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Press Release Date of Release: December 22, 2008 Phone: 82-2-774-4050, Fax:82-2-774-4090 Contact: Lee Jeong-su, Secretary General Park Hyo-jin, Secretary   Consumers' Choice of the Year 2008: Best Rice Brands   In the 6thannual evaluation of high-quality brand rice by KNCCO(Chairman Kim Cheon-ju), "Keundeurae Kkum" presented by Daeya Agricultural Cooperative in Gunsan City, Jeollabuk-do was voted the best brand rice of the year by garnering 799.2 points out of the total 900 points. Superior brands include "CheolSaeDoRaeJi Rice" (Jaehee RPC) meaning "rice grown in a stopover site for migrant birds", of Gunsan City, Jeollabuk-do, "Dream SaengMi"(Dong-Gang Agricultural Cooperative) of Naju City, Jeollanam-do, Chemical-Free Horizon Rice(SaeManGeum Farming Co.) of Gimjae City, Jeollabuk-do, "Green Tea Beauty Boseong Rice"(Rice Cooperative Joint Corporation, Boseong Agricultural Cooperative) of Boseong-gun, Jeollanam-do, and "Rice Grown with Crakes"(Daesan RPC). Recommended brands are "Butterfly Rice"(Rice Cooperative Joint Corporation, Hampyeong Agricultural Cooperative) of Hampyeopnggun, Jeollanam-do, "Super Oning Rice"(Anjung/Songtan/Paengseong Agricultural Cooperative) of Peyongtaek City, Gyeonggi, "Cheongwon Saengmyeong Rice"(Rice Cooperative Joint Corporation, Cheongwon Saengmyeong Agricultural Cooperative), "Watermill Jinmi"(Gunyang RPC) of Gimcheon City, Gyeongbuk, "Hanaru Rice"(Dangjin Regional Agricultural Cooperatives Federation) of Dangjin-gun, Chungnam, and "Hannunebanhan Rice(Okcheon Agricultural Cooperative) of Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do). The previous evaluations that were performed between 2003 and 2007, included as qualified candidates only the rice that was produced in the preceding year and available on the market. As a result, rice that was produced and marketed in the current year of evaluation were excluded, which many have pointed out should be addressed. However, this year's evaluation will include rice that was produced both in the previous and current years in order to provide more accurate and practical information to consumers. In addition, experts and consumers visited the production sites and conducted a field evaluation, thereby making the evaluation process more scientific and consequently enhancing objectivity and reliability of the evaluation According to an analysis of the evaluation results during the 6 years from 2003 to 2008, rice brands that are well-known among consumers and enjoy considerable brand power such as Icheon Rice and GyeonggiMi ranked low in the evaluation and were not voted among the 12 superior brands. The 2008 brand rice evaluation found that cultivar purity has greatly improved from last year as a result of continued quality control efforts by rice producers. Out of total 48 brands presented for the high-quality brand rice evaluation, 12 brands were selected as the outstanding brands of 2008 including one best brand, five superior brands, and six recommended brands. The results will be announced at the "2008 Comprehensive Review of the Brand Rice Evaluation Project" to be held at the aT center on December 22, followed by an awards ceremony. The12 selected brands will be granted the awards from the Minister of Food, Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, and memorial plaques by the chairman of the KNCCO. The following is the details of the evaluation results. ◇ 12 outstanding brands of the year 2008 ◇    ○ Best Brand(1) : Keundeurae Kkum(Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do)  ○ Superior Brands(5) : Cheolsaedoraeji Rice(Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do) Dream Saengmi(Naju, Jeollanam-do) Chemical-Free Horizon Rice(Gimjae, Jeollabuk-do) Green Team Beauty Boseong Rice(Boseong, Jeollanam-do) Rice Grown with Crakes(Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do) ○ Recommended Brands(6)   : Butterfly Rice(Hampyeong, Jeollanam-do) Super Oning Rice(Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi) Cheongwon Saengmyeong Rice(Cheongwon, Chungcheongbuk-do) Watermill Jinmi(Gimcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do) Haenaru Rice(Dangjin, Chungcheongnam-do) Hannunebanhan Rice(Haenam, Jeollanam-do)     ■ Reference 1. Evaluation Procedure 49 brands are recommended as candidates (city, provincial governments, related associations) Samples are collected and sent for evaluation (KNCCO) - National Council of the Green Consumer Network in Korea ° Sales of a recommended candidate brand should be at least 2 billion won in 2007 with a sales target of 3 billion won for 2008.   ° Samples are taken randomly by the packaging unit at retail outlets. ° Samples were assigned random numbers 4 times at one-month interval and then repackaged for tests by experts.     Grade Evaluation (National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service) Eating Quality Evaluation (Korea Food Research Institute) ° Grade by Appearance Evaluation  - Evaluation Items : 11  - Sensory Test Items : 3 ° A panel of experts ran objective sensory tests to evaluate quality.     Cultivar-Blending Ratios Analysis (National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service) Paper-Based and Field Evaluations (KNCCO) -Citizens' Alliance for Consumer Protection ° Identification of Cultivar-Blending Ratios by DNA Analysis  - to check if labels were matched with actual contents.  - Points were deducted according to the ratio of other rice cultivars mixed in with the rice brand. ° Field Visits for Confirmation after Sample Tests  - Contract-based production, contracted farming households management  - Management of high-quality rice production facilities  -Brand quality control     Consumer Satisfaction Survey (KNCCO) - Consumers Union of Korea     ° A panel of 90 average consumers cooked each brand rice the same way they cook at home and subjectively evaluated them for taste, smell, appearance and other factors.     2. Analysis of Evaluation Results 1) "Keundeurae Kkum"(the Dream of the Grand Field) was voted the best brand rice of the year by garnering 799.2 points out of the total 900 points. By region, Jeollanam-do toped the list with 4 locally-grown brands voted among the 12 award-winning brands, followed by Jeollabuk-do with 3 brands, Chungcheongnam-do with 2 brands, and Chungcheongbuk-do and Gyeongsangbuk-do with one brand, respectively. 2) The average score of the outstanding brands was 680.4 points. The average score of 680 points(75.6%) out of total 900 points, is slightly lower compared to 1,004 points out of 1,200 in 2007. Category Average Scores of Best brand Rice 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Evaluation Item 51 61 71 50 51 48 Average Score 763.8 1,035.9 1,071.1 932.5 1,004 680.42 Percentage(%) 76.4 74.0 76.5 84.8 83.7 75.6 Total 1,000 1,400 1,400 1,100 1,200 900 3) Of the 12 brands, six brands had been voted among the outstanding brands from 2003 through 2007 and the other six brands were newly listed. Of the newly listed brands, 2 brands were grown in Jeollanam-do, and one in Jeollabuk-do, Gyeonggi-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do and Chungcheongnam-do, respectively. Ranking Category Brand Region Producer Previous records 1 Best Brand Keundeurae Kkum Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do Daeya Agricultural Cooperative Newly listed 2 Superior Brands Cheolsaedoraeji Rice Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do Jaehee RPC Listed 4 times as superior brands(2005, 2006, 2007, 2008) 3 Dream Saengmi Naju, Jeollanam-do Donggang Agricultural Cooperative Listed 3 times as superior brands (2006, 2007, 2008) 4 Chemical-Free Horizon Rice Gimjae, Jeollabuk-do Saemangeum Farming Co. Listed twice(2007, 2008) 5 Green Tea Beauty Boseong Rice Boseong, Jeollanam-do Rice Cooperative Joint Corporation, Boseong Agricultural Cooperative Newly listed 6 Rice Grown with Crakes Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do Daesan RPC Listed twice(2007, 2008) 7 Recommended Brands Butterfly Rice Hampyeong, Jeollanam-do Rice Cooperative Joint Corporation, Hampyeong Agricultural Cooperative Newly listed 8 Super Oning Rice Pyeongtake, Gyeonggi-do Anjung/Songtan/Paengseong Agricultural Cooperative Newly listed 9 Cheongwon Saengmyeong Rice Cheongwon-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do Rice Cooperative Joint Corporation, Cheongwon Saengmyeong Agricultural Cooperative Listed 3 times(2003, 2006, 2008) 10 Watermill Jinmi Gimcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do Gunyang RPC Newly listed 11 Haenaru Rice Dangjin, Chungcheongnam-do Dangjin Regional Agricultural Cooperatives Federation Newly listed 12 Hannunebanhan Rice Haenam, Jeollanam-do Okcheon Agricultural Cooperative Listed 6 times(2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)     A Comprehensive Review of the 2008 High-Quality Rice Evaluation Project   Date 11 am-12 am, December 22(Tuesday), 2008     Venue the Grand Conference Room, aT Center(5th floor) • Program Order • MC: Lee Jeong-su, Secretary General, KNCCO Opening Ceremony   National Anthem & Pledge to the National Flag   Opening Remarks Kim Cheon-ju, Chairman, KNCCO Congratulatory Remarks Park Deuk-bae, Second Vice Minister, Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Project Summary Briefing Lee Jeong-soo, Secretary General, KNCCO Results of the Evaluation Lee Deuk-seung, Permanent Representative, National Council of the Green Consumer Network in Korea Awards Ceremony Park Deuk-bae, Second Vice Minister, Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Presentation of Memorial Plaques Kim Cheon-ju, Chairman, KNCCO   ※ Attachment: Results of the 2008 High-Quality Brand Rice Evaluation by Category Ranking Category Brand Grade Eating Quality(experts' evaluation) Cultivar Eating Quality(consumers' evaluation) Field Evaluation Total Score Percentage(%) 1 Best Brand Keundeurae Kkum 190.2 168.1 199.4 148.5 93.0 799.2 88.8 2 Superior Brands Cheolsaedoraeji Rice 199.1 166.7 200.0 134.1 94.5 794.4 88.3 3 Dream Saengmi 194.3 161.4 200.0 130.9 89.0 775.6 86.2 4 Chemical-Free Horizon Rice 188.3 153.6 200.0 137.8 95.0 774.7 86.1 5 Green Tea Beauty Boseong Rice 191.7 156.3 199.4 140.3 86.2 773.9 86.0 6 Rice Grown with Crakes 192.4 165.0 190.7 139.9 84.2 772.2 85.8 7 Recommended Brands Butterfly Rice 196.0 152.2 199.4 130.9 93.7 772.2 85.8 8 Super Oning Rice 186.4 162.4 200.0 130.1 93.3 772.2 85.8 9 Cheongwon Saengmyeong Rice 190.2 154.2 200.0 136.9 90.0 771.3 85.7 10 Watermill Jinmi 190.2 161.8 196.7 139.5 79.0 767.2 85.2 11 Haenaru Rice 187.0 157.4 198.4 154.1 70.0 766.9 85.2 12 Hannunebanhan Rice 175.4 152.5 196.1 146.3 92.7 763.0 84.8 Member Organizations  National Council of the Green Consumers Network in Korea, Young Women's Christian Association of Korea, Korean Federation of Housewives' Clubs, Citizens' Alliance for Consumer Protection, National Council of Homemakers' Classes, Korea Consumer Education Center, Consumers Union of Korea, Korean Federation of Young Men's Christian Associations, Korea Consumer Affairs Institute