Otsuka Foods to Release Mannan Gohan with Glutinous Barley and Brown Rice
Providing Approx. Five Times the Dietary Fiber of White Rice or Half the Recommended Daily Intake
In Stores Across Japan on March 3, 2025

TOKYO, Japan, February 18, 2025—Otsuka Foods Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Chuo Ward, Osaka; President: Goro Ikeuchi) announced today that it will launch a new Mannanhikari brand rice-shaped food: “Mannan Gohan with Glutinous Barley and Brown Rice.” This new packaged rice product provides approximately five times the dietary fiber of one serving of white rice, or half the recommended daily intake.*1 It will be available in stores across Japan on March 3, 2025.

Background
While the market for dietary fiber products is growing, the dietary fiber intake of Japanese people falls short of the recommended amount for adult men and women.

According to a survey*2 by Otsuka Foods, approximately 70 percent of those surveyed feel they lack dietary fiber. The survey revealed the challenge that “it is difficult to plan meals with foods that provide dietary fiber,” even for those with a high awareness of health. In response, Otsuka Foods developed a product that allows customers to get dietary fiber easily from rice, the staple food in the typical Japanese diet.

Product Features

• • A packaged rice product containing Mannanhikari,*3 glutinous barley, brown rice, and white rice.
• • Provides 11.9 grams of dietary fiber per serving. This is equivalent to approximately five times the dietary fiber of white rice, which is half the recommended daily intake, or the amount contained in about three heads of lettuce.*4
• • Contains 25% fewer carbohydrates and calories than white rice.

In line with its corporate philosophy, “Food begins with spirit, creating deliciousness, safety, peace of mind and better health,” Otsuka Foods will continue to offer new foods that address consumer challenges.

*1 Calculated based on the dietary goals for adults in Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2020) by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
*2 Conducted in September 2024, N = 2,411
*3 A rice-shaped food that contains konjac root, developed by Otsuka Foods. It can be used to reduce consumption of carbohydrates and calories but still get enough dietary fiber, all while maintaining the same appearance, taste and volume as rice, just by cooking it mixed in with rice.
*4 Calculated based on the edible portion of one head of lettuce weighing 300 grams.
Note: Data for white rice (regular rice (polished white rice)) and lettuce are based on the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan – 2020 (Eighth Revised Edition).

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