Certifications

Regenerative Organic Certified®

What is regenerative?

If you ask us, it starts with organic. Ask 10 different people what regenerative means and you’ll probably get 10 different answers. Heck! Lots of people don’t even believe regenerative has to be organic. But Regenerative Organic Certified® uses the USDA Certified Organic standard as a baseline and adds important criteria and benchmarks that incorporate the three major pillars of regenerative organic agriculture into one certification. 

Find out more here! https://www.lundberg.com/pages/regenerative-organic-rice

Organic Certification

Who is your Organic certifier? 

We are certified through CCOF. 

They give us a list of requirements for Organic farming and our farms comply. Each year CCOF comes to verify that our farms are abiding by the requirements and renews our certification. 

Organic Certification

What are the levels of Organic? Are you 100% Organic?

“100% Organic” is completely Organic.

“Organic” is 95% or more organic content, but with many stipulations noted in the NOP (National Organic Program) standards.

“Made with Organic” is 70% or more organic content. For example, our Rice Chips are Made with Organic.

Our single ingredient grains are all considered 100% Organic content, but we don’t certify to that category. The main reason is that we export our grain and most other countries don’t recognize the “100% Organic” category, so to make it easier, we certify all our products to the “Organic” category.

More info about USDA Organic:

https://sealmakesitsimple.com/

How long does it take to become Organic Certified? 

It takes 3 years of growing to the Organic standards in order to qualify for an Organic Certification.

Many of our growers are transitioning their non-organic fields to organic. During this 3 year period, a field and its crop are treated as organic, but are not able to be certified organic.

Gluten Free

Are all of your products gluten free?

All of our rice cakes, thin stackers, sweet dream syrup, packaged rice, and entrees are Certified Gluten Free. Our rice chips, rice syrup and heat and eat bowls have a gluten free claim.

Please see the full list on our Gluten Certification - Gluten Free Certification

To what levels do you test your GF products?

Our Gluten Free Certification requires that in-house ingredients and products have no more than 10ppm gluten. 

What is the difference in a product saying "Gluten Free" vrs a product being Certified Gluten Free?

If a product tests under 20 ppm, we can claim it as Gluten Free. If a product tests under 10 ppm, it is Gluten Free Certified.

Why doesn't this Canadian bag have a Gluten Free logo? 

Recently, Canada updated their rules around what types of products that have a Gluten Free certification and/or claim. If a product is inherently Gluten Free, as rice is, we aren't allowed to add the Gluten Free certification logo or the Gluten Free claim to it.

Going forward, our packaging won't include it, but the product is Gluten Free.

Non-GMO

What is Non-GMO?

Non-GMO means non-genetically modified organisms. GMOs (genetically modified organisms), are novel organisms created in a laboratory using genetic modification/engineering techniques.

Non-GMO Project: https://www.nongmoproject.org/find-non-gmo/verified-products/

The Non-GMO label indicates that a product has gone through a verification process to ensure that it has been produced according to consensus-based best practices for GMO avoidance. The certification includes an annual audit and ensures ingredient integrity through to the finished product.

Are all of your products Non-GMO?

We have ONE product that is not Verified Non-GMO:
• Creamy Parmesan Risotto - The creamy parmesan existed before the non-GMO project, and not all of the milk ingredients can be verified by the project. That doesn't mean they contain GMO's.

Can Certified Organic food be GMO

No. The USDA Organic Guidelines prohibits the use of GMO seeds, feed, ingredients. To meet USDA organic regulations, farmers and processors must show that they are not using GMOs.

Whole Grain (Claim/Stamp, not certification)

What is Whole Grain? 

A whole grain is an unprocessed grain that contains the endosperm, germ, and bran. 

Is all of your rice whole grain? 

Only our Brown Rice is whole grain. This rice still has the endosperm, germ and bran intact. 

Our White Rice is not whole grain because the brown layer (that contains the endosperm, germ and bran) is milled off. 

Kosher Certification

What is Kosher?

The Hebrew word “kosher” means fit or proper as it relates to Jewish dietary law. Kosher foods are permitted to be eaten, and can be used as ingredients in the production of additional food items.

View more information here: https://oukosher.org/what-is-kosher/

Is your dry, packaged rice and bulk rice Kosher for Passover? 

While we do not have the certification for Kosher for Passover, our packaged rice and our bulk rice would be considered Kosher for Passover.

Why aren't your Rice Cake Minis Kosher?

Our Rice Cake Minis are made in their own facility that is still new to the production of the Mini cakes. We have not pursued Kosher certification at this time because the facility is set up in a way that doesn’t meet their requirements for switching from Kosher to Non-Kosher products. 

INTERNAL: The water at the Pilot Plant does not get hot enough to satisfy the cleaning practices Kosher certifications requires for changeovers of Kosher to non-Kosher products. That was what the Rabbi told us when we were still making BGB’s. It was determined by marketing that we do not need to pursue getting the Pilot Plant Kosher certified. 

Fair Trade

What is Fair Trade? 

Fairtrade is a system of certification that aims to ensure a set of standards are met in the production and supply of a product or ingredient. For farmers and workers, Fairtrade means workers' rights, safer working conditions and fairer pay. For shoppers it means high quality, ethically produced products.

What products are Fair Trade? 

Our Chocolate Thin Stackers are made with Fair Trade Certified Ingredients.

Vegan

Our products are not certified vegan. However, products with a vegan claim, contain vegan ingredients that have been verified through our ingredient verification process.