. Jinlongyu's fresh rice promotes "eating well means fresh rice," using Northeast rice, storable at room temperature, priced at 3.5 yuan per box at Pupu. The new brand Hi Fan offers three products in its flagship store: oat red rice, germ oat rice, and fresh white rice, which can be heated in the microwave to "enjoy fresh rice in 2 minutes."
Mother instant hot rice Image source: JD Mother flagship store Ziyan Baijiwei, as an offline braised food brand, also has its own pre-made rice, but unlike others that can be stored at room temperature, Ziyan Baijiwei's "Northeast rice" needs refrigeration and has a shorter shelf life. FamilyMart's pre-made rice "Xiaobaifan" is similar to Ziyan Baijiwei's product, with only a 3-day shelf life, belonging to convenience store fresh food. Hema has also launched its own brand "Fragrant Rice," using seasonal Northeast rice, ready in 2 minutes of heating. This product may be supplied by Jinlongyu, as Jinlongyu stated on the investor interaction platform earlier this year that its Langfang central kitchen mainly produces room-temperature rice products for platforms like Hema and Dingdong, with good project progress.[1] Hema fragrant rice Image source: Hema Fresh With more brands entering the pre-made rice market, consumers have more purchasing channels. In addition to e-commerce platforms, instant retail platforms and offline convenience stores and supermarkets are stocking more pre-made rice, making it easier for consumers to buy.
Not About Cost-Effectiveness: How Do Brands Sell "Fresh Rice"?
However, when actually choosing pre-made rice, consumers still have different concerns. Are there preservatives? Why is the shelf life so long? Is it really tasty? Is it really healthy? Why is it so expensive? Compared to pre-made rice with shorter shelf life and refrigeration needs, like Ziyan Baijiwei and FamilyMart, consumers easily think that room-temperature storable pre-made rice contains many additives. When selling, these long-shelf-life pre-made rice products also emphasize their clean ingredients and advanced room-temperature preservation technology. "Mother" promotes its "0 food additives," using advanced preservation technology, aseptic packaging, no refrigeration needed, and more convenient storage. Jinlongyu promotes that its formula only contains rice and water, and room-temperature preservation relies on clean spaces, high-temperature and high-pressure sterilization, secondary sterilization, and high-barrier packaging bowls.
Jinlongyu pre-made rice promotion Image source: Jinlongyu Tmall flagship store Pre-made rice brings speed and convenience, but if consumers compare it with the price of raw rice, room-temperature storable pre-made rice is not advantageous. We compared several common aseptic long-shelf-life pre-made rice products, priced between 3.5 and 6.6 yuan. Compared to the market price of rice, the cost of one pack of pre-made rice could buy nearly 1 kg of rice. Considering the amount of rice needed for a 200g pack of pre-made rice, cooking your own is undoubtedly more economical.
Comparison of specifications, prices, shelf life, and ingredient lists of 4 products on the market But pre-made rice that can be eaten in just 2-3 minutes targets consumers who value convenience, speed, and taste. Unlike self-heating rice, which often uses recombined rice (also known as artificial rice, made by adding starch-based raw materials with modifiers and nutritional fortifiers, then granulating, gelatinizing, and drying to mimic natural rice grains)[2], current pre-made rice products almost all promote the quality and "deliciousness" of the raw rice used. "Mother" promotes "as delicious as mom makes," claiming to use rice harvested in the current season, soaking it for an hour after washing to achieve plump grains. The brand also highlights "golden ratio water addition, constant temperature steaming process," and "distinct grains, chewy texture, soft and springy" as qualities it wants to showcase. Jinlongyu also promotes its use of Northeast rice, "soft and sticky grains." Hi Fan promotes its selection of Northeast pearl fresh rice and Japanese-style cooking process. Mother pre-made rice promotion Image source: Mother Tmall flagship store In addition to clean ingredient lists and high-quality raw materials, every pre-made rice brand is describing more specific and diverse consumption scenarios to make consumers feel the convenience. The speed, no-dish-washing, and single-serving size are all stories brands want to share. Xi Fan displays "buyer reviews" in product details, using each consumer's reason for choosing fresh rice to influence potential customers. "Mother" lets consumers know that pre-made rice can be used in more ways, such as mixed rice, fried rice, rice soup, and rice balls. Jinlongyu promotes its convenience, whether in the microwave or soaked in boiling water, a meal can be ready in minutes, and consumers can pair it as they like. Xi Fan pre-made rice promotion Image source: Xi Fan Tmall flagship store The rise of pre-made rice is closely related to the "lazy economy," and the increasingly diverse pre-made rice is also catching the "express train" of pre-made meals.
Therefore, when selling pre-made rice, some brands like "Mother" directly provide consumers with well-matched combinations. When launching pre-made rice, "Mother" also introduced a "rice + topping" set, promoting "good rice with good dishes, convenient for every meal," meeting consumers' needs for both dishes and rice that can be heated and eaten directly.
