Alliance offers ‘regenerative’ certification for organic farms

The Santa Rosa, California-based Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA) is now certifying organic farms as regenerative, after completing a pilot phase.

Before being eligible for Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC), farms must first hold USDA organic certification, according to a press release on the alliance’s website. ROC then adds “further criteria to ensure soil health, animal welfare, and social fairness, making it the highest standard for organic agriculture in the world.”

The new certification also has three levels – bronze, silver, and gold, which require farms and businesses to phase in more rigorous regenerative organic practices over time, according to the release.

The ROA first established the Regenerative Organic Certified standard in 2018, then conducted a pilot program the following year to test the standard on real farming operations around the world, according to the release.  The intent of the pilot was to gather participants’ feedback in order to improve the process and the standard’s criteria. With the initial pilot program completed, the ROA will increase the number of approved certifiers and will begin certifying new brands, effective immediately in partnership with their program manager, NSF International.

“The success that these leading, regenerative organic businesses have achieved in only one year is proof that ROC is not only a viable and attainable certification, but that indeed we are shaping the future of agriculture supply chains and consumer demand for truly regenerative organic products,” said Elizabeth Whitlow, executive director of the Regenerative Organic Alliance.

Several participants from the 2019 ROC Pilot Program have earned the first ROC designations. The first brands and farms to display the Regenerative Organic Certified label include:

• Apricot Lane Farms: Avocado Oil from Moorpark, California.
• Bronner’s: Regenerative Organic Coconut Oil from Serendipol Ltd. in Sri Lanka.
• Nature’s Path: Oats from Legend Organic farm in Saskatchewan, Canada.
• Grain Place Foods: Popcorn and Cornmeal from Marquette, Nebraska.
• Patagonia Provisions: Regenerative Organic Chile Mango from Sol Simple, Masaya, Nicaragua.
• Lotus Foods: Brown and White Basmati Rice from Rohini, India.
• Sol Simple: Banana from Masaya, Nicaragua.

Other farms and businesses that received certification with products forthcoming:

• • Tablas Creek Vineyards: Paso Robles, California.
  • Herb Pharm: Williams, Oregon.
  • Guayaki Yerba Mate: Misiones, Argentina.