SEC Company Response from RiceBran Technologies (RIBT) (CIK 0001063537) — Dec 20, 2005
RiceBran Technologies (RIBT) (CIK 0001063537)
Date: Dec. 20, 2005 · CIK: 0001063537 · Accession: 0001140361-05-011193
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
Referenced dates: October 21, 2005, October 21, 2005, October 21, 2005
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CORRESP
1
filename1.htm
Nutracea Corresp 12-19-2005
400
Capitol Mall, Eleventh Floor
December
19,2005
Sacramento,
CA 95814
916.558.6000
: 916.446.161 1 FAX
:
www.weintraub.com
Via
EDGAR and Federal Express
Meritas
Law Firms Worldwide
Roger
D. Linn
916.558.6064
DIRECT
Securities
and Exchange Commission
rlinn~weintraub.com
Division
of
Corporate Finance
100 F
Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20549
Attention:
Gary
Newberry
Mail
Stop 701 0
Re:
NutraCea
Form
10-KSB for Fiscal Year Ended December
31,2004
Forms
10-QSB for Fiscal Quarters ended March 31,2005 and June
30,2005
File
No. 0-32565
Dear
Mr.
Newberry:
On
behalf
of NutraCea, a California corporation (“NutraCea”),
we are
responding to the comments in the letter from April Sifford dated December
6,
2005 relating to NutraCea’s Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2004, (the “10-KSB”).
The
responses below were provided by NutraCea, and have been numbered to correspond
with the comments in the December 6, 2005 letter.
FORM
10-KSB for Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2004
General
COMMENT
1:
We
note
your Form 10-KSB/A filed November 18, 2005 contains restated financial
statements based on our prior comments. Any restated financial statements
you
file should be marked as restated. In addition, they should include a footnote
disclosing the amount originally reported, the amount of the change, the
restated amount and the reason for such restatement in accordance with
Accounting Principles Board Opinion Number 20, paragraph 37 and SEC staff
policy.
Securities
and Exchange Commission
Division
of Corporate Finance
December
19,2005
Page
2
RESPONSE
TO COMMENT 1
NutraCea
has restated the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the year ended
December 31, 2004 and added Note 16 to describe the reason for the restatement
and the amounts originally reported, the amounts related to the change and
the
restated amounts.
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows, Page F-8
COMMENT
2:
We
have
considered your response to our prior comment number six in our letter dated
October 21, 2005. The reconciliation you provided indicates other non-cash
investing or financing activities that occurred during the 2004 fiscal year.
In
accordance with paragraph 32 of SFAS 95, provide a disclosure of all noncash
investing and financing activities. The disclosure may be either narrative
or
summarized in a schedule, and it shall clearly relate the cash and noncash
aspects of the transactions involving similar items.
RESPONSE
TO COMMENT 2
The
other
non-cash investing or financing activities, and their corresponding disclosure
are as follows:
·
$2,380,000
Purchase of Langley PLC Shares. This is included in the Non-cash
disclosure portion of the
statement.
·
$239,100
Shares issued under patent incentive plan. This amount had previously
been
included in the amounts for both non-cash issuances of common stock
in
cash flows from operating activities and purchase of patents and
trademarks. It will now be excluded from these amounts and instead
included in Non-cash disclosure as “Purchase of patents and
trademarks”.
Securities
and Exchange Commission
Division
of Corporate Finance
December
19,2005
Page
3
·
$354,337
conversion of preferred stock to common stock. This had been omitted
from
the non-cash disclosure portion of the statement and will be included
in
the second amended 10-KSB/A.
·
$673,975
Common shares issued to creditors, employees, directors. This was
part of
the correction previously indicated and is properly classified
in Cash
flows from operating activities as “Non-cash issuances of common
stock”.
Note
9
- Commitments and Contingencies
Agreements,
Page F-15
COMMENT
3:
We
have
considered your response to our prior comments number 11 and 12 in our letter
dated October 21, 2005. It appears that you have recognized the expense
associated with these consulting agreements in the period in which measurement
was determined. However, under the guidance of Emerging Issue Task Force
Issue
00-18, paragraph 9, the measured cost of the transaction should be recognized
in
the same periods and in the same manner as if you had paid cash for the goods
or
services. Thus, for your agreements in which services are to be provided
over a
period of time, the measured cost of that agreement should be recognized
in a
manner consistent with the terms of the agreement over the service period.
It
appears that you should amend your Form 10-QSB and 10-KSB to reflect the
recognition of these costs in the proper periods according to the terms of
the
agreements. In addition, provide to us a revised schedule showing the revised
amount of expense recognized for each contract for each quarter.
RESPONSE
TO COMMENT 3
The
stock-based compensation has been recorded in the same manner as if NutraCea
had
paid cash for the services. Several of the warrants vested immediately upon
grant. Therefore, no additional services were to be performed by the recipient
past the date of grant and the value of the stock-based compensation was
immediately expensed. There were some issuances of stock-based compensation
that
required the recipient to perform additional services. The value of these
issuances were expensed over the vesting period.
Securities
and Exchange Commission
Division
of Corporate Finance
December
19,2005
Page
4
COMMENT
4:
We
note
your response to our prior comments number 11 and 12 in our letter dated
October
21, 2005, includes the 2,000,000 and 6,000,000 of warrants issued as part
of
your employment agreements with your Chief Executive Officer and your President.
Based on the terms of the agreements it would appear that these warrants
were
issued for future services. As such, it appears you should revise your
accounting to recognize the compensation cost over the period(s) in which
the
related employee services are rendered. Contrarily, if you believe the warrant
awards relate to past services, tell us why you believe this is the case
and
direct us to the terms of the agreements which support your belief. Refer
to
SFAS 123, paragraphs 26 through 33, for further guidance.