"Rice + topping" set Image source: JD Mother flagship store Data shows that the current consumer group for pre-made rice is mainly post-00s and post-05s, with over 45% aged 18-24 and 19% aged 25-29, especially college students and young white-collar workers, accounting for nearly half. Middle-aged and young consumers are also gradually changing their attitudes and actively consuming pre-made rice.[3] On e-commerce platforms, sales of convenient rice products have increased by as much as 257.09% year-on-year, attracting many young consumers.[3] We can also see the potential of pre-made rice from the growth in Japan and South Korea. Japan's pre-made rice production increased from 142,355 tons in 2012 to 245,811 tons in 2022.[3] In 2022, Japan's pre-made rice exports were 1,384 tons, up 23% from the previous year.[3] In South Korea, domestic rice consumption is decreasing year by year, but the instant rice market is showing growth momentum, expected to exceed 520 billion KRW (approximately 2.618 billion RMB) by 2025.[4] All this proves that the pre-made rice market has sufficient growth potential. Pre-made rice products in South Korea Image source: 매일경제
Japanese and Korean Pre-Made White Rice
What New Tricks Have They Come Up With?
Japan and South Korea have similar dietary structures to China, and their pre-made rice markets emerged earlier. Japan's first pre-made rice appeared in 1987 when Sato Foods created short-shelf-life pre-made rice by adding an oxygen absorber to plastic containers; consumers could remove the absorber and heat the rice in the microwave.[5] However, the technology at that time used acidification for sterilization, so the rice often had a sour taste.[3] In 2000, Echigo Seika launched high-pressure sterilized aseptic rice, and the technology for aseptic pre-made rice matured. Today, most brands use similar processing technology to Echigo Seika.[3] As technology became more sophisticated, Japan's pre-made rice production increased from 27,000 tons in 1997 to 206,000 tons in 2021. Changes in Japan's pre-made rice production Image source: (一社)食品需給研究センター Japan experiences frequent natural disasters, and pre-made rice can provide staple food when cooking conditions are unavailable. Therefore, the government urges citizens to practice "rolling stock" for disaster prevention: buy more food, pay attention to expiration dates, consume products nearing expiry first, and stock up on pre-made rice, canned goods, retort foods, or freeze-dried products.[6] In addition to a consumption environment that makes pre-made rice more acceptable, Japanese companies also add more value to pre-made rice. Some brands use high-priced brand rice from Hokkaido, Yamagata Prefecture, etc.; others offer pesticide-free or reduced-pesticide rice; some tell stories about the water used for cooking, with Tablemark choosing groundwater from the Uonuma region of Niigata Prefecture[7]; some brands offer curry with rice, where the rice's texture and aroma enhance the spices of the curry[8]; and there are even packaged rice porridge derived from pre-made rice, meeting the requirements of the Japan Care Food Conference's certified universal design food "can be crushed with the tongue."[8] Tablemark pre-made rice Image source: Rakuten Helping consumers manage food intake has also become a selling point for pre-made rice. Japanese pre-made rice comes in various sizes such as 120g, 150g, 180g, and 200g, with packaging indicating the calories per serving. When consumers want to adjust their diet and control daily intake, pre-made rice that makes it easy to know how much they eat becomes a good choice.[9] Japan's rich variety of pre-made dishes also creates significant demand for pre-made rice; many consumers pair pre-made dishes with pre-made rice. A media survey on Japanese pre-made rice found that among five large supermarkets in Hyogo Prefecture, only one placed pre-made rice in the rice section, while the other four placed it in the retort food section. "The reason pre-made rice is placed near retort foods is 'related display,' which helps prevent customers from forgetting to buy items and increases sales," said a food manufacturer executive. "In the past, supermarket rice sections also handled pre-made rice sales, with pre-made rice placed next to rice and rice cakes. But now rice is no longer a big seller, and pre-made rice has grown into an independent category, selling better when placed near curry and other retort foods."[10] Pre-made rice better suited for curry Image source: Wooke Japan, which pioneered pre-made rice, not only has the National Packed Rice Association but also the Japan Rice Cooking Association, which issues "Rice Taster" qualifications to practitioners with sufficient rice knowledge. To ensure convenience store rice tastes better, Kim Ha-young, who manages rice quality at South Korea's 7-Eleven, even obtained this qualification: "The goal is for consumers to think the quality of rice and triangle kimbap has improved."