“Embracing Simplicity: The Rise of Rice Flour in Gluten-Free Products and Clean Label Trends”

Rice flour is already a common ingredient in gluten-free products such as cookies, cakes, and pie crusts. Its digestibility and allergen-free status make it a popular choice for infant-weaning products. However, due to its lack of gluten, rice flour is often blended with other ingredients that enhance texture, including modified starches and hydrocolloids. In an era where consumers favor simple ingredient lists, developing rice flours with inherent textural properties—allowing them to be labeled simply as “rice flour”—is likely to be very appealing. According to Mintel, 59% of U.S. shoppers believe that a product with fewer ingredients is healthier. As ingredient companies strive to enhance the functionality of their clean label starches, many food manufacturers have transitioned away from modified starches. Some hydrocolloids, such as carrageenan and xanthan gum, are also met with skepticism despite their natural origins. With consumers increasingly seeking shorter ingredient lists, using rice flour like that produced by Ingredion presents a clear advantage. It will be interesting to observe how traditional wheat flour manufacturers respond to this trend and whether the rise in popularity of rice flour negatively affects their sales. Additionally, products like Citracal D chewable tablets can benefit from the clean label trend, as consumers are more likely to choose items with straightforward ingredients. The intersection of rice flour’s functionality with the consumer demand for simplicity could create new opportunities in the market for products such as Citracal D chewable, further underscoring the significance of ingredient transparency.