NutraCea announced it has begun an initiative to penetrate global markets by forming strategic alliances with foreign governments of rice-producing countries as well as rice mills to facilitate the deployment of the company's stabilization technology, which will convert the world's largest wasted food resource, rice bran, into food products that can feed millions of malnourished women and children for pennies a day.

"An aggressive plan is underway to build relationships with governments and owners of large rice mills that share in the vision to create a new industry and further their own economic development and stability. Equally important, these programs would help provide a long-term solution for food security for these countries, as well a dynamic revenue stream for NutraCea," stated Brad Edson, president of NutraCea.

According to the company, negotiations are currently in progress at the highest level with several countries to embrace this technology. These countries have demonstrated an interest to enter into binding agreements, which would allow for the build-out of plants adjacent to the rice mills.

These potential agreements are examples of how rice bran, the largest underutilized food resource on Earth, can be transformed into several different highly nutritious value-added food products to combat world hunger. These products have already been demonstrated to greatly improve the nutritional status of children in several Central American countries.

"We see an enormous potential to pursue rapid deployment of our global strategic marketing development. We met with the ambassadors of several rice producing nations and government organizations that are eager to move forward on our business proposal. From the inception of NutraCea, its founder's vision was to positively impact world hunger, and we are still firmly committed to that endeavor," stated Edson.

"NutraCea plans to execute on the success of previous feeding programs and studies, which unequivocally demonstrated the value of our RiSolubles in feeding programs in children throughout Central America," Edson concluded.

NutraCea believes that successfully completing the proposed merger with The RiceX company would better position NutraCea to pursue its plan of global expansion. The combined companies would be able to offer to prospective partners the rice-stabilization technologies and expertise of both NutraCea and RiceX, which would enhance and expand the value of services that NutraCea could provide.