Natural Grocers Wins GMO Labeling Appeal; Supplement Industry Under Pressure

This article first appeared in the February 2026 issue of Presence Marketing’s newsletter.

By Steven Hoffman

In January 2026, the regulatory framework governing the natural products industry encountered significant developments affecting how food and dietary supplements are labeled and regulated. Through a combination of judicial rulings, agency guidance, and legislative proposals, the requirements for transparency and product disclosure are shifting, presenting new compliance considerations for manufacturers and retailers alike.

For CPG brands, ingredient suppliers, and compliance officers, these updates signal a continued move toward explicit, on-package disclosure. Recent events indicate that both the courts and legislators are increasingly prioritizing clear, accessible information for consumers, challenging previous standards that allowed for digital or abbreviated disclosures.

This report outlines two primary developments from the start of the year: the U.S. Court of Appeals ruling in favor of Natural Grocers regarding Bioengineered (BE) disclosures, and a dual-front regulatory discussion involving the FDA and Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) regarding the dietary supplement sector.

Federal Appeals Court Sides with Natural Grocers in GMO Ruling
In a decision delivered on Jan. 6, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled in favor of a coalition of plaintiffs led by the Lakewood, CO-based retailer Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE: NGVC) and the Center for Food Safety (CFS). The court’s decision effectively strikes down key portions of the USDA’s Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard, addressing industry arguments that the previous rules contained exemptions that limited consumer access to information.

The "National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard" (NBFDS) has been a subject of debate since its inception. Critics, including the plaintiffs, argued that the USDA’s implementation allowed manufacturers to obscure the presence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) through the use of digital links and unfamiliar terminology.

According to a Natural Grocers press release, the court’s ruling necessitates a significant revision of USDA rules. The outcome aligns with a long-standing position of Natural Grocers, the nation’s largest family-operated organic and natural grocery retailer, which has prohibited most GMO ingredients in its stores since 2012 and advocated for clearer labeling standards.

The court’s decision focused on three specific areas where the USDA’s previous rules were found to be insufficient or unlawful. Food and beverage manufacturers must now prepare for a regulatory environment that will likely require strategic adjustments in the next rulemaking cycle.

The "Bioengineered" Terminology Battle
First among the court's findings was the rejection of the USDA’s mandate that strictly required the use of the term "bioengineered." Plaintiffs successfully argued that this term is unfamiliar to the average shopper and infringed on free speech rights by prohibiting the use of terms consumers actually understand.

Under the overturned rules, a manufacturer was forced to use "bioengineered" even if their customer base was far more familiar with "GMO" or "Genetically Engineered." According to the Non-GMO Project, recent market research indicates that while 63% of consumers recognize the term "GMO," only 36% are familiar with "bioengineering." By mandating the lesser-known term, the USDA was seen as complicating disclosure. The ruling now paves the way for retailers and brands to use terms that resonate more clearly with their customers, potentially returning the familiar "GMO" acronym to federal disclosures.

Closing the Digital Divide: The End of QR Code Exclusivity
Operationally, a significant aspect of the ruling is the rejection of standalone QR codes as a sufficient means of disclosure. The USDA had previously allowed companies to forgo on-package text disclosures entirely in favor of a scannable code. Natural Grocers and the Center for Food Safety argued that this practice excluded consumers without smartphones, reliable internet access, or technical literacy—demographics that often include the elderly and rural populations.

The court agreed, ruling that companies cannot rely solely on digital disclosures. This decision impacts the "scan to learn more" approach that some large CPG companies had adopted. Brands that utilized digital links to manage label space must now redesign packaging to include clear, on-pack text or symbols accessible to the naked eye.

Highly Processed Ingredients: No More Hiding
Finally, the court found the USDA was incorrect in exempting highly processed foods—such as sugar from sugar beets or oil from canola—simply because the genetic material might not be detectable in the final refined product.

This "highly refined" exemption had been a major point of contention. Natural Grocers argued that even if the DNA is denatured or removed during processing, the ingredient still originates from a bioengineered crop system. The environmental and agricultural impacts remain, regardless of the final chemical structure of the sugar or oil.

"The court’s rejection of the ‘highly refined’ exemption reinforces an important principle: how food is made matters," noted Charlene Guzman, Communications Director of the Non-GMO Project, in a statement to Nosh. Brands that have relied on this exemption should expect closer scrutiny as the USDA revises its rules, particularly for ubiquitous ingredients like oils, sugars, and starches derived from GMO crops.

Heather Isely, Executive Vice President of Natural Grocers, stated that the decision reflects congressional intent. "Congress never intended to require the use of specific terms, the sole use of QR codes, or the exclusion of ingredients made from highly processed GMO crops," she said. "We are pleased the court recognized the shortcomings of the final rule and mandated corrections. Natural Grocers will remain actively engaged in the GMO regulatory process."

George Kimbrell, Legal Director of the Center for Food Safety, added that the ruling ensures consumers will eventually see "clear and accurate GMO label information."

The legal victory is consistent with Natural Grocers' long history of rigorous product standards. Founded in 1955 and with 168 stores across 21 states, the company has utilized a dynamic list—"Things We Won't Carry and Why"—to screen products. As stated in WholeFoods Magazine, if a company cannot verify non-GMO status, Natural Grocers will not stock the item.

