• by Tanya Gazdik , December 23, 2010

Lundberg Family Farms is joining with Eating Well magazine for the "Rice to the Occasion" sweepstakes.

The Richvale, Calif.-based producer of organic rice and rice products is giving away several high-end rice cookers. The goal of the contest is to help raise awareness about how easy it can be to add healthy rice to a healthy diet, says Todd Kluger, Lundberg's vice president of marketing.

"Many consumers are trained to use instant rice, and we want them to know about the ease of cooking other whole grain varieties," Kluger tells Marketing Daily."Lundberg Family Farms is trying to help educate consumers who care about healthy food that is good for them and the environment"

Consumers can enter to win a Zojirushi rice cooker, plus a basket full of Lundberg Family Farms rice products. Zojirushi is a leading manufacturer of high-end rice cookers and innovative cooking products.

The "Rice to the Occasion" Sweepstakes starts Dec. 23 and will run through March 1. To enter, consumers can visit www.lundberg.com, which links to the Eating Well Web site where the contest entry form is posted. A pop-up invites contestants to try a free issue of the magazine and to receive a free gift. Contestants are also invited to sign up for a special offers and newsletters from both Lundberg and Eating Well.

First prize is a Zojirushi Induction Heating Pressure Rice Cooker & Warmer ($515 value). The second-prize winner will be awarded a Zojirushi Induction Heating System Rice Cooker & Warmer ($300 value), and the third-prize winner will receive a Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker & Warmer ($233 value). Each winner will also receive a basket of Lundberg Family Farms rice products.

Since 1937, the Lundberg family has been farming rice and using eco-positive farming methods to produce rice products at its farms in California's Sacramento Valley.

This is Lundberg's second partnership with Eating Well. The company conducted a BBQ sweepstakes with the magazine last year. Lundberg also conducted a contest for trip for two to Tuscany in partnership with Organic Gardening magazine.

Lundberg unveiled a new look and several new consumer-friendly features on its Web site at the end of September including the ability to rate, comment on, and print dozens of original recipes. Users can also rate and comment on their favorite Lundberg organic rice and rice products. In addition, the site introduces downloadable coupons that can be printed at home and used in stores where Lundberg products are sold.

Lundberg has also taken their recipes and promotions to their Facebook page so they can reach a wider audience.