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While over 600 worldwide food companies have promised to reduce emissions and invest in regenerative ag, few have coughed up the dollars to fund corporate sustainability programs.

As of January 2024, data from the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTI) indicates 7,481 worldwide businesses have promised to support regen ag, yet only 60% have established science-based targets. Nearly 2/3 of publicly listed global food and retail companies that are promoting regen ag don’t have formal plans.

Honoring Commitments

Back in November, I wrote about how many companies around the word are only giving lip service to regen ag. This update pays tribute to 26 agri-food companies who have followed through on their U.S. regen ag promises: 

  1. Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM). Signing up 4 million acres for regen ag by 2024.
  2. Anheuser-Busch. Supporting 20,000 farmers in adapting to regen ag around the world.
  3. Ardent Mills. Enrolling 1 million acres in regen ag by 2025.
  4. Arla Foods. Encouraging farmers to explore regen ag through a 4-year pilot program.
  5. Bunge. Partnering with farmers and suppliers to support regen ag practices.
  6. Cargill. Introducing regen ag on 10 million North American acres by 2030.
  7. Coca-Cola. Working with suppliers and partners to create change in their ag supply chain.
  8. Danone. Horizon brand milk investing at farm level and implementing regenerative ag practices.
  9. Diageo. Providing 150,000 smallholder farmers with agricultural skills and resources.
  10. Fresh Del Monte. Implementing regen ag and soil health management practices in 100% of owned and associated farms by 2030, while increasing cover cropping on these farms by 5% per year.
  11. General Mills. Applying regen ag to 1 million acres by 2030.
  12. Hormel. Applegate meat brand transitioning up to 260,000 acres of U.S. grasslands to verified regenerative grasslands by 2025.
  13. Ingredion. Having 100% of tier 1 priority crops sustainably sourced by the end of 2025 and all tier 2 priority crops sustainably sourced by 2030.
  14. JBS. Investing $100 million in research and development projects by 2030 to help growers strengthen regen ag practices.
  15. Kellogg. Investing $2 million with Syngenta into the InGrained program for U.S. rice farmers that focuses on improved irrigation, fertilization and soil health.
  16. Keurig Dr. Pepper. Supporting conservation and regen ag on 250,000 acres by 2030.
  17. Kraft Heinz. Purchasing 100% sustainably sourced ketchup tomatoes by 2025.
  18. Land O’ Lakes. Transitioning farmers to regen ag via Truterra program.
  19. Mars. Scaling up initiatives in sustainable and regen ag as part of its net zero plan.
  20. Mondelez International. Using regen ag on 100% of wheat acres needed for Europe biscuit production by 2030.
  21. Nestle. Sourcing 20% of key ingredients through regen ag by 2025 and 50% by 2030.
  22. Pepsi. Spreading adoption of regen ag across 7 million acres.
  23. Smithfield/WH. Sourcing 75% of grain needs in U.S. with efficient fertilizer and soil health practices.
  24. Tyson. Helping growers implement climate-smart practices via regen ag.
  25. Unilever. Regenerating 3.3 million acres of land and forests by 2030.
  26. Walmart. Restoring at least 50 million acres of land by 2030.

Legal Confusion

While regen ag still has no set definition, many companies lean heavily on sustainability jargon to describe their corporate goals.

“Greenwashing” defines situations where corporations don’t live up to their promised claims of sustainability, regen ag, carbon neutral, climate positive, net zero and other undefined terms. Many of today’s greenwashing lawsuits hinge on published claims that are untruthful, dishonest, misleading or not supported by scientific evidence to justify their sustainability goals.

Several U.S. companies already have serious greenwashing legal concerns. The New York Attorney General recently sued the U.S. division of the Brazilian meat giant JBS for lying about its impact on the environment to win over climate-conscious customers. Danone is facing a class action lawsuit over carbon neutral claims with its Evian bottled water. Plus, consumer groups are seeking a ban on sustainability claims for animal products such as “low-carbon beef,” a term USDA has authorized for cattle that emit 10% less greenhouse gas than an industry baseline.

The 26 companies listed here need to be congratulated for putting money where their mouth is. Now it’s time for other companies to step up and follow through on their promises to advance regen ag, reduce greenhouse gases and protect our fragile climate.