Farmer’s Rice Faces Calif. Health Department Sushi Rice Investigation

In light of a recent sushi rice class action lawsuit launched against Farmer’s Rice Cooperative, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has confirmed that a full scale investigation will be launched against the defending rice provider.

Farmer’s Rice Cooperative is California’s largest rice exporter and supplies rice to a great number of California restaurant, stores, and business with rice products, which according to recent lawsuits, may be tainted with animal waste products and is allegedly a lower quality sushi rice than advertised and labeled.

Because this tainted rice has been sold across the whole state and potentially effects hundreds of businesses and thousands of citizens, the CDPH has become involved to determine the exact nature of the alleged contamination, The Sacramento Bee reported.

According to Matt Cones, a spokesman for the CDPH, “The CDPH is currently conducting an investigation into allegations against Farmer’s Rice Cooperative. Because the investigation is still in progress, CDPH cannot comment on any specific findings at this time.”

For now, Farmer’s Rice Cooperative will continue to face litigation from California restaurants and stores, as well as intense scrutiny by state authorities.

Sushi Rice Litigation

Japanese rice, more popularly referred to internationally as sushi rice, is a staple food in Japanese culture and has been regularly consumed in the United States thanks to the popularity of sushi restaurants and sushi bars. This short grain rice can be cooked to a sticky consistency that is pleasant to eat and easy to use in cooking sushi rolls and other dishes.

However, according to recent news articles, it seems that certain California sushi rice manufacturers and providers are allegedly selling tainted sushi rice to local restaurants and business, thus putting thousands of sushi consumers at risk.

In July, a number of California sushi restaurants filed a tainted sushi rice class action lawsuit against Farmer’s Rice Cooperative, the Sacramento-based rice supplier that allegedly sells contaminated sushi rice throughout all of California. Some popular Farmer’s Rice Cooperative brands include Calrose, New Crop, M401 and a number of other brand names.

The business that filed this sushi rice class action lawsuit alleges that FRC rice contains “flush,” that is rice containing any and all materials that should not be included or consumed. During processing, flush is generally separated from the rice grains, making the rice safe for human consumption.

According to this California sushi rice class action lawsuit, FCR brand name rice contains a whole host of foreign materials, including bird remains and insect and rodent parts and feces. Black mold has also allegedly been found in processed FCR rice.

FCR then allegedly proceeded to sell its rice to restaurants and store owners who bought the product under the belief that they were purchasing sushi grade Extra Fancy rice, but instead discovered to have bought an inedible rice product. In their sushi rice class action lawsuits, participating restaurants and business claim that FCR unfairly profited by illegally selling contaminated sushi rice intended for human consumption.

Sushi rice class action lawsuits like the one described above seek monetary compensation for affected sushi restaurants and business that or sell sushi rice obtained from Farmer’s Rice Cooperative.

Join a Free Sushi Rice Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you own a California restaurant or business that sold sushi within the past four years, you may be eligible to join a free class action lawsuit investigation.

Get a Free Case Evaluation Now