May 3, 2025
Spotlight Stories
Spotlight 1 – Rolling Stone writes about what business leaders can learn from regenerative agriculture. Check it out, here.
Spotlight 2 – Forbes discusses why climate resilience is essential to feeding the public in the future. Read the story, here.
Spotlight 3 – Nature has published a new article on the global deforestation footprint of agriculture and forestry. Take a read, here.
Industry Updates
Norway has banned the marketing of unhealthy food and drinks to children. It will still be legal to sell these products to children and youth, however a new regulation now in force makes it illegal to market unhealthy products to children under the age of 18. When it comes to products covered by the ban, the unhealthiest products, such as candy, soft drinks, ice cream and energy drinks, cannot be marketed particularly towards children. For other products, such as cereals, yogurt and fast food, limits for different nutrients are used to cover the unhealthiest products in these categories. [link]
PepsiCo has announced that it will remove artificial ingredients from popular food items in its product portfolio by the end of 2025. The company's CEO said that 60% of its current portfolio doesn't have any artificial colors and that its Lay's and Tostitos brands will be out of artificial colors by the end of this year. [link]
A federal U.S. judge has denied the state of Florida's request to dismiss a lawsuit against it for trying to ban cultivated meat. The lawsuit by Upside Foods against Florida’s ban on cultivated meat is able to proceed, after the judge rejected the state’s motion to dismiss the case. Upside Foods was among the first two startups to be allowed to sell cultivated meat in the US back in 2021, receiving approval from both the US Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration. In 2024, amid a growing wave of politically charged discontent against cultivated meat, Florida passed a bill that made it a crime to produce or sell cultivated meat, in what was the first such ban on these products in the US. [link]
A new report issued this past week asserts that regenerative agriculture programs are being used to “greenwash” routine use of several dangerous pesticides on farm fields. Corporations that sell pesticides are entwining themselves with the movement, incentivizing farmers financially to adopt regenerative practices, the report notes. They then follow on with recommendations to use their products. The new report takes aim at some of the world’s largest agrochemical companies, including Germany-based Bayer, which bought seed and chemical giant Monsanto in 2018 and calls regenerative agriculture its “vision for the future of farming.” As part of its push for regenerative, Bayer offers growers rewards for engaging in certain practices, including not tilling their soil and for planting “cover” crops as a means to improve soil health. To handle weed problems in regenerative fields, Bayer recommends a mix of strategies, including “sustainable use of herbicides.” [link]
Global food and beverage company Nestlé and ingredients supplier ofi (olam food ingredients) announced the launch of a new joint cocoa agroforestry partnership, targeting regenerative farming practices to reduce carbon emissions and combat deforestation. Singapore-based ofi is one of the world’s largest suppliers of food ingredients, and has collaborated with Nestle over the past fifteen years to produce sustainable cocoa. In this new effort, the companies will work with approximately 25,000 farmers across Brazil, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria to convert their farms to agroforestry, a land management practice that integrates trees with pastures and crop lands, and implement crop residue management. Key components of the program include training farmers on climate-smart agricultural practices and wider environmental and sustainability issues. [link]
The Good Food Institute released its State of the [Plant Based Meat & Dairy] Industry report for 2024. The annual series of reports explores the challenges and opportunities for plant-based food, fermentation-derived proteins, and cultivated meat. While investment in alternative protein continued to fall in 2024, global sales of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives are up, as is interest in whole foods. [link]
A research team led by the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) says that the less intensively the soil is managed, the better the soil can function. Surprisingly, it applies to both conventional and organic farming. These important insights for making agriculture more sustainable are published in the journal Science. Research on farms across the Netherlands now shows that it is mainly the intensity of tillage that determines whether the soil can retain all its functions. Not only less frequent plowing, but also making more use of mixtures of grasses and plants from the bean family, such as clovers, contributes to multi-functional healthy soil. [link]
McDonald’s regulars are reducing their fast-food trips, fueling concerns about an economic malaise fanning across the restaurant sector. The burger giant posted a 3% drop in revenue in its latest quarter, driven in part by fewer guests visiting its U.S. locations. Same-store sales in its home market dropped 3.6% in the three months ended March 31, the second consecutive quarterly decline. Chief Executive Chris Kempczinski said consumers were “grappling with uncertainty,” but he was confident in the chain’s ability to navigate tough conditions and gain market share. [link]
A new report finds that transitioning towards regenerative production practices in coffee holds strong benefits for smallholder farmers, exports, greenhouse gas emission reduction, and local economies. JDE Peet’s, Nestlé, and the Rudy & Alice Ramsay Foundation supported international non-profit TechnoServe in conducting the study surrounding the benefits of regenerative coffee production. The Regenerative Coffee Investment Case studied nine of the world’s leading coffee producing countries and found that smallholder farmer incomes increase by an average of 62 per cent, while coffee exports are boosted by 30 per cent. [link]
The Maryland Department of Agriculture has released a new video in the Conservation Video Series focusing on saltwater intrusion’s effects on farmland in Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore. Saltwater intrusion occurs when seawater flows into coastal areas like Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore. It can lead to unsafe drinking water, ghost forests, lower crop yields, and soils that can’t support plant growth. Launched in 2022, the department’s Conservation Video Series showcases local farmers and the conservation projects they have installed to manage manure, safeguard local streams, build healthy soils, and protect the natural resources that we all depend on. [link]
The Vertical Farm at Illinois State University is now open to train and prepare students for careers in agriculture and horticulture specialty crop production and as a demonstration site for local community groups, schools, and business entrepreneurs. The $200,000 project is a joint partnership of The College of Applied Science and Technology, Department of Agriculture, and Office of Sustainability and is located adjacent to the Office of Sustainability at 305 North School Street, Normal, Illinois. [link]
In Case You Missed It…
In early-April, it was announced that the WK Kellogg Co. is being investigated by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for potentially violating the state’s consumer protection laws due to health claims tied to its cereals. See more, here.