LAS VEGAS — Consumers are growing more mindful of where their food comes from, and now it’s the baking industry’s turn. Ardent Mills is emerging as a leader that’s helping bakers not only improve supply chain transparency but also promote sustainability by supporting family farms.
This initiative is led in part by Shrene White, general manager of emerging nutrition at Ardent Mills. During her presentation at the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE), being held Sept. 18-21 in Las Vegas, White did a deep dive into how this program incentivizes family farms and bakers alike to lean into regenerative agriculture (reg ag) practices.
Ardent Mills works directly with family farms to practice reg ag through reduced tillage, increased crop rotation and companion cropping. This creates climate-positive outcomes that promote biodiversity and more nutrient-dense soil. With less water consumption and more resilient land, family farms — which make up 98% of all farms in the US and provide 88% of production — can better sustain their operations.
Given these positive climate impacts, consumers are actively seeking out products that incorporate reg ag in their supply chain.
“We're seeing that the consumer is willing to pay almost 40 percent more for a product that has that connection back to the farm, that transparency, that sustainability story.” — Shrene White | general manager, emerging nutrition | Ardent Mills
“We’re seeing that the consumer is willing to pay almost 40 percent more for a product that has that connection back to the farm, that transparency, that sustainability story,” White said.
According to Ardent Mills research, there has been a 70.4% increase in US consumer awareness and discussions about regenerative agriculture in the past 12 months. Sustainability-marketed products have also grown more than seven times faster than conventionally marketed products.
So how can bakeries leverage the growing interest in regenerative agriculture? White said the first step can be creating a roadmap for your company’s goals. Assess your ingredient suppliers, measure carbon emissions wherever possible and decide which metrics are easiest to improve.
“These claims are going to continue to get pushed down through the supply chain,” White said. “We can make progress together by setting these targets, building your strategy to measure those, and even just having the conversation about these climate-related issues.”
