USA Rice makes strides in international markets
Apr 15, 2009 10:42 AM
As rice farmers head back to the fields to grow a new crop, they are asking consumers to look for the new ‘Grown in the USA’ logo on packages of rice in the grocery store and soon on restaurant menus, said Fred Zaunbrecher, a rice farmer from Duson, La., who serves on the USA Rice Federation’s Domestic Promotion Committee.
“People want to know where their food is grown, and we can proudly point to rice grown right here in the USA,” Zaunbrecher said. “We know how important rice is in Louisiana, now we have to educate the rest of the country.”
To date the ‘Grown in the USA’ rice logo has been licensed to 19 companies that together account for more than 72 percent of the domestic U.S. rice trade. Zaunbrecher said chefs and foodservice operators also are taking note.
“Many chefs said they choose U.S.-grown rice to support farmers and our economy, but others said they do not know the origin of the rice they are using. This new logo is a big aid in USA Rice’s foodservice communications,” Zaunbrecher said.
“Through the Rice Council and USA Rice, we’re at the table, planning and overseeing programs to promote rice in the United States and internationally,” Zaunbrecher said.
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