Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/235863
The SRI process calls for transplanting rice seedlings at a much younger age (days versus weeks), using 90 percent fewer seeds and less land. "Farmers who are adopting this methodology are getting double and triple their yields," Levine notes. Fair trade pricing, reduced labor and less land dedicated to rice farming mean families have more earnings, time and resources, Levine continues. Women, typically the primary farmers, have more time for childrearing, money to send children to school and land to grow fruit and vegetable gardens, giving them not only a more varied diet but crops that sell for higher prices than rice in the marketplace. Consumers get a clean, nutritious, flavorful array of products that are organic and fair trade certified, as well as a chance to contribute to the well-being of families and communities on the other side of the globe. "Just by how we change the way we grow rice, we can have environmental, economic and social impact," Levine says. Future Innovation fuels success and growth, and Lotus Foods continues to build awareness and sales with two new product introductions. Heat & Eat Bowls provide shelf-stable, fully cooked rice for busy, on-the- Traditional rice farming often drains farming families' resources to the point of poverty. "Imagine being a farmer and not having enough to eat." go shoppers, using a new method that retains the texture and taste of fresh-cooked grains. "I think it introduces more consumers to whole grain and more nutritional rices," says Levine of the convenient, userfriendly product line. The newest Rice Ramen offers not only more nutritious noodles, using Forbidden Rice, Jade Pearl Rice, and millet and brown rice as the base for three varieties, but a gluten-free option too. Initially exclusive to Whole Foods, the product will be available to all buyers starting with the Winter Fancy Food Show in January. Levine is quick to note that the award is as much for her husband and co-founder, Lee, and the company as a whole. "We have an amazing team at Lotus Foods," she says. "And everyone is there because they want to be there and they really see the difference we make on a daily basis." Winter Fancy Food Show Booth 1662 38 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com