The Supplement Industry’s Regulatory Tug-of-War
While the food industry assesses the implications of the GMO ruling, the dietary supplement sector is navigating a complex regulatory landscape. On one hand, the FDA is signaling potential flexibility regarding labeling requirements. On the other, Senator Dick Durbin has reintroduced legislation that could impose new registration requirements.

In a letter to the industry issued on Dec. 11, 2025, the FDA announced it is considering amendments to 21 C.F.R. § 101.93(d). This regulation currently governs the placement of the disclaimer required for structure/function claims under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA).

Under current rules, supplements making claims such as "Supports heart health" must carry the standard disclaimer: "This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease." Regulations have historically required this disclaimer to appear on every single panel where a claim is made. For small bottles, this often leads to "label clutter," where the same disclaimer is repeated multiple times.

According to the National Law Review, the FDA is looking to remove the "each panel" requirement. Kyle Diamantas, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods, noted in the letter that revising this regulation would "reduce label clutter and unnecessary costs," aligning with the agency's historical enforcement posture.

Effective immediately, the FDA is exercising "enforcement discretion." The agency will not prioritize penalizing companies that do not repeat the disclaimer on every panel, provided the disclaimer appears at least once and is properly linked to the claims. However, companies should proceed with caution; this is a relaxation of placement frequency, not a removal of the disclaimer itself.

Not all experts view this relaxation as positive. Pieter Cohen, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School expressed concern to Nutraceutical Business Review, warning that reducing disclaimer visibility could mislead consumers. "Then you start saying things such as, ‘We only need it on the actual bottle.’ Then you let the print get smaller," Cohen noted, highlighting the tension between industry simplification and consumer protection.

Durbin Reintroduces the Dietary Supplement Listing Act
While the FDA offers potential labeling flexibility, Congress is considering increased oversight. On Jan. 17, 2026, Senator Dick Durbin reintroduced the Dietary Supplement Listing Act, aimed at modernizing FDA oversight through Mandatory Product Listing (MPL).

The core of the bill would require manufacturers to register products with the FDA, providing product names, ingredient lists, electronic copies of labels, allergen statements, and structure/function claims. This data would populate a public database accessible to consumers.

Senator Durbin’s argument is rooted in the growth of the sector. When DSHEA passed in 1994, there were approximately 4,000 supplements on the market. Today, the FDA estimates there are over 100,000. Durbin argues that the FDA cannot effectively regulate a market it cannot track. "FDA—and consumers—should know what dietary supplements are on the market and what ingredients are included in them. This is FDA’s most basic function," Durbin stated.

As reported by RiverBender, the bill has garnered endorsements from the American Medical Association, US Pharmacopeia, and Consumer Reports. However, the industry itself remains divided, illustrating a strategic difference between its two major trade associations.

A House Divided: CRN vs. NPA
The reintroduction of the Listing Act has reignited a debate between the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and the Natural Products Association (NPA).

The CRN supports the legislation, viewing transparency as a path to legitimacy and consumer trust. Steve Mister, President and CEO of CRN, stated, "In an era when the Administration has rightly called for more transparency about what we eat and how food is made, it makes sense to apply that same transparency to dietary supplements." The CRN views the registry as a tool to distinguish legitimate, responsible brands from "fly-by-night" actors selling tainted products, arguing that a federal registry is "a transparency tool—not a barrier to innovation."

Conversely, the NPA opposes the bill. Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D., President and CEO of NPA, characterizes it as unnecessary bureaucracy that burdens lawful companies while failing to stop bad actors. Fabricant argues that DSHEA already gives the FDA ample authority; the agency simply fails to use it.

As detailed in Nutrition Insight, NPA fears that the FDA could use the list to arbitrarily challenge ingredients, citing the recent (and reversed) attempt to ban NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) as an example of regulatory overreach. "This proposal will hand bureaucrats new leverage over lawful products, cool innovation, and punish companies investing in new science," Fabricant warned.

Conclusion: The Transparency Mandate
As the year progresses, the common thread connecting the Natural Grocers victory and the Durbin bill is transparency. In the food aisle, the courts have ruled that accessibility is key—labels must be readable without a smartphone and use terms the public understands. In the supplement aisle, the debate continues over whether transparency requires a federal database of every product on the market.

For business leaders, the takeaway is operational agility. Packaging workflows must be adaptable, supply chain documentation must be robust, and regulatory monitoring must be constant. The "clean label" trend is extending beyond ingredients to include the regulatory integrity of the package itself.

Natural Grocers has signaled it will remain active, with executive Heather Isely stating, "Natural Grocers will remain actively engaged in the GMO regulatory process." Brands wishing to remain on the shelves of such high-standard retailers must ensure their transparency efforts meet these rising expectations.

Steven Hoffman is Managing Director of Compass Natural Marketing, a strategic communications and brand development agency serving the natural and organic products industry. Learn more at www.compassnatural.com.

Kombucha Culture Brings Costa Rica’s Tropical Heritage to the West Coast

The leading kombucha brand in Central America deepens its U.S. presence, rooted in organic farming, cultural tradition, and bold flavor innovation. Visit Kombucha Culture at Natural Products Expo West Fresh Ideas Marketplace on Tuesday March 3, 2026, in Anaheim, California.

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 26, 2026) — Rooted in the traditions of Costa Rica’s tropical culture and brewed with a deep respect for land and community, USDA certified organic Kombucha Culture is bringing its vibrant pura vida (“pure life”) spirit to more shelves across the West Coast. As the #1 kombucha brand in Central America, Kombucha Culture continues to expand its U.S. presence while staying true to the heritage, sustainability, and craftsmanship that define every can. 

