Rice has a good nutritional balance, containing ideal proportions of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Also, typical Japanese cuisine is known to be a well-balanced diet, a combination of amino acids-rich rice and various other ingredients, unlike many of the western diets that have much higher proportions of meat. Rice consumption in Japan, however, has been declining in recent years, especially among the youth and singles living in cities. This is because people are eating out more frequently at various types of restaurants, enjoying a wide range of dishes that often include noodles and bread, and are also more frequently consuming instant foods that typically do not contain rice.

In an attempt to reverse the declining trend of domestic rice consumption, efforts are being made to develop methods for converting sub-standard rice into rice powder, which has lower calories and contains more protein and water than wheat. As such, food products processed from rice powder are expected to be in strong demand among those who are conscious about nutrition and health. Already, food products using rice powder, such as bread and noodles, are appearing on store shelves, and are drawing increased attention from shoppers.