The new research should act as a tool for food companies when building the consumer purchasing journey, say ROA and Edacious.
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Food grown to Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) standards can be measurably more nutritious than its conventional counterparts,
A tool for food companies
Howard says the research can function as a tool for food companies, which have to factor in the consumer purchasing journey in their products.
Right now, she says, the number of certifications on food packaging can be overwhelming to the average shopper.
“People aren’t lying awake at night worrying about soil health,” she says. “Maybe someday they will, but what is going to resonate with most people is more nutritional density, more fiber, more protein.”
The increase in GLP-1 medications, as well as a renewed focus on protein, is also leading consumers to question what’s actually in their food.
“I would love ultimately to see us finally get the nutrition panel to speak more about what’s actually in the food than how it plays to what the standard for nutrition panels is,” notes Howard. Speaking of the research, she adds, “Will it solve everyone’s problems? No. Will it actually move the needle forward for people’s purchase decisions. I think it will.”
“We want this work to push the industry to understand food quality at a deeper level,” adds Smith. “Not just what is on the label, but what is actually in the food. And we want to put more attention on the real heroes, which are whole and minimally processed foods. When people can see the difference in the data, those foods get the credit they deserve, from shoppers and from the companies that make them.”
Heading into year two of the partnership, ROC and Edacious will be bringing more ROC brands into testing and building towards the partnership’s goal of having over 200 products tested.
The companies say they will also be expanding producers in under-represented food categories “to ensure breadth and depth across food types.”
