Organic rice producer Lundberg Family Farms said Tuesday it is releasing more than 70 products made with its regenerative certified rice as the company aims to expand sustainable growing practices in the next three years.
“We’re bringing Regenerative Organic Certified rice to every category of our product portfolio," said Suzanne Sengelmann, chief growth officer at Lundberg, "which has the potential to introduce a broad audience of convenience-minded and conventional consumers to regenerative organic products."
Last year, Lundberg became the first U.S. brand to have its rice products substantiated by the Regenerative Organic Alliance. Founded by the Rodale Institute, Dr. Bronner’s, and Patagonia, other ROA members include Compassion in World Farming and the Textile Exchange.
Lundberg and the ROA certified more than 8,500 acres of rice this year, four times the amount in the previous year. The company seeks to certify all of its organic rice by 2027, according to Bryce Lundberg, vice president of agriculture and third-generation farmer.
“We wanted to transition in an orderly and systematic way and provide confidence to our whole team of growers that this is something that is well within the area of success,” said Bryce Lundberg in an interview.
Regenerative Organic Certified rice will be featured across Lundberg’s product portfolio, including packaged rice, rice cakes, rice and seasoning mixes, and 90-second rice. Almost half of the company’s offerings will feature Regenerative Organic Certified Rice. The company is also rolling out a new package design.
To receive the Regenerative Organic Certified designation farms must meet standards across soil health, animal welfare and social fairness criteria.
Seeking Regenerative Organic certification is in line with the company’s founding philosophy, according to Brita Lundberg, chief storyteller and fourth-generation farmer.
“When my great-grandparents moved here to California, they brought with them a new philosophy which was to leave the land better than they found it," she said. "I think of this as an extension of this philosophy, but it also coincides with a growing awareness among consumers, retailers and others that sustainability is not enough. If we sustain where we are currently it’s not going to cut it.”
Brita Lundberg calls Regenerative Organic Certified the “gold standard” of organic farming, and the company has pioneered practices that focus on soil health, animal welfare and social fairness.
Lundberg Farms incorporates smart water and weed management in their regenerative organic fields, drowning grass weeds and drying up aquatic weeds instead of using chemical herbicides. The company also cultivates 17 varieties of rice in its in-house nurseries, developing varieties that are compatible with regenerative organic practices.
While the company owns no livestock, the business participates in many animal welfare efforts and its rice fields are home to over 200 species. It works to replicate California wetlands, flooding some of its fields each winter to provide habitats for waterfowl. That water is then returned to area rivers and streams where zooplankton nourishes salmon. Cover crops also serve as habitat for nesting ducks, and the company says more than 30,000 duck eggs have been rescued from its fields.
To meet social fairness criteria, Lundberg Family Farms had to prove its human resources practices ensured workers are paid a living wage, and have fair and reasonable, positive working conditions and benefits.
“We like to say that we exist to grow the highest quality rice using organic and regenerative practices,” said Brita Lundberg. “We believe the health of our bodies and our planet depends on it."”
