Lotus Foods Basmati Is First Rice to Achieve Regenerative Organic Certification

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Aug 11, 2020, 09:59 ET

RICHMOND, Calif., Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Lotus Foods, the leading heirloom and organic rice company, is proud to announce that its traditional White and Brown Basmati Rice, sourced from family farmers in northern India, has qualified for Regenerative Organic Certified™ (ROC™) Silver. It is the first rice to achieve this rigorous new standard, which goes beyond existing Organic and Fair Trade certifications in promoting farming that enriches rather than degrades soil and values animals and workers.

Lotus Foods Organic Basmati Brown retail bag proudly displays the new logo that it has achieved Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC).

In 2018, Lotus Foods was one of 19 brands and farms selected to pilot the Regenerative Organic standards, which is comprised of three pillars: Soil Health and Land Management; Animal Welfare; and Farmer and Worker Fairness. The goal of the pilot process was to develop a greater understanding of how ROC standards can be implemented at the field level and use that experience in finalizing the standards for adoption worldwide. Sixteen different commodities were represented in the pilot. Lotus Foods offered the opportunity to gauge the application of the standards under the conditions of subsistence rice farmers, who are managing plots of land that are a fraction the size of most farms and ranches in the US.

"We couldn't be more thrilled," says Lotus Foods Co-Founder/Co-CEO Caryl Levine. "These farmers, who have been trained to use System of Rice Intensification (SRI) methods, which we call More Crop Per Drop™, have demonstrated that it is very feasible to generate important economic and environmental benefits like increasing yields of traditional varieties, reducing water use and methane emissions and also be regenerative." Lotus Foods traditional White and Brown Basmati Rice is one of only a handful of truly authentic basmati rices, which have been increasingly displaced by modern hybrids that are bred more for yield rather than taste.

Adds Ken Lee, also Lotus Foods Co-Founder/Co-CEO, "We'd like to express our gratitude to Tapan Ray, our supply partner in India, for his pioneering support of SRI farming practices and commitment to the ROC pilot process. And to Dr. Bronner's for its encouragement. It was a pleasure to work with the Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA) and NSF International implementing teams and professionals at EcoCert, who conducted the field audit."

"What we do to the soil we do to ourselves," says Elizabeth Whitlow, ROA Executive Director. "Current mainstream farming practices deplete and erode soil, a long-term trend we can't afford for the climate, for our farmers, or the future of food security. The farms and brands we worked with in the ROC™ pilot program are excellent examples of how we can reverse this trend and build healthy soils while growing healthy, resilient communities. Companies like Lotus Foods have long been leading the way on innovation in regenerative rice production methods and are essential for shifting our food system."

Achieving ROC status is a fitting culmination as Lotus Foods celebrates its 25^th Anniversary. Over the past 25 years, the company has imported more than 25 million pounds of certified organic rice from a multi-country network of family rice producers whose lives and communities have been transformed by access to markets and organic and Fair Trade premiums. Lotus Foods' commitment to organic and regenerative practices is generating more rice from less land, preserving valuable genetic biodiversity, saving hundreds of millions of gallons of water annually, promoting long-term soil health, and removing greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere.

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About Lotus Foods
Since 1995, Lotus Foods has partnered in direct and fair trade with small family farmers around the world who are growing rice more sustainably while preserving rice biodiversity. As a certified B Corporation, Lotus Foods is committed to "Changing How Rice Is Grown around the World" by focusing on rice grown using the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), which we call More Crop Per Drop™.SRI minimizes water usage, empowers women, financially rewards farmers and reduces climate impact.

SOURCE Lotus Foods