[11] Kim explained that moisture is lost after milling, so 7-Eleven's pre-made rice always follows the "3-day milling principle": rice is sent to the factory within 3 days of milling and produced the same day. Depending on the product, 7-Eleven is building more detailed operation manuals for water addition and heating processes.[11] Black rice launched by 7-Eleven Image source: 7-Eleven South Korea's pre-made rice market has entered a boom phase. Media reported that the number of instant rice products on a certain e-commerce platform increased by 26% in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year, and a large supermarket's pre-made rice offerings increased by about 36% in two years.[12] The market structure is clearer: CJ Group holds a 68% share of pre-made rice, followed by Ottogi (오뚜기밥) with a 25.5% share.[4] CJ's 8 packaged multigrain rice products Image source: CJ official website Leading brands continue to grow. CJ's pre-made rice total sales reached 850.3 billion KRW (approximately 4.436 billion RMB), setting a historic record.[13] Domestic sales increased by 1.4% from the previous year, while overseas sales grew by 21%. In the fourth quarter of last year, CJ's overall pre-made rice sales increased by 9% year-on-year, showing a linear upward trend.[13] Pre-made rice meets consumers' health needs, diversifies distribution channels, and global growth trends drive its rapid expansion.[13] Changes in CJ's pre-made rice sales Image source: 시사저널e Last year, CJ launched instant konjac rice with low calories as a selling point, mixing konjac aroma with rice, receiving consumer reviews like "flavors blend well and nutrition is balanced."[13] During a pre-made rice promotion on Rice Day (August 18), first-day sales reached over 9 times the usual level.[13] In mainstream channels like Costco in the U.S., white rice sales increased by 25% from the previous year, leading the growth trend.[13] CJ's konjac rice Image source: CJ Competition among South Korean companies in pre-made rice focuses on product richness and diversity. CJ has new products this year like black rice and mixed multigrain rice, and plans to promote "blood sugar-regulating rice (식후혈당밥)" certified as a functional food by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.[13] Harim is exploring more in the multigrain rice field, currently offering 12 pre-made rice products including oat rice, brown rice, and Koshihikari rice.[12] Dongwon Group, in addition to its existing pre-made rice brand 쎈쿡, has created a new mixed rice brand 양반밥, focusing on high quality and high efficiency.[4] Harim pre-made rice Image source: Harim From several-kilogram bags of rice to a few-yuan bowl of pre-made rice, consumers have different needs. In today's fast-paced world, pre-made rice has become a convenient consumer product under consideration. Brands emphasize the deliciousness, convenience, and cleanliness of this new product, representing consumers' upgraded demands for rice. China is still in the early stages of pre-made rice growth, and consumer awareness is not yet clear. With major brands like Nongfu Spring and Jinlongyu entering, consumers will gradually build awareness of pre-made rice. However, there are also many "roadblocks" for pre-made rice: besides convenient delivery, quick meals, and relatively high pricing, how many consumers will actually choose pre-made rice remains unknown. Will Chinese consumers be won over by pre-made rice? We'll wait and see.
References: [1] Jinlongyu: The company's Langfang central kitchen mainly produces room-temperature rice products for platforms like Hema and Dingdong, with good project progress, January 30, 2024, National Business Daily [2] CN102396664A A method for preparing convenient rice using recombined rice as raw material, September 19, 2020, State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China [3] Lei Bing, Dry Goods: Research on the Current Situation and Development Prospects of the Aseptic Packaged Rice Industry (Long Article), September 14, 2023, China Logistics and Purchasing Federation Food Supply Chain Branch [4] 김다솜, 쌀 소비 줄어드는데 즉석밥 시장은 ‘훨훨’..1인가구 증가 영향? , March 7, 2024, DailyPop [5] 包装容器から見たパックご飯, Okome Summary [6] August 30 to September 5 is "Disaster Prevention Week"! Kuradashi, Special Feature on Disaster Prevention Items for Emergencies, August 30, 2023, Kuradashi Inc. [7] "I Don't Care If Rice Cookers Stop Selling," Says Yoshizawa Ryo; What About the CM Effect? Packed Rice Market on the Rise, July 18, 2024, Yomiuri [8] The Market Has Doubled in 10 Years! The Evolution of Packed Rice That Fits Modern Lifestyles, April 26, 2024, Shinmei Shokudo [9] Packaged Pre-cooked Rice, Japan Rice [10] KANAI Kaoru, "Packed Rice" Changing Sales Floor: From Rice to Retort Food Corner, Expert Explains "It Sells Better Near Curry and Oyakodon," May 27, 2022, Asada Shimbun [11] [We Met] The Secret of 7-Eleven Lunch Box 'Rice Taste'... 'Rice Sommelier' Kim Ha-young, Food Team, December 3, 2023, Hankyoreh [12] The Instant Rice Competition Heats Up... CJ Soars Above Ottogi [Food 360], August 19, 2024, The Korea Herald Economy [13] HAN Da-won, Everyone Jumps In, But... CJ CheilJedang's Hatban Proves to Be the 'National Instant Rice', March 1, 2024, Sisa Journal e