The idea for Kombucha Culture was born in 2014 in Southern California. Those initial dreams of creating an elevated kombucha experience flourished into something extraordinary when company co-founders David Comfort and Noel Brady moved to Costa Rica. Surrounded by lush rainforest, inspired by tropical ingredients, and guided by the "Pura Vida" lifestyle, Kombucha Culture evolved into something far bigger than a beverage. The result is a vibrant kombucha collection that captures the essence of Costa Rica’s land, “sabor,” and culture.

“Kombucha Culture started as a dream to create something meaningful and something that honored flavor, function and culture,” said David Comfort, co-founder of Kombucha Culture. “Costa Rica gave us the environment, the inspiration, and the community to turn that dream into reality.”

Kombucha Culture is still proudly brewed and packaged on the farm in Costa Rica using all certified organic ingredients, with fermentation and production carefully monitored by the team to ensure peak freshness. By infusing each brew with local fruits, roots, and plants, the company not only elevates the quality of its kombucha but also supports local farmers and helps preserve time honored agricultural practices.

Over the years, Kombucha Culture has pushed boundaries in the region, launching Central America’s first CBD-infused kombucha, the first hard kombucha in Latin America, and becoming the first USDA Organic-certified beverage produced in Costa Rica. Today, the brand is the leading kombucha in Costa Rica, found coast to coast, from the bustling streets of San José to laid-back beach towns like Malpaís on the Pacific and Puerto Limón on the Caribbean.

“Our connection to Costa Rica isn’t just where we brew, it’s also who we are; it’s like family,” said Mike Schall, U.S. General Manager. “Everything we do is rooted in respect for the land, the people, and the culture that embraced Kombucha Culture from the beginning.”

With consumer interest in fermented and functional beverages continuing to rise, Kombucha Culture offers a rare combination of category leadership, organic farming, and cultural authenticity. As the brand expands its presence in the U.S., Kombucha Culture is currently available in Southern California at premium natural and specialty retailers including Erewhon, Bristol Farms, Jimbo’s Naturally, and Lassens via UNFI, as well as select Pacific Northwest retailers such as Town & Country Markets via Crown Pacific Fine Foods.

Kombucha Culture’s lineup is Certified Organic, vegan, gluten free, and made with real, all-natural ingredients.

Boho: A bright, tropical fusion with tangy notes of fresh ginger, pineapple and hibiscus

• Island Roots: Earthy, grounding flavors of turmeric, ginger, lemon and black pepper

• Purple Rain: A bold, antioxidant-rich blend with chamomile, lavender and butterfly pea flowers

• Golden Hour: A ginger-passion fruit uplift inspired by sun-soaked evenings on the coast

• Dragon Rose: A new flavor with a smooth blend of dragon fruit and rose water

Each can delivers probiotic benefits to support digestion, antioxidant-rich ingredients to help fight inflammation, and provides a clean, natural energy along with all the fizzy refreshment of modern soda, but with fewer than 70 calories per can.

Brewed with passion, shared with purpose, and canned with character, Kombucha Culture continues to build a movement—inviting consumers to taste the culture and feel the pura vida spirit in every smooth sip.

Visit Kombucha Culture at Expo West 2026
At Expo West 2026, Kombucha Culture will bring its tropical lineup to life in the Fresh Ideas Organic Marketplace, Tuesday March 3rd, at Table #F29. Attendees can experience its signature flavors and discover how the brand bridges Costa Rica’s vitality with California’s surf-and-sport lifestyle.

About Kombucha Culture
Drink Smart. Live PURA VIDA.

Kombucha Culture is a craft kombucha brand brewed in Costa Rica and inspired by the country's pure vida lifestyle which is a celebration of health, happiness, and connection. Made with Certified Organic, vegan, and gluten-free ingredients, Kombucha Culture features zero artificial flavors, all-natural tropical ingredients, and 70 calories or less per can. Each probiotic-rich, antioxidant-packed blend is designed to refresh, energize, and restore balance naturally. Kombucha Culture is available at premium natural and specialty retailers including Erewhon, Bristol Farms, Jimbo's Naturally, Jensen’s Market, and Lassen's in Southern California, as well as select Pacific Northwest retailers such as Town & Country Markets and through leading distributors including UNFI (Moreno Valley). Learn more at kombuchaculture.com and follow on Instagram and Facebook.

For wholesale inquiries, contact puravida@kombuchaculture.com  

Media Contact: Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, steve@compassnatural.com, tel 303.807.1042

Redefining Better-for-You Snacking: DEFI Snacks Combines Superfood Innovation & Time-Released Fuel

After a breakout year, the award-winning, woman-owned brand accelerates growth with bold new flavors and formats. Visit DEFI Snacks at Natural Products Expo West at Booth #8913.

CHATHAM, N.J. (Jan. 13, 2025) — DEFI Snacks is redefining modern snacking by combining indulgence, performance, and purpose into superfood-infused chocolate bites. Female-founded and rooted in global tradition, DEFI delivers high-protein snacks designed for fitness-minded, clean-eating consumers who refuse to choose between nourishment and indulgence. 

Each DEFI Snack recipe is built on sprouted organic buckwheat, a fiber-rich superfood. Combined with fast-absorbing whey protein crisps that offer immediate energy and slow-digesting European-grade casein protein that digests slowly to promote longer-lasting satiety, DEFI delivers time-lapsed nutrition that satisfies immediately and fuels the body over time.

