Would you agree that the World’s Best Rice is not just expert-panel-judged and subjectively beautiful and tasty, soft or ‘al dente’, slender-elongated or short and round, white or dark, fragrant or not.?

Should the World’s Best Rice not also excel in additional features, beyond those subjective ones?
At least, the best rice should be healthier, more nutritious than others, low on sugar - low glycaemic index, definitely grown sustainably, perhaps organic, fair trade i.e. farmers receiving a fair share. These features and their criteria are objectively measurable, absolutely or against existing standards and indicators currently under development in cooperation of researchers with farmers, traders, corporate buyers, industry actors, policy makers and the United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP).
 

Sustainable production of rice aims to optimize the ratio of inputs to yields and to minimize detrimental impact on the environment (depletion & pollution of resources). This includes but is not limited to reducing water consumption, reducing the use of fertilizers and chemical pesticides and reducing pollution, especially emissions of methane and nitrous oxide. 



Therefore, on top of any subjective winning criteria, from a concerned and informed consumer’s perspective, the World’s Best Rice should be the healthier type of the preferred variety, sustainably produced and responsibly sourced.