We are trying to find the most environmentally sustainable option that also guarantees product freshness and quality.  We would appreciate your feedback. From paddy field to your table, it’s our aspiration to make the process as health-promoting as possible – for you, the farmers and planet. 

It was customer feedback that made us aware of the need for a better rice cooker. When we go to trade shows we always take rice cookers and prepare samples for buyers and visitors to taste.  Our rice cookers used to be non-stick coated aluminum.  More than half of all cookware sold today is made of aluminum. However, visitors to our booth cautioned us about the health risks associated with both materials.  Aluminum is reactive and foods cooked in it can react with the metal to form aluminum salts associated with impaired visual motor coordination and Alzheimer’s disease, although there is no definite link proven.  Non-stick finishes like Teflon and Silverstone scratch easily and may release little bits of inert plastic into the food when cooked.

They told us that when cooking with aluminum pots, the more pitted and worn out the pot, the greater amount of aluminum will be absorbed, and cautioned  us to minimize food storage time in aluminum — the longer food is cooked or stored in aluminum, the greater the amount that gets into food. In fact, aluminum cookware manufacturers warn that storing highly acidic or salty foods such as tomato sauce, rhubarb, or sauerkraut in aluminum pots may cause more aluminum than usual to enter the food.

DuPont studies show that Teflon off gases toxic particulates at 446°F. At 680°F Teflon pans release at least six toxic gases, including two carcinogens. DuPont acknowledges that the fumes can sicken people, a condition called “polymer fume fever.” A study by Environmental Working Group, in collaboration with Commonweal in 2005 found chemicals in the umbilical cord blood of US-born infants including the Teflon chemical PFOA.  Similarly, researchers at John Hopkins Hospital, who released findings in 2006, found PFOA the Teflon chemical, in umbilical cord blood in 99% of 300 newborns tested. The Canadian government is introducing legislation to ban PFOA. The following is an informative site on cookware and health  http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/prod/cook-cuisinier-eng.php

So in order to ensure our customers can prepare our rices in the healthiest cooking environment we came up with a 100% stainless steel rice cooker that has both a rice cooking pot and steaming tray constructed completely out of surgical grade stainless steel 304. Not just a stainless steel coating, and both the cooking pot and steaming tray are 100% recyclable. With the steamer you can make all sorts of tortillas, dumplings, and spring rolls and even shellfish as well as veggies. Cooking with a steamer is a great way to retain nutrients and reduce the temptation to cook with butter and oil.

I personally love to make risotto and usually do not mind standing over the stove stirring the rice over medium high heat and adding broth for about 20 minutes, or until each rice kernel is cooked but still toothsome. But imagine my delight when I recently made a risotto in the rice cooker that was equally delicious with a great texture. I hope you agree. The recipe is at the bottom of today’s blog. Enjoy!

But back to the packaging. One of the best options seems to be a bag from bioplastics. This means that unlike typical plastics made from crude oil, a part of these bags are made from corn. The individual films forming this package are Naturflex™, made from the pulp of sustainably managed tree plantations, and PLA made from GMO corn. They are certified in accordance with ASTM 6400 and EN13432 standards for compostability in industrial or larger scale municipal composting facilities. The drawback is that the corn is GMO corn, and we know that corn producers in the US typically apply large amounts of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, which are not only polluting but are derived from non-renewable fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal and oil.

Further, as demand for corn increases for plastics, biofuels and other non-food applications, there is concern that it will put pressure on the price of foods that also rely on corn-based inputs. So, do the advantages of bioplastics outweigh the disadvantages of conventional plastics? By choosing bioplastics, are we merely supporting Big Ag instead of Big Oil? We’d really like to hear from you on this.

Thank you for the opportunity this week to share with you some information about Lotus Foods, our initiatives and concerns about how to help all of us be healthier and contribute to a healthier world.

