Enrich Foods’ “Climate Friendly” Rice Named NEXTY Award Finalist: The First Consumer Product Funded by USDA’s Climate-Smart Commodities Is Now Available to US Households.

February 23, 2024

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Enrich Foods’ “Climate Friendly” Rice Named NEXTY Award Finalist: The First Consumer Product Funded by USDA’s Climate-Smart Commodities Is Now Available to US Households.

When US Farmers, Sustainable Agriculture Leaders and USDA Join Together, Everyone—Especially the Planet—Wins.

Enrich Foods, a Columbia Grain International company, announces a giant leap forward in sustainable agriculture with the national availability of certified climate-friendly rice from U.S. farms bringing this household staple to grocery stores across the nation under the Great River Milling brand. This is the first consumer product funded by USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities initiative to hit store shelves, and has broad applications across American agriculture. Grown and produced in America’s heartland, climate-friendly rice represents a game-changing advance in sustainable farming—from funding to field to shelf to plate. Learn more about Great River Milling Long Grain White Rice and Long Grain Brown Rice at Expo West (Booth #4790). These products can also help support—and advance—retailers’ corporate sustainability initiatives.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240223997050/en/

Enrich Foods’ Climate-Friendly Rice Named NEXTY Award Finalist. Grown and produced in America’s heartland, climate-friendly rice represents a game-changing advance in sustainable farming—from funding to field to shelf to plate. (Photo: Business Wire)

Adding to the prestige, Expo West, the world’s largest exhibition of natural products, just named Great River Milling’s Long Grain White Rice as a 2024 NEXTY award finalist!

“We’re setting a new standard and bringing the first product funded by USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities initiative to market,” shares Jeff Van Pevenage, President and CEO, Columbia Grain International. “In partnership with AgriCapture, an agricultural technology company that provides solutions to climate change and USDA funding, we will bring 50 million pounds of domestically grown Certified Climate-Friendly rice to households across the country in 2024.”

“Economic and environmental sustainability go hand in hand,” shares fifth-generation rice farmer and winner of the USA Rice Sustainability Award, Jim Whitaker. Learn more about his inspiring journey in his inspiring TED Talk “A cleaner world could start in a rice field.”

Traditional rice growing methods involve fully flooded rice paddies, which produce high levels of methane. But if farmers can control the water usage and still produce the same high-quality product, they can mitigate many of the negative effects.

The Climate-Friendly Certified by AgriCapture™ growing process

Reduces Greenhouse gas emissions by 60-95 percent
Reduces water use by up to 33 percent
Improves soil health and promotes carbon sequestration
Reduces heavy metals (inherent in traditional rice growing)
- Inorganic Arsenic levels for Climate-Friendly Rice were 33% less than conventional rice (Source)

“This rice growing process represents a great way to support farmers who are caring for our planet. Participating farmers receive a 10 percent premium per bushel of rice relative to conventional pricing,” states Tyler Hull, President of AgriCapture.

Pricing and Availability

Great River Milling Long Grain White Rice and Brown Rice is now available for consumer purchase on Amazon and will be on store shelves in early 2024. For product and pricing information, contact Rachel Justice at rjustice@enrich-foods.com or 720-352-2648.

About Enrich Foods™, LLC.

Enrich Foods is the consumer products arm of Columbia Grain International, a global leader in the origination, processing, logistics, and distribution of high-quality bulk grains and pulses. The Enrich Foods portfolio includes the Balanced Bushel line of premium dry beans and pulses and the Great River Milling brand specializing in organic flour, beans, pulses, and Certified Climate Friendly Rice™.

Enrich Foods’ brands have a widespread Amazon presence and select distribution through leading retailers and major e-commerce platforms. With a new, SQF-certified, 35,000 square foot plant located in West Central Wisconsin, the company specializes in high-capacity co-manufacturing capabilities, is a trusted private label partner, and can help retailers meet corporate sustainability goals.

For more information visit www.enrich-foods.com.