Founded by Tatyana Jones, DEFI Snacks was inspired by her Ukrainian upbringing, where buckwheat is a daily staple, much like rice or potatoes in the U.S. Across Ukraine and neighboring Slovak countries, buckwheat has long been valued for its resilience, nourishment, and versatility. When Tatyana moved to the United States, she was surprised to find that buckwheat was largely unknown and widely misunderstood.

“Most people assume buckwheat is a wheat or some type of a grain,” says Tatyana. “In reality, it’s neither. Buckwheat is a naturally gluten-free flower seed, and nutritionally outperforms many of today’s trendy ingredients. It’s great for your gut, is loaded with fiber, protein, vitamins and antioxidants … and the list goes on.”

Motivated by the untapped potential of buckwheat, Tatyana partnered with a trusted scientist to explore white-space opportunities for a buckwheat-based product. After much experimentation and category analysis, she identified a clear gap in the market: snacks that are truly indulgent, yet go beyond empty calories with nutrient density and function.

Shortly after, Tatyana partnered with Chef Jean-François Bonnet, known for helping formulate many of the original Hu Chocolate flavors before the brand was sold to snacking giant Mondelez. 

A New Definition of Indulgence
DEFI stands for "Delicious Energizing Fitness Indulgence," a philosophy reflected in its lineup of high-protein, superfood-infused chocolate bites:

• Dark Chocolate Himalayan Salt Crispy Superfood Bite

• Dark Chocolate Crispy Superfood Bite

• Milk Chocolate Crispy Superfood Bite

• Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Crispy Superfood Bite (new)

Each crunchy bite is crafted to deliver sustained, time-lapsed nutrition which satisfies immediately and fuels the body over time, keeping you satisfied for hours.

Ingredient Integrity, by Design
DEFI Snacks' formulations connect nutrient-dense recipes with modern consumer values of sustainability, women’s empowerment, and flavors with universal appeal. Each flavor starts with premium-quality chocolate, infused with better-for-you ingredients that control sugar intake and satiety, while delivering other health and functional benefits.

Key Ingredients Include:

• Real premium non-GMO chocolate, featuring 70% cacao dark chocolate sourced from the Dominican Republic and Ecuador or velvety 38% cacao milk chocolate from Peru. Both chocolates are sourced through a leading B Corp-certified chocolate producer committed to sustainable and fair practices, with full traceability of cacao beans down to the village level.

• Sprouted Organic Buckwheat, a naturally gluten-free and grain-free superfood superfood rich in protein, fiber, B vitamins, magnesium, and antioxidants. Buckwheat contains prebiotic fiber that helps slow sugar absorption and support gut health and is also one of the most sustainable ingredients that exists. True to the DEFI brand’s ethos, buckwheat enriches everything it touches. Farmers adore it because it requires low to no maintenance, yet it makes the earth it grows in incredibly fertile.

• European-grade non-GMO Whey Protein Crisps, a fast-absorbing milk protein crisp delivering immediate energy and a crunchy texture

• European-grade non-GMO pure casein protein powder, a slow-digesting milk protein that promotes longer-lasting satiety and keeps you fuller over time

Together, this combination delivers a multi-sensory texture by combining smooth chocolate with crispy crunch and sustained satisfaction that resonates strongly with Gen Z and millennial consumers. Furthermore, DEFI avoids the calorie-cutting shortcuts common in the category, choosing real ingredients and balanced nutrition without compromising taste or long-term integrity.

A Female-Led Brand That Lifts Others
DEFI Snacks is built on defiance, not just of traditional snacking norms, but of how business is done. As a female-founded company, DEFI donates 1% of its profitable sales to women-owned startups that defy the odds, reinforcing its commitment to entrepreneurship, equity, and community. As the brand grows, it hopes to lift itself by lifting others, growing its influence in the community.

The brand’s mission sits at the intersection of health, fitness, entrepreneurship, and female empowerment, creating indulgence with intention for busy professionals, clean-eating foodies, and performance-driven lifestyles.

Retail Momentum and Industry Recognition
DEFI Snacks' rapid growth in the past year has earned both buyer attention and award-winning industry acclaim, including:

• Enthuse Foundation Grand Prize Award Winner 

• Good Housekeeping Best Snack Awards Winner

• Feature on Good Morning America

• Startup CPG Shelfies Award Winner

• Food & Beverage Magazine’s Editor’s Top Pick

• RangeMe’s #3 Most Popular Snacking Brand in only 10 months

DEFI is currently available direct as well as through UNFI, following acceptance into the highly competitive UNFI Up Next Program, enabling regional and national distribution for game changer brands.

Looking Ahead: 2026 Innovation and Growth
DEFI Snacks is entering its next phase of growth with plans for new flavors, new formats, and innovative vegan options launching in 2026. Upcoming formats are designed to meet consumers across more occasions and channels, while leaning into delivering high protein and high fiber — claims both retailers and consumers are searching for.

To support national retail expansion, DEFI has also kicked off a 2026 seed raise, targeting $1.5 million to fuel distribution, innovation, and brand growth at shelf.

Visit DEFI Snacks at Natural Products Expo West, March 3-5, 2026, at Booth #8913 (ACC Level 3), Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA.