Rice Cooker “Risotto” With Onions

This is a very simple risotto-style side dish that we make in Lotus Foods Stainless Steel Rice Cooker. We use organic and low sodium Pacific vegetable stock, so you will need to add salt to taste and pepper to taste.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Carnaroli Rice
• 2¼ Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• ¾ Cups White Wine
• 4 Cups Vegetable Stock + 2 cups spring water (for a total of 6c liquid)
• 1/3 Cups grated parmesan to taste

Directions:

1. Add oil to the rice cooker pot, switch to cook
2. Add onions. Cook until softened, 3-5 minutes.
3. Add rice, stir until it is coated with oil.
4. Add white wine and stir until wine is absorbed
5. Add vegetable stock and warm water; stir and make sure rice cooker is switched on cook.
6. Cover and let the rice cooker cook the risotto. When the cooker switches to warm mode, keep it covered for another 5 minutes to let it finish cooking the rice.
7. Add parmesan, salt and pepper to taste, stir well, and serve.

OPTIONS to add: you can sauté dried or fresh mushrooms with the onions and/or at the end fold in a sauce such as a ½ cup of Dave’s Gourmet award-winning Butternut Squash Sauce for a richer and more flavorful risotto.

I would be very interested to know how many of you are making an effort to buy locally produced goods, whether US-made or within a 100-mile radius. I know I am. We have great natural food stores in El Cerrito and I am a big fan of local farmers markets in the Bay Area and Upstate NY – though I make a beeline to the closest market anywhere I travel. [show photos of market in Cambodia] I love the colors and textures of the goods, the smells, the bustle and bargaining. It’s such a different experience to the sterility of grocery store shopping, where it seems the goal is to make you feel as disconnected as possible from the source of your food and the act of farming. I like knowing where my food comes from and that I’m investing in my community and values I hold dear, like sustainable land management and keeping small family farms in business.

However, the reality is that we are also products of globalization. Every day it’s clearer to me that we are citizens of Planet Earth. Instant communications connect us to family, friends and colleagues in almost every part of the world.  For me, what remains constant are the values. As a company, we view ourselves as part of a global family, and want to be part of supporting sustainable agriculture and the preservation of ecosystems in parts of the world that most need our support as US consumers.  Lotus Foods works closely with family farmers and farmer cooperatives to produce rice sustainably in some of the most important biozones of the world. Two of our products, our SRI rices grown sustainably in Madagascar and Cambodia, are in regions the WWF has specifically designated as bio hotspots.  By giving a price premium for ecological rice production, Lotus Foods is helping to ensure that these zones are protected from industrialized agriculture and stay in community hands.  In the absence of strong local markets, companies like Lotus Foods are an essential driver in contributing to vibrant rural  economies.  Our engagement is helping breathe momentum into fledgling organic movements in Cambodia, Indonesia and Madagascar.

From the viewpoint of environmental efficiency, the rices we sell probably have less impact than most conventionally grown rice in the US, even when one factors in the transportation. SRI-produced rice uses half the water of normal rice and of course all of our organic and SRI rices use no chemical fertilizers. And the labor is done by hand not by machine. That is something that cannot be said for the vast majority of rice produced in the United States, which involves extensive use of fertilizers and pesticides –all of which are derived from fossil fuels and use fossil-fuels in their production. Not to mention the use of planes and heavy machinery for crop seeding and harvesting.  From a net resource perspective, the labor-heavy rather than capital-heavy methods of the developing world tend to be far less environmentally intensive and a better bet for a low-carbon diet.

While imported items typically do have a larger carbon footprint in terms of transportation when they are imported by airplane, boats are one of the most energy efficient methods of transportation out there.  A colleague recently calculated that the carbon impact of our Forbidden Rice, just in terms of transportation, is less than a product moved 955 miles by truck from Portland to Los Angeles. We’re starting this month to work with a group of Berkeley students to help us get a better grip on this issue.  Stay tuned. We’ll post the results on our website.

Nutty Indonesian Volcano Rice Pilaf

By Jill Nussinow, MS, RD, The Veggie Queen™

This rice is rich and nutty so the sweetness of the carrots and onion, along with the spices complement it, and the nuts highlight the flavor of the rice. The color of the carrots adds interest. You can add any other of your favorite vegetables, or add a cooked lean protein when serving the rice. It makes a great salad the next day.