RESPONSE
TO COMMENT 4
The
2,000,000 and 6,000,000 of warrants issued were vested immediately and were
not
issued for future services. Therefore, the value of the warrants was expensed
in
the period granted. These stock-based compensation issuances were treated
similar to bonus payments.
COMMENT
5:
We
have
considered your response to our prior comment 13 in our letter dated October
21,
2005. We do not agree with your conclusions. SFAS 57, paragraph 2, excludes
compensation arrangements from related party disclosures. Further, disclosure
of
a contingent expense under SFAS 5 shall be made where there is at least a
reasonable possibility that a loss may have been incurred. Based on your
situation, this would appear to mean that you have also concluded the underlying
additional revenue required to pay such compensation is also a reasonable
possibility, the disclosure of which is under SFAS 5, paragraph 17(b). Given
these requirements, tell us why such disclosure is appropriate, or remove
such
disclosure in your amended filing.
Securities
and Exchange Commission
Division
of Corporate Finance
December
19,2005
Page
5
RESPONSE
TO COMMENT 5
As
requested, NutraCea will delete the contingent expense (bonus) disclosure
previously reported.
Note
10 - Preferred and common Stock
Common
Stock, Page F-21
COMMENT
6:
We
have
considered your response to our prior comments 14 and 15 in our letter dated
October 21, 2005. We do not agree with your conclusions with regard to the
recognition of this expense, given the repurchase option and vesting terms
described in the agreement. SFAS 123, paragraphs 26-27 provide guidance on
the
recognition of the compensation cost. Amend your Form 10-QSBs and Form 10-KSB
to
reflect this expense in the proper periods according to the terms of the
agreements and the date such agreement was signed.
RESPONSE
TO COMMENT 6
NutraCea
has conducted extensive investigation and research relating to the issuance
of
the 5.5 million shares of restricted stock to its prior CEO. Based on the
resolutions and documentation existing at that time, when these shares were
authorized for issuance by the NutraCea Board of Directors on March 19, 2004,
the Board did not adopt or require vesting for such shares and the shares
were
issued without a repurchase right. While a Restricted Stock Agreement creating
a
two year vesting schedule was subsequently executed by the prior CEO, these
vesting terms do not appear to have been adopted or ratified by the Board.
No
other documentation, minutes, agreements or correspondence establish any
vesting
requirements and all stock records indicate that the shares were fully vested.
Accordingly, NutraCea was bound by the Board Resolution and actions which
granted these shares outright and these shares were vested when issued and
nonforfeitable in 2004 and the corresponding cost was expensed in
2004.
Securities
and Exchange Commission
Division
of Corporate Finance
December
19,2005
Page
6
COMMENT
7:
Revise
your management discussion and analysis and footnote disclosures as appropriate
to consistently describe the nature of the restricted stock agreement.
RESPONSE
TO COMMENT 7
In
light
of the response to Comment #6 above, the revised Results of Operations
disclosure as set forth in the First Amendment to the Form 10-KSB/A is correct
wherein it is stated that:
“…During
2004, these non-cash expenses included $8,360,000 relating to the issuance
of
5.5 million restricted shares of common stock to the Company’s CEO for services
rendered and repayment of debt;…”
Note
11 - Stock Options and Warrants, Page F-22
COMMENT
8:
We
have
considered your response to our prior comment 17 in our letter dated October
21,
2005. Please amend your footnote to provide separate tables for options granted
to employees under stock-based compensation plans, and other options and
warrants granted under other plans. In addition, the table of outstanding
options and warrants outstanding should be separated in a similar manner,
with
the range of exercise prices segregated into meaningful ranges. Refer to
SFAS
123 paragraphs 46 through 48, for further guidance.
RESPONSE
TO COMMENT 8
The
options granted to employees were not under stock-based compensation plans.
Therefore, all options and warrants were combined in two categories for the
disclosure in Note 11 to the financial statements, one for employees and
one for
consultants. NutraCea believes that the ranges of exercise prices are meaningful
due to the various exercise prices for the options and
warrants.
Securities
and Exchange Commission
Division
of Corporate Finance
December
19,2005
Page
7
Exhibits,
Page 31
COMMENT
9:
We
have
considered your response to our prior comment 18 in our letter dated October
21,
2005. Please file your December 17, 2004 employment agreement with your
President, noted on Page F-18, as an exhibit in your amended
filing.
RESPONSE
TO COMMENT 9
The
December 17, 2004 employment agreement with NutraCea’s President was filed as
Exhibit 10.4 to the 2004 Form 10-KSB filed on March 31, 2005.
Form
10-QSB for the Fiscal Quarters Ended March 31, 2005, June 30, 2005 and September
30, 2005
COMMENT
10:
We
have
considered your response to our prior comment 19 in our letter dated October
21,
2005. We do not agree with your conclusions, as the reference you cite only
addresses the form and content of the interim statements to be provided.
Regulation S-B does not grant relief from the filing requirements of Regulation
S-X Item 10-01(c). Please provide your latest audited balance sheet in your
amended Form 10-QSBs for fiscal 2004 and 2005.
Securities
and Exchange Commission
Division
of Corporate Finance
December
19,2005
Page
8
RESPONSE
TO COMMENT 10
While
NutraCea believes accounting practices vary, it will comply with your comment
that the latest audited balance sheet should be included in the Form 10-QSB.
NutraCea will undertake to include the latest audited balance sheet in future
filings of Form 10-QSBs.
Note
4
- Commitments and Contingencies
Agreements,
page 8
COMMENT
11:
We
note
your employment contr