About DEFI Snacks
DEFI Snacks is a female-founded, purpose-driven snack brand redefining indulgence through protein-infused real premium chocolate bites, made with sprouted organic buckwheat, a superfood like no other! Rooted in Ukrainian tradition and built for modern lifestyles, DEFI connects satisfaction, nutrition, empowerment, and flavor — while donating 1% of profits to women-owned startups that dare to defy the odds. Products can be purchased on their website, via Amazon and at Raley’s (Northern California), Wakefern / ShopRite (East Coast), and over 150 independent retailers nationwide. Follow DEFI Snacks on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

For Wholesale Inquiries email sales@defi-snacks.com

Qualified Investor Inquiries email tatyana.jones@defi-snacks.com 

Media Contact Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, steve@compassnatural.com, tel 303.807.1042

Industry Leaders Respond to USDA’s Funding Announcement for Regenerative Agriculture

This article first appeared in the January 2026 issue of Presence Marketing’s newsletter.

By Steven Hoffman

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, alongside U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, M.D., on December 10 announced a $700 million Regenerative Pilot Program to help American farmers adopt practices that improve soil health, enhance water quality, and boost long-term productivity, all while building a healthier, more resilient food system, said USDA. According to the release, HHS also is investing in research on the connection between regenerative agriculture and public health, as well as developing messaging to explain this connection.

“Protecting and improving the health of our soil is critical not only for the future viability of farmland, but to the future success of American farmers. In order to continue to be the most productive and efficient growers in the world, we must protect our topsoil from unnecessary erosion and improve soil health and land stewardship. Today’s announcement encourages these priorities while supporting farmers who choose to transition to regenerative agriculture. The Regenerative Pilot Program also puts farmers first and reduces barriers to entry for conservation programs,” said Secretary Rollins.

Administered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the new Regenerative Pilot Program is designed to deliver a streamlined, outcome-based conservation model—empowering producers to plan and implement whole-farm regenerative practices through a single application. In FY2026, the Regenerative Pilot Program will focus on whole-farm planning that addresses every major resource concern—soil, water, and natural vitality—under a single conservation framework. USDA said it is dedicating $400 million through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and $300 million through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) to fund this first year of regenerative agriculture projects. The program is said to be designed for both beginning and advanced producers, ensuring availability for all farmers ready to take the next step in regenerative agriculture.

To support the program, NRCS is establishing a Chief’s Regenerative Agriculture Advisory Council “to keep the Regenerative Pilot Program grounded in practical, producer-led solutions,” USDA said. The Council will meet quarterly, with rotating participants, to advise the Chief of NRCS, review implementation progress, and help guide data and reporting improvements. Its recommendations will shape future USDA conservation delivery and strengthen coordination between the public and private sectors.

USDA also said it is permitting public-private partnerships as part of the Regenerative Agriculture Initiative (RAI), claiming that such partnerships will allow USDA to match private funding, thus stretching taxpayer dollars further, and bringing new capacity to producers interested in adopting regenerative practices.

We asked leaders in regenerative agriculture to weigh in on USDA’s announcement. Here’s what they had to say:

Hannah Tremblay, Policy and Advocacy Manager, Farm Aid
As a strong supporter of regenerative agriculture, Farm Aid welcomes USDA’s funding announcement for regenerative agriculture, but the lack of details about the program's specifics means we're unable to give a full response or analysis. From the few details that have been provided to date, this looks like a streamlining of processes and possible restructuring of existing funding, but does not appear to represent new funding for these programs.

The chronic underfunding and oversubscription of the EQIP and CSP programs – two crucial conservation programs – are ongoing problems that this administration and Congress have not addressed. The recent budget bill passed by Congress makes it easier for large operations to disproportionately use EQIP and CSP dollars by removing payment limits and Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) requirements. Policies like these make these programs less accessible to small and diversified farming operations and do a disservice to family farmers who are trying to enact conservation practices. 

This sudden embrace of regenerative agriculture flies in the face of the other policies we've seen from this administration, including canceling the Climate Smart Commodities Program, EPA's fast tracking of pesticides and cuts to USDA's NRCS staff, who are crucial to helping farmers implement soil health practices.

Matthew Dillon, Co-CEO, Organic Trade Association
There are still many details to come in the implementation of the NRCS regenerative program, but the Organic Trade Association (OTA) is always supportive of programs that help farmers transition to improved management of their natural resources. It would appear that it will give farmers an à la carte menu of practices that they can select and create a less burdensome bundled approach with NRCS. If we can make it easier for farmers to better care for natural resources, that’s a good outcome.

The optimal outcome would be for farmers to have integrated and holistic conservation plans, like those that organic farmers do in their annual Organic System Plan. And ideally, that would include pesticide mitigation plans for those farmers who are conventional. Hopefully for some of these farmers it will be an on-ramp to exploring opportunities in organic markets.

At the end of the day, policy incentives will only go so far in rewarding farmers for ecosystem services – markets and consumers are essential. Organic is the only third party, verified, backed-by-law marketplace that does that. We will work to make sure organic farmers have adequate access and get recognition in these programs.

Ken Cook, Executive Director, Environmental Working Group
Basically, I’m pretty skeptical of the Regenerative Pilot Program. If you look at all of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s big talk during the Trump campaign and then during the transition regarding subsidies, $700 million rebranded from existing programs (with multi-billion-dollar budget baselines that a lot of us built and defended) is hardly the bold action he promised. The emphasis on efficiency and red tape is interesting—whole farm plans that originated in the 1930s and 1940s in the old Soil Conservation Service (SCS) are all about paperwork and red tape, and going back, a lot of us in the conservation world (and reformist elements within NRCS) pushed the agency to focus on practices aimed at priority lands/problems. Reformers in NRCS in the 1980s and after always felt whole-farm plans were make-work that resulted in career advancements (and documents on farmers’ shelves) but not necessarily conservation on the ground.

