NIIGATA, Japan -- Rice cracker exports from Japan have been rising, helped by growing recognition overseas that they are relatively healthy snacks. The growing market for gluten-free food products, which do not contain wheat, is also giving a lift to exports, which are expanding at close to the record pace of 2021.
The growth in exports is also due to the efforts of food processors in Niigata prefecture, a center of rice snack production in Japan. These producers are developing overseas markets as the domestic market matures.
