When we look back on the issue of sustainability for the food (and dietary supplement) industry, what will have come first? Passionate thought leaders driving a philosophy? Principled companies willing to punt profits down the road to support the long-term health of the planet? Or early enlightened consumers determined to create a narrative to save the world?
Most likely, it will have been a convergence of all three. And it may not matter which came first, as long as the movement got across the road.
The simplest definition of sustainability is ensuring the ability to meet our needs today without preventing future generations from being able to meet their own needs down the road.
The good news for the food industry, and more broadly for the world’s population, is that sustainability is taking hold, at least conceptually. According to market researcher Innova Market Insights’ “Top Trends for 2022” list, concern about the health of the planet has eclipsed consumers’ previous number-one concern (their own health).1
“Personal health has been the big concern for the past few years, but consumers now tell us that this has been surpassed by global issues,” said Lu Ann Williams, director, global insights, Innova Market Insights, in a press release.1 “[Sustainability] might not be the top purchase driver for all consumers, but for many it clinches the deal when it comes to choosing between products.”
Innova further stated it believes a “shared planet” concept will be one of the top trends driving innovation and success in the coming year. It noted: “Brands are moving on from simply proclaiming their credentials to meeting a clear, agreed, and understandable measurement of their environmental and social impact.”
And, said Innova, consumers are calling the shots, with the number-five trend on its list of trends to watch focused on the “voice of the consumer.” Its press release stated: “People are looking for food and beverages that align with their political, social, and ethical values.”
In its own look at food trends, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) advised that while predictions for sustainability were overshadowed by COVID-19 in 2020, the organization fully expected a resurgence of sustainability as a top trend in 2021.2
Citing results from the IFIC 2020 Food and Health Survey, IFIC advised that “59% of Americans said it’s important that the food products they purchase or consume be produced in an environmentally sustainable way.”2
This begs the question: What about the remaining 41%? Are they not interested in saving the planet or in making sure they are not part of the last generation of earthlings?
It’s a bit more complicated than that. First, there is the question of how sustainability will impact wallets and pocketbooks. The IFIC survey found that nearly three in 10 (28%) of respondents said they were worried about being able to afford food for their household in 2021. Second, clearly not everyone agrees that things like climate change, environmental concerns, and, yes, sustainability, are real things that need to be addressed. And then there are others who simply don’t understand—or don’t care to understand—what sustainability is all about.
Let’s not forget this: It takes some time to change the world. For example, while the organic food movement is believed to have first reached consumer consciousness around 1990, according to at least one recent article, overall organic sales still only account for 6% of all food sold in America, and organic farms make up less than 1% of the two million farms in the U.S.3
This is especially important to keep in mind as “new concepts” in sustainability—at least new to consumers—grow beyond the farms and into the public domain.
One such concept is regenerative agriculture.
Save the Soil, Propagate the Planet’s Future
What is regenerative agriculture? As Nutritional Outlook reported back in 20194, “Regenerative organic agriculture doesn’t just protect and preserve the resources it uses—let alone deplete them—it actually leaves them in better condition than before. That means accounting for the health of the soil and water as well as the health and economic and spiritual wellbeing of farmers, farmworkers, and farm animals.”
More specifically, Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the independent nonprofit research and educational organization American Botanical Council (ABC; Austin, TX), says, “One of the main points about regeneration is the idea of building up the health of the soil to optimal nutritional value (soil-wise) for production of conventional and unconventional food crop plants.” This, he says, includes the growth of beneficial fungi/mycorrhizae in the soil. Regeneration also includes, but is not limited to, carbon sequestration efforts to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and build it in soil, food, medicinal plant crops, and trees, as examples, he adds.
Phoenix Dugger, corporate social responsibility manager for Ardent Mills (Denver, CO), a leading flour-milling and ingredient company, believes that “regenerative agriculture can help play a role in ensuring the continued health of topsoil.” He says that is critical to producing nutritious, high-quality harvests that benefit all of us.
“From an environmental perspective, regenerative agriculture can help improve soil biodiversity, offset atmospheric carbon, and promote water conservation,” Dugger adds.
Plus, there’s an additional benefit: “Regenerative agriculture can also help meet the growing consumer demand to know more about foods’ ‘micro’ labels, sparked by the widespread adoption of the organic movement,” he says. “Specifically, consumers want to know where their food comes from and what’s in the food they consume.”
Regenerative farming is vital to ensure food security
Many agree that regenerative agriculture starts with the soil but has a much broader role. Stephanie Kane, global sourcing specialist at supplements brand Gaia Herbs, says “the purpose of regenerative agriculture is to not only do no harm but to improve the land that is being farmed.”