There was no emphasis at the press conference announcing the program on reducing pesticides. Nor was there any emphasis on aiming some of the money at organic, the only system out there that does fulfill the MAHA rhetoric from farm to grocery shelf.

And of course, during the Biden administration there was so much emphasis in regenerative circles on climate progress via carbon farming, carbon sequestration, farmers selling carbon credits, and so on, but those words and objectives have been forbidden by USDA. (We always thought the carbon stuff was way oversold—and not needed to justify lots of benefits from mixed crop-livestock farms, longer more diverse rotations, cover crops and other sensible practices that…have also been around and under-deployed by farmers since the 1930s despite BILLIONS spent by taxpayers on free technical assistance and cost-sharing).

Then of course there are the ‘antithesis-of-MAHA’ cuts to vital programs earlier this year to get local food to schools and food banks, the reductions in NRCS staff to do those whole-farm plans, and the massive, multi-billion-dollar subsidies that have been paid in tariff reparations to big commodity operations—whose payment limits have been generously increased to make sure the biggest operations get the most money.

Christopher Gergen, CEO, Regenerative Organic Alliance
The Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA) welcomes the USDA’s announcement of a new Regenerative Pilot Program as an important signal of federal commitment to advancing healthier soils, more resilient farms, and stronger rural economies. We applaud this growing recognition that agriculture must go beyond extraction toward restoration, a core belief that has guided our work since the creation of the Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC™) standard.

As USDA begins shaping the program’s criteria and implementation, ROA encourages alignment with the rigorous, holistic principles that define regenerative organic agriculture: improving soil health, ensuring dignified and fair conditions for farm workers, and supporting the humane treatment of animals. These three pillars are foundational to the ROC framework and have proven essential to achieving long-term ecological, economic and community benefits.

We are encouraged that the USDA acknowledges the role of organic systems in regenerative agriculture. ROC builds on USDA Organic as a necessary baseline for eliminating toxic synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, and GMOs — inputs that undermine soil biology, water quality, pollinator health, and farmworker safety. ROC then goes further by requiring additional soil health practices, pasture-based animal welfare, and fair labor conditions.

As decades of peer-reviewed research and field evidence show, regenerative practices alone cannot fully deliver intended environmental outcomes if they allow routine use of synthetic chemicals. The scientific record also shows that organic systems, including those that strategically use tillage for weed control in lieu of herbicides — consistently build soil carbon, increase water retention, reduce erosion, and improve microbial diversity. We encourage USDA to ensure that any regenerative agriculture program reflects this evidence by prioritizing systems that avoid toxic inputs and protect both ecological and human health.

The rapid expansion of regenerative claims creates both opportunity and risk. Without clear definitions, rigorous standards, and third-party verification, the regenerative category is vulnerable to greenwashing and consumer confusion. Independent analysis has shown that some non-organic regenerative labels allow herbicides, GMOs, synthetic fertilizers, and minimal verification, which could undermine public trust and the credibility of the entire regenerative movement.

With the right structure, USDA’s initiative can accelerate the transition to a food and fiber system that heals the land, strengthens rural communities, and ensures a healthier future for all; a vision that drives our mission every day. ROA looks forward to engaging with USDA as this pilot advances and to contributing our expertise, data, and proven frameworks to help shape a regenerative future rooted in integrity, transparency, and meaningful impact.

Jeff Tkach, Executive Director, Rodale Institute
Rodale Institute welcomes the USDA’s announcement of the new Regenerative Pilot Program and views it as an important signal that soil health, farm resilience, and long-term productivity are increasingly central priorities within American agriculture. This moment reflects a growing federal recognition that healthy soil is foundational to a secure food system, climate resilience, and human health.

For more than 78 years, Rodale Institute has led the science and practice of regenerative organic agriculture, long before “regenerative” entered the policy lexicon. Through the longest-running side-by-side comparison of organic and conventional farming systems in North America, Rodale Institute has demonstrated that regenerative organic agricultural practices can improve soil health, enhance water quality, increase resilience to extreme weather, and support farm profitability.

With a national network of research hubs, education initiatives and farmer training programs, Rodale Institute has helped producers across regions and production systems transition to regenerative organic practices rooted in measurable outcomes and continuous improvement. This experience, coupled with our leadership as a founding member of the Regenerative Organic Alliance, positions Rodale Institute as a critical partner in ensuring that regenerative initiatives are clearly defined, science-based, and deliver real, lasting benefits for farmers, communities, and the environment.

As the USDA advances this pilot program, Rodale Institute stands ready to contribute its decades of research, farmer-centered expertise, and leadership to help guide its success. By keeping soil health at the center of agricultural policy and practice, we can continue building a food system that supports productive farms, nourishing food, and healthy people, now and for future generations.

Paige Mitchum, Executive Director, Regen Circle
This Regenerative Agriculture Pilot Program is not new. It is a carve-out from the existing Farm Bill’s conservation funds using the same forms, rankings and field offices. The key difference is that they were processing proposals differently. Under the Climate Smart Commodities Program the process went USDA ↔ big project ↔ farmer. This pilot now routes money through individual NCRS contracts so the process flows as NRCS ↔ farmer. This sounds cleaner unless the agency in the middle just lost 20% of its staff, as is the case with the NRCS. 