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 cup diced carrot
• 4 cardamom pods or ¼ teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
• 1 cup Indonesian volcano rice
• 1 ¾ cup vegetable broth or water
• ¼ cup toasted sliced or slivered almonds
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Grating of fresh nutmeg

Directions:

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the carrot and cardamom pods and sauté another minute. Add the rice and stir to coat with the oil. Add the broth or water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to a simmer and let cook for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for a few minutes. Remove the cardamom pods, add salt and pepper. Fluff the rice by stirring quickly. Grate fresh nutmeg over the top of the rice and sprinkle with the almonds.

Serves 4 as a side dish

We are now exactly halfway through the International Water for Life Decade (2005-2015), a designation developed by the United Nations to wake up the world to the water and sanitation crisis. We keep adding people to the planet but water resources are diminishing.  Making agriculture more water efficient has to be a top priority.  In the US, according to the USDA, agriculture accounts for 80% of our water use and over 90% in many Western States.  Globally, one of the largest consumers of water is rice.  Each year, about one third of the world’s freshwater goes to grow rice. That’s A LOT of water!!  Irrigated rice takes 2-3 times more water than wheat or maize, the two other major food staples. Rice is not an aquatic plant but flooding it is an efficient way to control weeds, and in many areas, before pesticide use became so prevalent, farmers raised fish and ducks in the fields, which provided an important source of protein. With competition for water intensifying the world over, using 3,000-5,000 liters of water to grow a kilo of rice is simply not sustainable.  In many parts of India and China, farmers are having to drill deeper and deeper to find water. Decades of pumping water out of the ground, sometimes 8 hours a day for over 100 days each year to sustain the recommended levels is leading to serious shortages.  Only 50% of the world’s rice land is irrigated, but it produces 75% of the world’s rice supply, so a major challenge is to find ways to improve the efficiency of irrigated systems while maintaining or increasing yields.

We are very excited to be working with a visionary methodology for rice cultivation that is rapidly spreading among farmers in more than 35 countries. It is called the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and it enables even the poorest farmers to increase their yields anywhere from 20 to 100% while using 50% less water, 90% less seeds, and no agrochemicals. It sounds too good to be true, but it is based on sound agronomic principles.  Farmers practicing SRI do not keep their fields permanently flooded; water is drained off periodically. The soil is kept aerated, just like the soils in your garden, and nourished with compost and natural fertilizers. This, together with wider spacing of plants, results in healthier root systems and more productive plants.  Farmers can use their own saved seed and they get good yields with their traditional varieties.  With lower production costs, they are less likely to become indebted and the additional rice, whether eaten at home or sold, also helps boost incomes.  An added benefit of SRI techniques is that because the fields are not flooded and farmers use less or no synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, methane emissions are reduced. It is estimated that flooded rice paddies contribute 8-20% of global methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.

We were introduced to this novel cultivation method through Cornell University’s International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development (CIIFAD) in 2005. They were interested in collaborating with a private sector partner that could help them link SRI farmers to international markets.  The objective was to promote greater awareness of rice biodiversity, create market incentives for more farmers to adopt SRI practices and assist farmers develop sustainable supply chains for their specialty rices.  After almost 3 years of very intense work with farmer groups and NGOs in Cambodia, Indonesia and Madagascar, in 2009 we succeeded in importing one container (18 tons) of SRI-grown rice from each of these countries:  Madagascar Pink Rice™, Volcano Rice™ and Mekong Flower Rice™.  The Madagascar Pink Rice is a delicious long grain rice with hints of cinnamon and gloves and is produced by the farmers of the Koloharena Cooperative Ivolamiarina in the Lac Alaotra region- the country’s rice basket. From the mineral-rich volcanic soil of Indonesia, Volcano Rice is a colorful blend of nutrient-dense brown and red rice. Reputed to restore vitality due to its high mineral and fiber content, it is grown by the Simpatik Organic Farmer Cooperative in the Tasikmalaya region of West Java. This rice is also certified by the international certifier IMO as Fair for Life, which is considered to most difficult to obtain due to its extensive social and environmental criteria.  Our Mekong Flower Rice comes from the Khmer word for beautiful garland of flowers because of its floral aroma. Leaving the germ and bran layer intact intensifies its fragrance and nutty flavor while retaining the highest nutritional value. It is the first certified organic rice to be exported from Cambodia. These rices are still available in bulk only due to the smaller volumes, but by this fall we hope to get them into retail packages and onto grocery shelves with the rest of our existing product line. Please let us know if you want to find a store near you that carries the SRI rices. Here is a recipe from Leslie Cerier, author of Going Wild in the Kitchen using the Madagascar Pink Rice.

