New Report Finds Critical Gaps Remain in Major Food Companies’ Regenerative Agriculture Programs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Average grade rises from “D” to “C” as companies strengthen farmer support and program implementation.
MEDIA CONTACT: Ryon Harms, [email protected], (310) 730-9407
EL CERRITO, CALIFORNIA—October 15, 2026 – Some food companies are making measurable progress in adopting regenerative agriculture programs, but major gaps remain in demonstrating outcomes according to As You Sow’s latest report From the Ground Up.
The 2026 report evaluates 19 major food companies’ regenerative agriculture goals, implementation, reporting of outcomes, among other factors. As companies have released new data, the average score increased from a D to a C, rising to 20 out of 45 points particularly with regard to farmer support.
“While many large food companies report adoption of regenerative agriculture programs, a large percentage of those programs consist of one or two key regenerative practices such as no-till or cover crops, while retaining harmful conventional practices such as high pesticide and fertilizer use that continues to deplete soil health and harm farm workers and nearby communities, water bodies, and ecosystem health,” said Danielle Fugere, President & Chief Counsel at As You Sow.
On the positive side, 16 of 18 companies evaluated in both 2025 and 2026 earned higher scores. The largest scoring gains came from farmer support, including financial assistance, technical support, and training.
Twelve of the companies rated are still not working to cut back on pesticides in their regenerative agriculture programs. Mis-labeling programs as “regenerative” ultimately misleads investors and consumers about the impact of their programs.
“We are pleased to see the adoption of regenerative agriculture programs, said Cailin Vixie, As You Sow’s Senior Environmental Health Coordinator “However, companies making regenerative claims without measuring and reporting progress may fail to achieve expected outcomes and be exposed to claims of greenwashing. Measurement and verification of regenerative practices and outcomes remains an industry-wide weakness.”
McCain Foods earned the highest score with 34 points, followed by PepsiCo at 32, Nestlé at 29, and Danone at 26. Danone achieved the largest score improvement, moving from a D to a B.
Conagra is the only company on the scorecard to move in the opposite direction; its score fell from 18 to 11 points. Since the 2025 report, the company eliminated pesticide disclosures and stopped reporting several metrics previously used to assess regenerative agriculture outcomes.
The full 2026 From the Ground Up report and scorecard, including company-by-company rankings and detailed methodology, is available here.
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As You Sow is the nation’s leading shareholder representative, with a 30+ year track record promoting environmental and social corporate responsibility. As You Sow addresses a range of issues that affect shareholder value including toxins in the food system, climate change, ocean plastics, biodiversity, racial justice, and workplace diversity. See As You Sow’s shareholder resolution tracker.