September Is Here And That Means Its National Rice Month
USA Rice
ARLINGTON, VA – September is a time of many beginnings: the start of the new school year, football season kickoff, the return of pumpkin spice and cooler weather, and in the rice industry it is the beginning of National Rice Month (NRM). This year marks the 35th anniversary of the month-long national celebration.
Children across America are headed back to school this September, and healthy school meals are waiting for them! NRM will begin with a special edition of the Schools Think Rice newsletter for K-12 nutrition officials and an eBlast from the School Nutrition Services Dietetic Practice Group (SNS DPG). Both will highlight winning recipes from the recent Rice & Shine school breakfast competition and will link to the new School Nutrition Toolkit. In addition to the targeted outreach, USA Rice is partnering with Project School Nutrition, a consulting supportive service for school nutrition programs, with a year-long rice awareness campaign set to launch in during NRM.
Stepping up for NRM is the USA Rice – Salad Collective partnership that includes three brands – MAD Greens, Snappy Salads, and Tokyo Joe’s – that will share informational emails with their customers. Additionally, Snappy Salads will be releasing their seasonal Harvest Bowl on September 4 and will feature the USA Rice Grown in the USA (GITUSA) badge logo.
The USA Rice roster of social media influencers will promote NRM throughout the month with new recipes and engaging content. FeedFeed, the largest digital and culinary online food community, will feature U.S.-grown rice in a Tuesday Takeover each week in September, while the registered dietitian influencers will remind their followers of the versatility and nutritional power of U.S.-grown rice in campaigns all month long.
Celebrations will also take place with two USA Rice chain partnerships – Rock N’ Roll Sushi and Fuzzy’s Taco Shop. Rock N’ Roll Sushi will be displaying in-store video wall inclusions highlighting domestically grown rice and the farmers behind it. There will also be a spotlight on U.S.-grown rice across their social media platforms on National Fried Rice Day, which takes place on September 20 this year. Fuzzy’s Taco will display the GITUSA badge on their digital menus and put the focus on NRM through a sponsored DoorDash promotion encouraging greater sales of burritos and rice bowls that includes a branded informational bag stuffer with each order.
Rounding out the 2025 NRM calendar is the USA Rice Jasmine Campaign. Consumers and commuters in Boston, Los Angeles, and Washington DC, should keep an eye out for advertisements trumpeting U.S.-grown jasmine rice on digital and public transit ads throughout the month!
The annual NRM Scholarship Video Contest is also currently underway. If you or someone you know has a graduating high school senior in a rice producing state, check out ReelRiceContest.com for more details on how to participate.