By doing away with the big projects intermediaries you lose the support provided by states, tribes and NGOs whose role was to recruit farmers, do measurement verification and reporting, provide technical assistance and handle smaller payments. Without this the NRCS will need significantly more bandwidth to handle a direct to farmer approach. But they aren’t staffing up; the FY2026 plan indicated further personnel reductions, leaving me to draw only one conclusion: The regenerative pilot program will be woefully under resourced, forcing them to accept applications from large well-resourced operations leaving small and vitally important producers on their own. 

In a nine‑day window in December, the administration: backed pesticide maker Bayer in court, poured billions into the most glyphosate‑dependent crop systems, and then unveiled a sub‑billion-dollar regenerative agriculture pilot program as its health‑and‑soil solution. Once again this administration has brilliantly cut social infrastructure and meaningful programs that were supporting small farmers in regenerative transition, shielded a flagship herbicide company from liability, bailed out large monocultures, and in exchange handed us a small carve-out of existing programs with zero new infrastructure or any credible way of executing said program. As such, this reads more as a marketing scheme than it does meaningful policy work, and I hope that the private sector can step up and support the small holder farmers at the heart of the regenerative movement.

They took away the mountain we were slowly, imperfectly but intentionally building, they took a shovel and put a small mound of dirt aside and said, take this and enjoy the view.

Read Page’s full article here.

André Leu, D.Sc., BA Com., Grad Dip Ed., International Director, Regeneration International
In theory, this is a great initiative. Improving soil health through regenerative practices has been long overdue. Most farmers, including many organic farmers, need to adopt these methods. In reality, it will depend on who is selected to sit on the  Chief’s Regenerative Agriculture Advisory Council. If it is composed of regenerative and organic farmers, it will be credible. If they repeat the NOSB (National Organic Standards Board) model, it will be hijacked by academics, NGOs and agribusiness. It will be an exercise in greenwashing, promoting no-till Roundup-ready GMOs and other degenerative practices. I don't have confidence that, given the USDA's history with the organic sector, they will choose the credible option.

Alexis Baden-Mayer, Political Director, Organic Consumers Association
I've been looking into where the money's coming from for the Regenerative Agriculture Pilot Program and how much has been allocated versus taken away. This is money Congress appropriated for two regenerative agriculture programs (the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program) with a total annual budget of $4.515 billion. So, if $700 million is going to regenerative, that means $3.815 billion (84%) of EQIP and CSP funds will be going to factory farms and pesticide-drenched genetically modified field crops. Admittedly, Trump's USDA isn't the first to misappropriate these funds this way, but it is the first to celebrate it.

Earlier this year, the USDA refused to disburse $6.062 billion appropriated by Congress for family famers adopting regenerative agriculture practices and serving local markets. Now we're now supposed to be happy because the USDA is earmarking $700 million for regenerative agriculture? I feel like they're trying to convince us two pennies is more than a dollar bill because two is more than one.

Max Goldberg, Founder, Editor and Publisher of Organic Insider
The USDA's announcement of about $700 million dedicated to regenerative agriculture puts the spotlight on the importance of soil health at a critical time and is extremely welcome. Yet, whether this program can actually deliver tangible results to America's farmland remains a serious uncertainty, and there are two questions that must be answered. 

First, does the USDA have adequate on-the-ground technical staff to assist farmers in executing regenerative practices while also measuring soil health improvements? Second, will this program actually lead to a reduction in pesticide use? Only time will tell, but the level of skepticism is very high that the funds will be spent in an efficient manner and this will result in meaningful progress.

Dan Kane, Lead Scientist, MAD Agriculture
The Regenerative Agriculture Initiative (RAI), also called the Regenerative Pilot Program (RPP), is a program announced by Secretary Rollins on Dec. 10, 2025. The press release from USDA describes it as a $700 million pilot program for FY2026 focused on helping farmers transition to regenerative practices. 

The RAI is not a new program but instead a repackaging of existing USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) conservation programs, including the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). Nor does the RAI designate new funding towards either of these programs and the practices they target. It will likely function as a priority national funding pool producers can apply to with some minor modifications to requirements and the application process. Efforts by the prior administration to increase funding to key regenerative practices and the regenerative agriculture community more broadly through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) would have provided greater funding overall in FY2026 and beyond.

The IRA added approximately $19.5 billion into USDA conservation programs above and beyond 2018 Farm Bill funding levels over a period of four fiscal years (FY2023-FY2028). EQIP would’ve been expanded by $8.45 billion over that period, with about $3.45 billion of that coming in FY 2026 for a combined total of $5.5 billion in FY2026. CSP would’ve received $3.25 billion over that period with $1.5 billion coming in FY2026 for a combined total of $2.5 billion in FY2026.

Given all the shifts in funding, and the reallocation of IRA funds to CSP and EQIP baseline spending enacted through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), RAI is effectively funded through the reallocation of IRA funds. But, considering the reduction in total funding, it’s still not net new spending compared to what would’ve happened had IRA stayed in place. Although the OBBB increased baseline EQIP and CSP funding over a longer time period, the Congressional Budget Office still estimates that the rescission and reallocation of IRA funds will result in a net decrease of approximately $2 billion in actual conservation spending through FY2034.

