Stroll through a grocery store and you’ll likely spy the word “regenerative” on everything from cocoa powder to hot dogs. … But this seemingly climate-conscious term is slippery.
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At the heart of regenerative agriculture is “a really heavy focus on soil health,” says Ryan Nebeker, research and policy analyst at FoodPrint, a sustainable food advocacy program.
But product marketing isn’t exactly known for nuance, and many companies’ regenerative claims lack specifics about what, exactly, they’re doing. … In fact, an analysis by the FAIRR Initiative shows that 64% of companies that make promises on regenerative agriculture do not have formal targets in place to achieve them.
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Related on the SLP
Over the past couple years, FoodPrint’s Nebeker has started to see even soil health—the thing everybody is supposed to agree on—get forgotten.
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If you do want to support soil restoration and its environmental benefits when you shop, avoid the generalized claims and look for the handful of “regenerative” certifications that have stepped into the regulatory void.