Madagascar Pink Rice with Cashews and Scallions

Here’s a great side dish scented with cumin and ginger. Serve with a bean salad for a great summer meal.

By Leslie Cerier, author of Going Wild in the Kitchen and the upcoming Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook (Spring 2010).

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon ghee
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 cup Madagascar Pink Rice
• ½ cup cashews
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ cup chopped scallions

Directions:

1. Boil water in a teakettle.
2. Heat the ghee and cumin seeds in a 4 quart stock pot over medium heat. Fry for 1-2 minutes until they smell fragrant. Add and sauté the rice and cashews for two minutes to coat and flavor the rice and cashews.
3. Turn off the heat and add boiling water, grated ginger and sea salt.  Resume heat. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed.
4. Served garnish with scallions.

Serves 4

How many different kinds of rice can you name or have you eaten? And no, Uncle Ben’s doesn’t count. It is not a variety of rice.

It’s hard to imagine but before the introduction of “modern” high-yielding rice varieties in the 1960s, Indian farmers were growing as many as 30,000 different rice varieties.  According to Barbara Burlingame, an expert at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in the past Thailand had about 16,000 distinct varieties. Yet today only 37 are grown on a large scale and 50% of rice lands are cultivated to just two varieties! I find this mindboggling.  Where did all that diversity go?

The magic of rice biodiversity is what inspired us to form our company, Lotus Foods.  During a market research trip through China in 1993, Ken and I were in Yunnan province, the home of 26 minority tribes and in a Dai minority village we sat down to steaming bowls of black rice. The flavor was so delicious – a roasted nutty taste with hints of fruit and the plate presentation so exotic. We fell in love with the rice and went to the market the next day to buy some and find out more about this amazing grain. Called ‘hei mei’ (black rice) in Chinese, we were told that it was called ‘longevity’ or ‘tribute rice’ reserved for the Emperors to ensure their good health and long life.  A month later, while walking around the Forbidden City, Ken came up with the name Forbidden Rice, which we trademarked in 1995 at the launch of Lotus Foods.

As most people are now well aware, plant and animal biodiversity are critical to the planet’s well-being and thus our well-being. According to one source, plants are the original source materials for as many as 40% of the pharmaceuticals in use in the United States today. Either the drugs contain plant-derived materials, or synthesized materials from agents originally derived from plants. Black rice we eventually learned contains something called anthocyanins, which act as powerful antioxidants.  Other plants rich in anthocyanins are blueberry, cranberry and bilberry, among others. Different rice cultivars also contain different levels of key nutrients. For example, the amount of protein in rice can range from 5.5 to 14.5 grams per 100 grams of rice. Depending on your gender, age and situation the recommended daily amount ranges from 40-70 grams each day.

Why then is rice biodiversity so badly eroded, if it contains so much great potential? Unfortunately, the technologies and policies pursued the last 30-40 years to increase rice production in Asia, where most rice is grown and eaten, have come at a major price. The new higher-yielding, short-statured rice varieties that scientists developed perform best when grown under irrigated conditions and accompanied by inputs like fertilizers and pesticides.  Large-scale construction of dams and irrigation schemes, heavily subsidized chemical inputs, and at times draconian extension prescriptions resulted in the rapid adoption of the new seeds and displacement of local seeds.   Perhaps more alarming though, decades of heavy and routine use of pesticides, high applications of nitrogen fertilizers, and extensive water withdrawals have created their own set of serious human and environmental health problems, including loss of aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity.  NPR radio journalist Daniel Zwerdling illustrates the plight of many modern Asian farmers in his 2009 report on the “Green Revolution: Trapping India’s Farmers in Debt.”

