Lauren Waldrip Ward
Arkansas Rice Federation Executive Director Lauren Waldrip Ward testified before the Joint Senate & House Committee on Agriculture on Tuesday about the industry’s concern over riced vegetables.
The organization said non-rice products are being marketed as rice or as a more healthy form of rice and being stocked on grocery store shelves alongside rice. It says the marketing of the product confuses consumers.
Some of the products Ward testified about were Cauli Rice, Miracle Rice, Better than Rice and Green Giant’s Cauliflower Fried Rice.
There is not an U.S. Food & Drug Administration Standard of Identity for rice, but the federation and USA Rice agree with the existing Codex definition, which identifies rice as originating from the Oryza sativa L. plant.
“Our industry has made significant investments developing and building the brand we have for rice. These companies have made it clear that they intend to capitalize on that very brand. Our farmers are proud of the quality associated with the rice they grow, and we must continue to preserve that image while also protecting consumers,” Ward said in a news release. “Consumers have a right to know honestly and transparently what they are purchasing, and these fake rice products are designed to mislead them. We don’t want consumers who want to purchase rice being tricked into buying something other than rice. Rice is a grain, not a shape. “
Committee members inquired about actions being taken by the FDA and expressed interest in supporting efforts to resolve this issue.
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