On its website, Gaia Herbs states that its company’s purpose is “connecting people, plants, and planet to create healing.” So, it makes sense that one thing that stands out to Kane about regenerative agriculture is that the environmental impact is just one piece of the story. “Regenerative agriculture also sees people as part of the ecosystem. Supporting transparency, good working conditions, and living wages is necessary to create a truly sustainable supply chain,” she says.
Cargill (Minneapolis), a global ingredients giant that takes pride in its local impact, has been advancing sustainable agriculture for more than a decade. Ryan Sirolli, sustainability director, row crops, Cargill, advises, “Within Cargill, regenerative agriculture is central to our broader sustainability commitments. It is an important step towards meeting our science-based climate commitment to reduce our supply chain greenhouse gas emissions and our work to achieve sustainable water management in our priority watersheds.”
When Jordan Rubin, co-founder and CEO of supplements brand Ancient Nutrition, speaks about sustainability and regenerative agriculture, you can hear the passion in his voice. “It’s quite simple,” he says. “When you use ingredients that are grown with regenerative practices, you are making steps to change the world.”
How Prevalent Is the Practice?
With all the enthusiasm for regenerative agriculture, there is also a realism as to where the industry—and the movement—is.
Take, for instance, Rubin’s honest assessment. “The practice of regenerative agriculture is in its infancy in our industry,” he says. “Food has a much greater level of regenerative agricultural practices, in my opinion; beverages next; supplements last. If you look at dietary supplements, they tend to have the smallest number of certified organic ingredients, the smallest number of certified organic products, and an infinitesimal number of regenerative certified products. We want to see that change, but certainly, the message is there, the demand is coming—but it is very much in its infancy,” he advises.
Blumenthal, too, likens regenerative agriculture to the new kid on the block. “It’s relatively recent,” he says, “and like other new practices, acceptance takes time.”
He explains that it usually takes time for increased adoption by a growing segment of a community. “We saw this with the organic farming movement 20, 30, 40 years ago, and I think that regenerative farming is probably subject to some of the same dynamics. It takes time for people to learn new and unconventional ways of doing things to improve soil, water, the ecology, etc.”
Like Rubin and Blumenthal, Dugger is confident that regenerative agriculture will catch on. Acknowledging that the practice is still in its early stages, he says that “with the continued focus on how companies can reduce their environmental impact, we’re seeing more customers interested in looking at innovative ways to make this happen.”
Dugger shares that “it’s something that’s becoming more top of mind for customers and their end consumers.”
The IFIC 2020 Food and Health Survey supported that sentiment. Among the survey’s results was this finding: “[Americans’] knowledge of and interest in sustainable farming techniques like regenerative agriculture increased over the previous year, with net familiarity at 36% (up from 22% in 2019) and net interest at 57%.”2
Aside from the need for time, are there other reasons why not all companies are jumping at the chance to pitch in for the planet?
When asked how difficult it is to source regenerative ingredients, Rubin’s answer is simple: “It is nearly impossible.” And is there enough of a supply available of regenerative ingredients? His answer is even simpler: “No.”
However, his outlook is optimistic. “It is extremely important but very difficult,” he says. In fact, he characterizes that the majority of his company’s suppliers, including many who are organic and many offering great ingredients, “… have not gone through the rigors of being certified, applying regenerative practices...frankly, because the demand hasn’t been there.” It’s almost as if one should add a “yet” to that statement, because if Ancient Nutrition and other companies with like-minded principles can execute their vision, that will change.
“We work with small farmers and small farms all over the world,” says Rubin, “and many are following regenerative practices, but I think the ability to articulate that and educate has been limited. Our goal is not only to create a regenerative supply chain of ingredients but to encourage our suppliers to do the same.”
“The more brands that demand regenerative ingredients, the better,” he adds. “Just to be clear, we’re not interested in ingredients where the suppliers are practicing regenerative agriculture as much as we’re interested in ingredients from farms or suppliers that are certified regenerative. That’s really big.”
Gaia’s Kane has a slightly different take. “Certifications help in vetting suppliers for their practices,” she says, “but there is a great benefit to long-term relationships and learning from our suppliers about how we can support the farm’s commitment to improving their soil and supporting their community.”
She continues: “As a company that has sought high-quality producers for many years, Gaia Herbs has found that many of our suppliers were practicing the tenets of regenerative agriculture, such as our turmeric being grown in an agroforestry model.” She adds, however, that the exact practices used may vary based on crops and the farm’s location and individual climates.
