San Francisco, CA—The future direction of regenerative agriculture and sustainability schemes will be the leading topics of discussion during this year's Sustainable Foods Summit, being held in San Francisco on January 22 and 23. The two-day event will host members from leading organizations who participate in regenerative agriculture, sustainability schemes, and the organic products industry as they come together to weigh in on topics impacting the state of their industry including:
- Defining regenerative agriculture. To date, there is no formal definition of the concept. With California planning on becoming the first state to formally define the term for state policies and programs, Virginia Jameson from the California Department of Food & Agriculture will be in attendance explaining how they are coming up with the definition. A draft version is expected to be presented at the summit, which if widely adopted, could become a model for the future federal definition.
- Regenerative agriculture standards & hurdles. Voluntary standards of regenerative agriculture have become more popular. Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) is one of the leading standards, adopted by almost 300 certified farms and covering 15.2 million acres. Paul Alvarez from the Regenerative Organic Alliance will share details of the ROC standard, stating its key pillars, adoption, and impact.
- Supply chains for regenerative organic ingredients. With the number of certified farms growing, supply of ingredients from regenerative agriculture is also increasing. Alex Heilman, Co-Founder of MAD Markets, will present details on how the company is building distribution infrastructure for such ingredients. MAD Markets is connecting regenerative agriculture farmers with food processors, brands, and retailers.
- Organic market update & labels. Organic has become the #1 eco-label in the food industry, with American sales of organic products approaching $65 billion. While the USDA Organic seal is already well-established, there are new labels emerging. Linley Dixon, Co-Director at Real Organic Project, will give details on the new farmer-led grassroots movement, as well as labels that represent organic foods that are soil grown and pasture raised.
- Adopting sustainability schemes. Sustainability schemes and eco labels are growing so fast within the food industry that it has become increasingly difficult for operators to select and adopt schemes / labels. Leading operators will share their experiences with certification schemes.
- New technologies and sustainable ingredients. Lisa Dyson, Founder and CEO of Air Protein, will show how her company is making protein flours from air using bacteria cultures to ferment oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide molecules into proteins that can be used by the food industry. Case studies will also be given out of operators utilizing new technologies to create food ingredients with sustainability merits.
Mainstreaming Regen Ag
Several other discussions will be held during the event including a conversation with regenerative agriculture experts discussing approaches to increase adoption rates and making it more mainstream: How can farmers be encouraged to make the transition? What are the obstacles to higher adoption rates? One such expert, Heidi Diestel, fourth generation farmer, will be sharing the details of her and her family's experience adopting regenerative agriculture practices as the Diestel Family Ranch, which has been rearing sustainable turkeys since 1949, became the first turkey company to adopt the Regenified certification in 2024.
Other discourses taking place:
- The Real Organic Project, Organic Trade Association, and Regenerative Organic Alliance discussing the future direction of organic labeling. Tom Chapman, Co-CEO of the Organic Trade Association (OTA), will be presenting the latest market data and trends for the US organic food industry and be showcasing how consumer behavior has changed post-pandemic.
- Brita Lundberg, Fourth-Generation Farmer and Chief Storyteller at Lundberg Family Farms, will be explaining the certification of its sustainable rice products and give insights into its preferred sustainability schemes.
- Lara Burns from SPINS will answer some questions regarding consumer behavior towards eco-labeled foods. What do American consumers look for in eco-labels? What are the motives to buy certified food products? What certification schemes are showing the highest growth?
- Climax Foods is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to produce plant-based proteins. Oliver Zahn, founder and CEO, will show how AI is helping it make plant-based casein and cheeses.
- Paul Bradley from TraceGains will show how new technology in upcycling and ingredient management can be beneficial and how the company's enterprise solutions can help food & beverage operators meet their sustainability goals.
