For years we have bought basmati rice at Trader Joe's and while we have always picked the organic version, reports out of India (from where the rice is imported) say that the soil and water is highly contaminated with carcinogens like lead and arsenic (it is safe to assume that while the farmers may use organic fertilizers, it is doubtful if they will use filtered water). So it maybe somewhat cleaner than the standard variety but I argued that it might be better to buy the Texmati rice (essentially American basmati grown in the US). We picked the RiceSelect brand that cost about six bucks for 32 oz (more expensive than the imported one) but I must say that it is nothing like the basmati rice. The grains stick and there is hardly any aroma. Lorena now insists that we revert to the organic basmati grown in India.
For years we have bought basmati rice at Trader Joe's and while we have always picked the organic version, reports out of India (from where the rice is imported) say that the soil and water is highly contaminated with carcinogens like lead and arsenic (it is safe to assume that while the farmers may use organic fertilizers, it is doubtful if they will use filtered water). So it maybe somewhat cleaner than the standard variety but I argued that it might be better to buy the Texmati rice (essentially American basmati grown in the US). We picked the RiceSelect brand that cost about six bucks for 32 oz (more expensive than the imported one) but I must say that it is nothing like the basmati rice. The grains stick and there is hardly any aroma. Lorena now insists that we revert to the organic basmati grown in India.