The good news, however, is that there are an increasing number of grassroots initiatives to preserve rice biodiversity in most Asian countries, and better understand their possible contribution to human health and nutrition.  It has been our experience the past 15 years that providing a market for heirloom varieties can contribute to their preservation as well as the rural communities in which they are still cultivated. Here is a favorite recipe for Forbidden Rice®.  Now you can eat like an emperor every day.

Ken, my partner in life and business, and I love rice. We eat rice most days and are always experimenting with new recipes. We’re a perfect example of the growing demographics in the US that are leading to a steady increase in the consumption of rice. Ken is first generation Chinese American and we’re both largely vegetarian and we’re concerned about our health, our country’s health, and the planet’s health. Whole grain rice offers infinite options for enhancing daily meals with great nutrition and taste, especially if you seek out some of the wonderful examples of the world’s rice biodiversity now available in grocery and specialty stores. We’re proud to be playing a role in introducing some of these exceptional rices to American consumers.

Even though American consumption of rice has tripled since 1970 –it’s now about 25 lb (11 kg) per person annually –it’s still quite low compared to parts of Asia or Africa where a person might eat as much as 200 to 400 lb (90-181 kg) a year.  According to a fascinating article in last October’s Journal of the American Dietetic Association (JADA) called “Rice Consumption in the United States: New Evidence from Food Consumption Surveys,”  adults who reported eating at least half a serving of white or brown rice in one day of observed intake also eat more vegetables, meats, poultry and seafood and fiber, which leads to higher consumption of key nutrients, including folic acid, potassium and iron that are contained in rice products. Rice eaters also consume less added sugar and less total fat and saturated fat than non-rice eaters.

There are many studies now demonstrating that eating rice and particularly brown rice, potentially reduces the risk for many chronic diseases, including obesity, cardiovascular disease and Type II diabetes. So including rice as part of a balanced diet may be linked to overall healthier eating patterns, which is one of the most important preventive medicine strategies all of us can be pursuing to help solve the nation’s healthcare crisis.

In this context, the crisis of obesity among young people and lack of nutrient-dense foods in school cafeterias throughout the country and its impact on our children’s physical and mental health is especially worrying.  Introducing more health-promoting foods like whole grains should be encouraged, at home and at school.  Rice is a great candidate. However, not all rice is created equal. As with almost everything nowadays, especially our food choices, important social and environmental issues lurk in the background and increasingly require us to become more informed consumers.  Rice is no exception.   Over the next couple of days, I’d like to share with you some important issues related to rice production and consumption.

However, one of the very best things you can do for yourself and your family’s health when it comes to rice is to eat rice that still has some if not all of the bran on it. Bran is the key to improving rice’s contribution to nutrition and health. It contains about 75-85% carbohydrates and is richer than fully milled white rice in protein, lipids, fiber, and vitamins and minerals. The micronutrients manganese, selenium and magnesium are found almost entirely in the bran of rice and rice bran oil contains linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid that must be obtained from the diet because the human body cannot synthesize it. Linoleic acid is important for many cell functions but particularly important for the brain’s development. Colored rices also tend to have more nutrients in them. The saying goes, the darker the bran the more fiber, minerals and vitamins.

An informative PowerPoint on the topic of rice and nutrition is one prepared by Dr. Marguerite Uphoff, a pediatrician in Ithaca, NY. You can reach it at this link: www.slideshare.net/SRI.CORNELL/0808-rice-as-a-source-of-nutrition-and-health

Brown rice can sometimes take a bit longer to cook, but it’s worth it for those extra nutritional benefits. Lotus Foods Bhutanese Red Rice is a whole grain that cooks in only 20 minutes; Forbidden Rice® only 30.

If you’re feeling pressed for time, this wonderful one pot meal idea  you can prepare right in your rice cooker and vegetable steamer — an easy no fuss way to enjoy a delicious, healthful and affordable meal.