Koreans are eating more flour-based food than ever these days, and consequently, fewer people are eating rice.
The changing eating habits have led to a rice surplus.
In a bid to overcome the problem,... Chungcheongbuk-do Province has started to supply the unsold rice to local bakeries.
Cho Sung-min has more.

This looks like a typical morning in any bakery you might walk into.
Bakers are working on butter spongecakes to have them ready before opening the shop.
What separates their products from traditional spongecakes is the main ingredient.
They are made with rice instead of flour... as are most of the other baked goods on the shelves.

"Our products are made with locally grown top-quality rice. Customers have no problem with that because they prefer the healthier choice."

The shop uses rice grown by local farms in Chungcheongbuk-do Province.
It has higher level of moisture content than rice from other regions… and that makes it fluffier when made into either steamed or oven-baked pastries.
It's also rich in amino acids and gluten-free,… fitting nicely with the high standards of many health-conscious customers.

Just like most rural regions in South Korea, Chungcheongbuk-do Province is covered with vast fields of rice.
It's also one of the provinces that has suffered from a rice surplus,… but it recently found a way to efficiently consume the grains that go unsold.
The Chungcheongbuk-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services started supplying rice to several local bakeries.

"We came up with the idea of using leftover rice by giving it back to the locals. Turning them into pastries and cookies was one of easier and healthier ways to do it."

The research facility said it plans to expand the program to more bakeries in the near future to cut down even more on leftover grain.
Cho Sung-min, Arirang News.