Regenerative food is a product of regenerative agriculture, a holistic approach to farming that goes beyond sustainability to actively improve and restore the land and its ecosystem. This practice is guided by principles like enhancing soil health, increasing biodiversity, and improving water cycles. Unlike conventional farming, which can degrade soil and rely on chemical inputs, regenerative methods focus on building soil organic matter and creating a more resilient ecosystem. As a result, the food produced is not only healthier for the planet but may also be more nutrient-dense.
Examples of Regenerative Food
Animal Products
Regenerative animal products come from livestock raised in a manner that mimics natural grazing patterns, which helps fertilize the soil and build organic matter.
- Pasture-Raised Eggs and Dairy: Chickens, cows, and goats on regenerative farms are rotated through pastures, where their manure naturally fertilizes the soil. Research shows that pasture-raised dairy products, including milk, yogurt, and cheese, can have a lower ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats compared to conventional products.
- Grass-Fed and Finished Beef: Regenerative ranchers move cattle frequently to prevent overgrazing and promote plant growth. This managed grazing helps sequester carbon in the soil and can lead to beef with higher omega-3 content.
- Regeneratively Raised Pork and Poultry: Pigs and poultry are also rotated through pastures where they can forage for a diverse diet of insects and greens. This improves the animals' health and enriches the soil.
Grains, Legumes, and Seeds
Regenerative grain and legume production focuses on protecting and rebuilding soil through practices like no-till and cover cropping, rather than leaving fields bare.
- Cover-Cropped Grains: Grains like wheat, barley, and rice that are grown in rotation with cover crops (e.g., clover, vetch) benefit from the soil-enriching properties of these plants. This practice improves soil structure, reduces erosion, and increases nutrient retention. Some brands, like Lundberg Family Farms and King Arthur Baking Company, offer specific regenerative products.
- Diverse Legumes and Seeds: Choosing products like lentils, chickpeas, millet, and quinoa encourages crop diversity, a key regenerative practice. This rotation of crops helps balance soil nutrients and creates market demand for varied, soil-enriching plants.
Produce from Agroforestry and Polyculture
In agroforestry, trees are integrated with crops and livestock, creating a more diverse and resilient ecosystem.
- Agroforestry Fruits and Nuts: Fruits and nuts grown in agroforestry systems, where trees are planted alongside crops, benefit from improved soil health and biodiversity. This creates food forests that prevent deforestation and provide habitat.
- Polyculture Vegetables: Polyculture, or companion planting, involves growing multiple crops together to improve soil health and provide natural pest control. Vegetables grown in this manner can have enhanced resilience and potentially higher nutrient content.
Aquatic Products
Regenerative practices also extend to aquaculture, focusing on restoring ocean health.
- Filter-Feeding Shellfish: Oysters and mussels, when farmed regeneratively in the right locations, filter water, remove excess nitrogen, and provide habitat for other marine life. This contributes to cleaner waterways and a healthier ocean ecosystem.
Practices that Produce Regenerative Food
List of Common Regenerative Farming Practices
- No-Till or Reduced Tillage: Minimizing soil disturbance helps preserve its structure, organic matter, and the underground microbial life that promotes fertility.
- Cover Cropping: Planting non-cash crops like clover or rye in the offseason prevents erosion, adds nutrients, and suppresses weeds, reducing the need for herbicides.
- Managed Rotational Grazing: Moving livestock to new pastures regularly prevents overgrazing and evenly distributes manure, which naturally fertilizes the soil.
- Increasing Biodiversity: This includes crop rotation and planting a diverse mix of plants to attract beneficial insects and create a more resilient ecosystem.
- Composting and Organic Inputs: Adding organic matter back into the soil enriches it with essential nutrients and boosts beneficial microorganisms.
Regenerative vs. Conventional vs. Organic Foods
| Feature | Regenerative | Conventional | Organic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core Philosophy | Actively improves and restores the ecosystem and soil health. | Prioritizes short-term yields and efficiency, often at the expense of soil health. | Adheres to strict standards that prohibit synthetic chemicals, but does not always focus on actively rebuilding soil. |
| Soil Health | Focuses on rebuilding soil organic matter and biodiversity. | Often degrades soil through intensive tillage and chemical inputs. | Minimizes synthetic inputs but can still involve tillage that disturbs soil. |
| Pesticide/Herbicide Use | Aims to minimize or eliminate synthetic inputs by enhancing natural pest control. | Relies heavily on synthetic pesticides and herbicides. | Prohibits synthetic pesticides and herbicides, relying on natural alternatives. |
| Biodiversity | Actively promotes biodiversity through polycultures, agroforestry, and integrated livestock. | Monocropping dominates, which can decrease biodiversity. | Promotes biodiversity by avoiding synthetic inputs but doesn't mandate active restoration. |
| Animal Integration | Crucial component, mimicking natural processes to improve soil and ecosystem health. | Limited to confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). | Requires outdoor access but doesn't mandate managed grazing or other holistic practices. |
Conclusion
Regenerative food represents a fundamental shift away from farming practices that deplete natural resources toward a system that actively restores them. From meat and dairy produced through managed grazing to grains from cover-cropped fields, the examples of regenerative food are diverse and growing. By prioritizing healthy soil, biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience, regenerative agriculture offers a pathway to a more sustainable and resilient food system. While the certification landscape is still evolving, consumers can support this movement by seeking out certified products, buying directly from local regenerative farms, or supporting organizations that champion these practices. Ultimately, choosing regenerative foods is a vote for healthier ecosystems, higher-quality food, and a more sustainable future for agriculture.
