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Forbidden Rice® is a "Classic" sofi™ Finalist

Forbidden Rice® is a "Classic" sofi™ Finalist

Published 06-25-14

Submitted by Lotus Foods, Inc.

Lotus Foods Forbidden Rice®

Lotus Foods is proud to announce that its signature Forbidden Rice® has been selected as a finalist in the 2014 sofi™ Awards in the “Classic” category. A sofi Award is the top honor in the $86 billion specialty food industry. These awards are made annually by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT) to recognize "specialty outstanding food innovation" or sofi.  

Forbidden Rice® is one of 125 Finalists selected by a national panel of specialty food professionals from from a record 2,737 entries across all 32 awards categories. Gold Winners will be announced at a gala ceremony Monday June 30, at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York.

Besides its exceptional taste and dramatic plate presentation, the rice’s legendary Imperial pedigree may also have contributed to its success with consumers. In China it was called ‘Longevity’ or ‘Tribute’ rice, reserved for the emperors to ensure their good health and long life. “We tried to capture the legend and sense of exclusivity by calling this rich ancient grain Forbidden Rice®,” explains Levine. “We registered the trademark in 1995.” Taking a product from niche to mainstream is every manufacturer’s goal and certainly helps to support its ‘classic’ status. Recent research shows that pigmented red and black rice have higher antioxidant capacity than any other grain, including quinoa, and also other pigmented fruits like blueberries. 

This year, Lotus Foods introduced a new product made with Forbidden Rice®: gluten-free Forbidden Rice®Ramen. Normally, Ramen noodles are wheat-based, making them off-limits for anyone with intolerance for gluten.  This means this cherished comfort and convenience food is now available to everyone. In addition to Ramen made with Forbidden Rice®, Lotus Foods also offers Ramen made with its Jade Pearl Rice™ and a hearty blend of Millet and Brown Rice.

Since 1995, Lotus Foods has been partnering in fair trade with small family farmers around the world who are growing rice sustainably and preserving heirloom and specialty rices. The company’s objective is not only to help rice farmers earn a living wage but to bring healthier rice choices to consumers. More information and recipes are available at Lotus Foods’ website: www.lotusfoods.com.

Lotus Foods, Inc.

Lotus Foods, Inc.

Lotus Foods was founded with the intent and vision to support sustainable global agriculture by promoting production of traditional heirloom rice varieties, many of which may otherwise have become extinct, while enabling the small family rice farmer to earn an honorable living. A small company with a big mission, Lotus Foods has emerged as a leader in the specialty rice category, and made a big difference in the quality of life of its family farm suppliers. In 2008, after 13 years in business Lotus Foods embarked on a major expansion of its social and environmental commitment and in doing so doubled its product line. It had been contacted in 2005 by the Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development (CIIFAD), a unit within Cornell University, about a new more sustainable methodology for growing rice called System of Rice Intensification (SRI). CIIFAD had identified Lotus Foods as a potential private sector partner that could bring to market traditional rice grown by small family farmers using SRI practices. SRI enables some of the world’s most marginalized farmers to double their yields (or more) using 50% less water, 90% less seed, and no agrochemical inputs. With global rice production consuming up to one third of the world’s annual freshwater supplies, Lotus Foods saw the collaboration with Cornell and SRI farmers as a unique opportunity to use market incentives to catalyze a rural transformation that could contribute to improved global food security, empower poor households, conserve water resources, and promote human and environmental health. After several years of due diligence, Lotus Foods publicized its commitment to link SRI farmers in Cambodia, Indonesia and Madagascar to US markets at the Clinton Global Initiative 2008 annual meeting. In 2009, it imported its first container of SRI-grown rice from each country, including the first rice ever to be certified as “Fair for Life” by the Institute for Marketecology (IMO).

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