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Tholen – In the United States, skepticism about the organic label as it applies there has led to a new label: bio-regenerative. During the BioBorrel on Wednesday January 26, Elizabeth Whitlow, director of the Regenerative Organic Alliance, explained how this label complements the current organic standard.
Elizabeth Whitlow at Bio Borrel
Organic is the basis
In 2017, the Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA) was founded by a group of farmers, entrepreneurs and experts in soil health, animal welfare and social responsibility. The ROA quality mark is considered the highest agricultural standard in the world and is based on the organic standard. Producers who want this label must be certified organic by the USDA, EU or other parties. In total, ROA recognizes 14 different certificates, including Demeter and Naturland. “Organic is the base. If it’s not organic, it can’t become regenerative,” said Elizabeth Whitlow.
Elizabeth says organic is growing rapidly in the US, although the share of US agriculture is only 1%, but the question is whether organic is good enough. “The term regenerative is very popular for several reasons. Consumers use it to refer to something beyond organic in terms of sustainability. Soil is a sexy topic, we talk about it a lot. It’s because of movies like Kiss the Ground and The Biggest Little Farm.”
The differences between the USDA organic standard, the term regenerative and the Regenerative-Organic label. The latter adds to the organic standard the themes of soil health, animal welfare, fair working conditions and transparency on long-term contracts with producers.
Comments on organic
According to the initiators of the Regenerative Organic Alliance, there is a lot of room for improvement of the organic label as it applies in the United States. Hydroponics is allowed and there are no rules regarding animal welfare or water use. And there are other areas where it could be improved, according to ROA. The regenerative organic label therefore goes further than organic in the USA. It is not only about animal welfare and land use, but also, for example, about fair working conditions for farmers. Producers must enter into long-term contracts with producers and farmers and must be transparent about this.
The hallmark is composed of a bronze, silver and gold level. For a bronze quality mark, the company’s production site must be certified between 0 and 50%, up to 100% for a gold quality mark. This multi-level approach
allows producers to adapt and improve their practices over time.
For more information:
Bio regenerative alliance
www.regenorganic.org