For more in-depth information on regenerative agriculture practices and their benefits, see the resources provided by The Nature Conservancy.
Key Takeaways
- Diverse Examples: Regenerative food includes pasture-raised eggs, grass-fed beef, cover-cropped grains, and produce from diverse agroforestry systems.
- Soil Health: Practices like no-till farming and cover cropping actively rebuild soil organic matter, creating more fertile and nutrient-rich land.
- Biodiversity: Regenerative farming boosts above and below-ground biodiversity, leading to more resilient ecosystems and natural pest control.
- Environmental Benefits: These foods support crucial ecological functions, including carbon sequestration, enhanced water retention, and reduced pollution.
- Enhanced Nutrition: Some studies suggest regeneratively farmed foods, particularly animal products, may contain higher levels of certain vitamins, minerals, and beneficial omega-3 fatty acids.
- Certification: Consumers can look for third-party certifications like Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) or Land to Market, though many local farms may use regenerative practices without official labels.
- Beyond Sustainability: Regenerative agriculture is an active restoration process, going beyond just minimizing harm to actively improving the health of the land.
FAQs
Question: Is regenerative food the same as organic food? Answer: No, regenerative and organic are not the same. Organic certification focuses on a list of prohibited inputs, like synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Regenerative agriculture focuses on actively rebuilding soil health and ecosystem vitality through practices that can be used on both organic and conventional farms, though many certified regenerative products are also organic.
Question: How can I identify regenerative food products? Answer: Look for third-party certifications such as Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) or the Land to Market seal. Many local farms that use regenerative practices may not have these certifications, so it's also helpful to talk directly with farmers at farmers' markets.
Question: What is the main goal of regenerative agriculture? Answer: The main goal is to actively reverse climate change and ecosystem degradation by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring biodiversity. It goes beyond merely sustaining the land's health to actively improving it.
Question: Is regenerative food more nutritious? Answer: While more research is ongoing, some studies suggest that regeneratively farmed foods may contain higher levels of micronutrients, antioxidants, and beneficial fatty acids due to improved soil health and biodiversity.
Question: Can regenerative agriculture feed the world? Answer: Supporters of regenerative agriculture believe it can contribute significantly to global food security. By creating more resilient and productive farms, it can improve yields, especially in the face of climate change, and reduce the need for expanding farmland.
Question: Does regenerative farming help combat climate change? Answer: Yes, it does. By rebuilding soil health, regenerative practices like cover cropping and no-till farming help sequester carbon from the atmosphere, turning farmland into a carbon sink.
Question: How can consumers support regenerative food systems? Answer: You can support regenerative systems by purchasing certified regenerative products, buying from local farmers who use regenerative practices, and supporting organizations that develop and promote regenerative and indigenous agriculture. Reducing food waste and gardening are also ways to help.
Citations
- The Nature Conservancy. "Food, Climate & Regenerative Farming FAQ." nature.org. 2023.
- Kiss the Ground. "Regenerative Products You Can Find at Your Grocery Store." kisstheground.com.
- Gaia Company. "16 Examples of Regenerative Agriculture." gaiacompany.io. 2024.
- Zero Foodprint. "Health Impacts of Regenerative Agriculture." zerofoodprint.org. 2024.
- Zevero. "How Regenerative Agriculture Can Help Reduce Carbon Emissions." zevero.earth. 2025.
- Cropin. "Regenerative Agriculture: Principles and Best Practices." cropin.com. 2025.
- Chico State. "Biodiversity is as Important as Climate Change..." csuchico.edu/regenerativeagriculture.
- Operation Wallacea. "Regenerative Agriculture helping heal the planet." opwall.com.
- Compassion in World Farming USA. "Growing Greener: Organic Farming vs. Regenerative Agriculture." ciwf.com. 2024.
- Rodale Institute. "a buyer's guide to regenerative food." rodaleinstitute.org.
