Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Current assets:
Accounts receivable, allowance for doubtful accounts	$ 587	$ 512
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt (nonrecourse)	11,061	5,050
Long-term liabilities:
Long-term debt, less current portion (nonrecourse)	$ 5,356	$ 10,908
Equity attributable to RiceBran Technologies shareholders:
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0	$ 0
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	25,000,000	25,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	10,496,990	9,537,415
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	10,496,990	9,537,415
Variable Interest Entity [Member]
Current assets:
Accounts receivable, variable interest entity restricted	$ 378	$ 1,003
Variable interest entity restricted portion of property, net	2,427	2,102
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt (nonrecourse)	6,831	2,750
Long-term liabilities:
Long-term debt, less current portion (nonrecourse)	$ 0	$ 3,553
Series F Convertible Preferred Stock [Member]
Equity attributable to RiceBran Technologies shareholders:
Preferred stock, shares authorized (in shares)	20,000,000	20,000,000
Convertible preferred stock, shares issued (in shares)	3,000
Convertible preferred stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	3,000