Delivering the week’s top organic food news
4.22.2020

Nature’s Path introduces the First Regenerative Organic Certified Oat Product


After several years of anticipation, the Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) standard recently made its official public debut, and influential brands are supporting it in a significant way.

Just the other week, the Patagonia Provisions marketplace, which sells both ROC-certified products and products that have similar standards, officially launched.

And now we have another high profile leader in the organic space — Nature’s Path — who, today on Earth Day, is introducing the first-ever, ROC-certified oat product.

Started by Patagonia, Dr. Bronner’s and Rodale Institute, ROC aims to raise the bar for what organic represents and is one of the most significant developments in the history of organic in the U.S.

ROC uses the USDA organic certification as a baseline and then mandates additional requirements that address soil health, animal welfare and social fairness. The standard prohibits hydroponics and farms that do not treat animals humanely (“organic factory farms”), two of the most controversial areas in organic.

For Nature’s Path, who has been at the forefront of the organic movement for decades and was a significant backer of the Non-GMO Project, various GMO-labeling coalitions and other industry initiatives, getting involved in ROC was an easy decision.

“We believe that regenerative organic agriculture can help save the world,” said Arjan Stephens, General Manager and whose family started and runs Nature’s Path.

For this new regenerative standard, Nature’s Path opted to utilize its Legend Organic Farm in Saskatchewan, Canada, which is owned by Arran and Ratana Stephens, the two founders of the company. Legend recently became the largest ROC-certified farm in the world and also received the certification’s Silver level designation.

Even for an extremely experienced operator such as Nature’s Path, achieving ROC status did not come without its challenges, both technical and administrative. Yet, ROC was purposely designed to set the bar very high, making it difficult to obtain.

As such, this is precisely why ROC is poised to become the new gold standard in organic, displacing the USDA organic seal.

And whatever obstacles the certification may present, brands will be rewarded in the marketplace because consumers will come to view ROC products as the “best of the best” in organic. It is a game-changing differentiator.

Given that the ROC supply chain is still at a very nascent stage, the opportunity for Nature’s Path to create a multi-ingredient product was simply not feasible at this point. So, the instant oatmeal — made with nothing more than oats — was the most practical and logical choice.

However, if this limited edition product is well-received, Nature’s Path said that it would look to roll out the ROC program with a multi-ingredient product, possibly a flavored oat cereal or one with nuts, seeds or berries.

Even if Nature’s Path does eventually introduce numerous ROC products, the underlying philosophical approach of the organization will not change.

“As a company, we are looking to have the highest level of integrity in organic and will not be turning our back on it. However, the USDA’s National Organic Program is allowing practices that are not in alignment with companies that adhere to the highest levels of organic. With ROC products, consumers will now have the opportunity to see the brands that follow the true intent and spirit of the organic standard,” said Dag Falck, Organic Program Manager at Nature’s Path.

While supplies last, Nature’s Path regenerative organic instant oatmeal is now available at retailers nationwide, on the company’s website and in the Patagonia Provisions marketplace (beginning May 7th).

Happy Earth Day 2020!

Max Goldberg, Founder

This Week's Quick Hits

Quick Hits

* These robots are weeding organic farms.


* In Venice, rowing champions are delivering organic food to the elderly amidst the lockdown.


* Dr. Bronner’s has published its 6th annual corporate social responsibility All-One Report called “Heal Earth! Heal Soul!”


* Congrats to Sun+Earth, the regenerative cannabis standard that we profiled last year, for celebrating its one-year anniversary.


* A new report reveals long-term, ongoing human and labor rights violations — including toxic chemical exposure, wage theft and aggressive union-busting — on Fyffes’ melon plantations in Honduras. These melons are sold at places such as Kroger, Publix, Albertsons, Walmart and Safeway.


* Curated by organic clothing and textile pioneer Marci Zaroff, her ECOfashion Corp and its new sustainable lifestyle brand YES AND will host a Digital Earth Day Sustainability Summit today at 5:30pm EST.


* Tomorrow at noon EST, the Richman Law Group and the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute will be hosting the inaugural virtual Food Systems Summit.


* The virtual Women Leading Regeneration Summit will take place on April 28-29.


* The monarch butterfly population is plummeting — it stood in the millions in the 1980s and now is at about 30,000.


* Grow Ahead, a digital crowdfunding platform that supports farmer-led climate resiliency projects around the world, has launched the Community and Carbon Initiative.


* SupplySide East 2020 and the Organic Produce Summit have both been canceled, and each show is planning to return in 2021.


New Organic Products

New Organic Products

Energized Focus: Prickly Pear from Suja Organic

As part of its new Elevated Nutrients™ line, Energized Focus: Prickly Pear combines the prickly pear cactus fruit with green tea, acerola cherry and focus-enhancing Lion's Mane, a powerful medicinal mushroom. 70mg of caffeine, 140mg of L-Theanine and Non-GMO Project Verified. Exclusively available at Whole Foods Market nationwide.

Sparkling Craft Cocktails from Prairie Organic Spirits

Prairie Organic Spirits has introduced a line of Sparkling Craft Cocktails, all made with the company's award-winning organic vodka or gin. They are available in three flavors -- Grapefruit, Cucumber Lemonade and Minnesota Bootleg -- and a percentage of all sales goes towards the company's Spirit of Change fund, which supports the training of organic farmers at Rodale Institute.

Throat Smoothie Tea from Earth Mama Organics

Earth Mama Organics has unveiled the newest addition to its suite of herbal teas -- Organic Throat Smoothie Tea. Specifically formulated with no licorice, to be safe for pregnancy and kids, this tea harnesses a blend of organic herbs known to soothe and smooth raw throats, including elderflower, marshmallow root and slippery elm bark.
This Week's News Items

Weekly News Summaries

First Course
PR Newswire

Organic Produce Sales Jump 22% in March

According to a report from the Organic Produce Network and Category Partners, total organic fresh produce sales for the first quarter were up 8%.

Seeking Alpha

SunOpta raises $60M

By Vandana Singh

The producer of organic and Non-GMO commodities and specialty foods has secured $60M in funding from Oaktree Capital and Engaged Capital.

The Mercury News

Three Twins Ice Cream Closes its Doors

By Linda Zavoral

The 15-year-old organic ice cream brand has ceased operations, citing unsustainable business conditions.

Second Course
Capital Press

Court Ruling: $18M Fine Against the Grocery Manufacturers Association Stands

By Don Jenkins

Concealing the identities of the food and beverage companies that spent $11 million to defeat a GMO-labeling initiative in 2013 has proven costly for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, now known as the Consumer Brands Association.

The Motley Fool

Some Whole Foods Market and Kroger stores are "Going Dark"

By Rich Duprey

Online grocery shopping demand is so great during this coronavirus pandemic that some Whole Foods Market and Kroger stores are being turned into fulfillment centers.

Food Navigator

How COVID-19 is Impacting the Hemp-Derived CBD Market

By Elaine Watson

Brightfield Group predicts that one key segment of the CBD market will drive sales in the months ahead.

Third Course
Food Navigator

Thrive Market seeing "Dramatically" Higher Demand, Massive Shift Online

By Elaine Watson

"A member who used to order every three weeks and did about 1/3rd of their grocery shopping on Thrive Market, now might shop every week and be doing 80-100% of their shopping with us," said Nick Green, the company's CEO and co-founder.

New Hope Network

Colorado's Governor Orders Health Stores to Close

By Victoria A.F. Camron

The Natural Products Association has started a campaign to reverse Gov. Jared Polis' order, which was issued on April 9th.

The Guardian

EPA faces Court over Backing of Monsanto's Controversial Crop System -- Dicamba

By Carey Gillam

The ninth circuit court of appeals is being asked to overturn the EPA’s approval of a Monsanto herbicide that is allegedly a threat to farm crops across the U.S.


Want to share this newsletter on social media? You can use this link: Newsletter Link

The material in this newsletter is copyrighted and may be reprinted by permission only. All requests must be in writing. Please use our contact form to request republication rights.

Share This Newsletter

Share This

Search Newsletter Archive

Newsletter Archive

This Week's Quick Hits

Quick Hits

* These robots are weeding organic farms.


* In Venice, rowing champions are delivering organic food to the elderly amidst the lockdown.


* Dr. Bronner’s has published its 6th annual corporate social responsibility All-One Report called “Heal Earth! Heal Soul!”


* Congrats to Sun+Earth, the regenerative cannabis standard that we profiled last year, for celebrating its one-year anniversary.


* A new report reveals long-term, ongoing human and labor rights violations — including toxic chemical exposure, wage theft and aggressive union-busting — on Fyffes’ melon plantations in Honduras. These melons are sold at places such as Kroger, Publix, Albertsons, Walmart and Safeway.


* Curated by organic clothing and textile pioneer Marci Zaroff, her ECOfashion Corp and its new sustainable lifestyle brand YES AND will host a Digital Earth Day Sustainability Summit today at 5:30pm EST.


* Tomorrow at noon EST, the Richman Law Group and the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute will be hosting the inaugural virtual Food Systems Summit.


* The virtual Women Leading Regeneration Summit will take place on April 28-29.


* The monarch butterfly population is plummeting — it stood in the millions in the 1980s and now is at about 30,000.


* Grow Ahead, a digital crowdfunding platform that supports farmer-led climate resiliency projects around the world, has launched the Community and Carbon Initiative.


* SupplySide East 2020 and the Organic Produce Summit have both been canceled, and each show is planning to return in 2021.


Newsletter Topics

Organic Insider