While some of the changes included in this program (bundling applications, whole farm planning, soil testing) are good ideas, they’re ideas that NRCS has already applied through other programs. Major reductions in NRCS staff and proposed changes to how the NRCS is structured are likely to limit total capacity and reduce agency efficiency and function. Last, the elimination of income eligibility caps and the potential integration of public/private partnerships into the program raise concerns that this program and USDA conservation programs writ large will end up primarily serving very large farmers and agribusiness interests.

Any USDA programming focused on regenerative agriculture is a welcome addition to the financial stack for producers. No doubt we at Mad Agriculture will keep this program in mind as a potential option for the producers with whom we work. But this is a small win in comparison to the huge loss that came through the rescission/reallocation of IRA funds.

Read MAD Agriculture’s full analysis of USDA’s Regenerative Agriculture Initiative here.

Charles "Chuck" Benbrook, Ph.D., Founder, Benbrook Consulting Services
Chuck Benbrook is the former Chief Science Officer of The Organic Center; former Research Professor, Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, Washington State University; and former Director, National Academy of Sciences Board on Agriculture

As someone who has been deeply involved in soil conservation policy, I was excited to see this announcement from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). With $700 million committed in the next fiscal year, it's a pretty substantial investment in regenerative agriculture. The hope is that it will go on with continued, and hopefully increased, funding.

As I read the announcement for the Regenerative Pilot Program, it seems to be a clear recognition by the USDA that soil health and what is needed to enhance the biological integrity and health of the soil has to be a very high priority. In fact, on par with controlling physical erosion. And I think that's the right direction. That's how we're going to lower the cost of production. That's how we're going to clean up water and start dealing with all these rural areas with ridiculously high levels of nitrate in everybody's drinking water. It's how we're going to deal with resistant weeds. Dealing with soil biology at this point is the most important and lowest hanging fruit for healing what ails us.

I think there are two aspects to the significance of USDA's announcement. One, it recognizes farmers anywhere along the continuum, from conventional, chemical-dependent farmers to regenerative organic producers. Wherever you are along the continuum, if you want to move toward a more diversified, resilient, less chemical-dependent system, you have to make multiple changes simultaneously and timed correctly to succeed.

I also think the NRCS approach of entering into customized contracts with growers that start from where they're at and finance the next round of changes in their farming systems, which could include changes in rotations, tillage, cover crop management and water management, is a good one.

It's also a positive that it's a streamlined administrative process where the farmer basically comes in with a proposal and works with the local NRCS and farm services agency staff to come up with how much the cashier payment will be next year and presumably for subsequent years for the practices that are adopted. Of course, one of the big concerns that people have is how progress is going to be monitored and quantified in a convincing way. Also, like everyone, I'm curious to see the details of how NRCS is going to structure the contracts.

My wish with this program is that smaller producers will have as much access as larger operators, however the fact is, those big commodity farmers tend to get favored when it comes to grants. Yet, I didn't see anything in the announcement to suggest that the NRCS is going to take into account the size of the farm in allocating the available funds. But let's face it, the larger, more sophisticated, often multi-owner, farms are going to be in the door first with well thought out proposals.

Regarding the appointment of an Advisory Council to help oversee the Regenerative Pilot Program, I think (USDA) Secretary Rollins has had a constructive series of conversations with people that come out of the organic and regenerative community. I also think she'll insist that a few folks from that world are on this advisory committee. But, you know, if past is prologue, the soybean growers will have a rep, the cotton council will have a rep and the pesticide industry will have a couple of reps. And it might not be somebody that's working actively for a pesticide manufacturer today, but it could be someone who has deep roots in that community. They may be an academic now. They may work for a consulting firm, but you know, the politics inside these federal agencies is really brutal.

The NRCS regenerative program has great potential to be the fulcrum to start the transition towards more diversified, sustainable regenerative systems, but for it to work in a meaningful way at scale, it has to be combined with a similar negotiated change in how commodity program subsidies and crop insurance subsidies are currently supporting agriculture. And that's the core idea behind what we're working on now called the Farm Economic Viability and Renewal Act, or FEVER Act, to help spark discussion among agriculture community leaders and policymakers of the systemic reforms in policy needed to avoid ever-larger bailouts in the not-too-distant future.

The large sums of taxpayer money at play — over $40 billion in farm support in 2025, and likely even more in 2026 — heighten the urgency of reaching agreement on substantive policy changes. The pressing challenge is to not invest taxpayer dollars during 2026 and beyond in bigger and better band aids, but instead in support of the deeper, systemic changes in farming systems that most farmers, advocates for healthier rural communities, scientists, and policy wonks know are needed.

Companies interested in partnering with USDA NRCS in the Regenerative Pilot Program can email regenerative@usda.gov for more information. Farmers and ranchers interested in regenerative agriculture are encouraged to apply through their local NRCS Service Center by their state’s ranking dates for consideration in FY2026 funding. Applications for both EQIP and CSP can now be submitted under the new single regenerative application process.

Steven Hoffman is Managing Director of Compass Natural Marketing, a strategic communications and brand development agency serving the natural and organic products industry. Learn more at www.compassnatural.com.

Roaring Fork Mill Wins Sustainability-First Shelfie Award from Startup CPG

Mill Also Secures USDA Grant to Grow Regional Grain Supply Chains

CARBONDALE, Colo. (Sept. 16, 2025) — Roaring Fork Mill, a family-owned Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC) stone mill in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley, is celebrating two major milestones: recognition as the winner of the Sustainability-First Award at the Shelfies, Startup CPG’s annual awards program, and the receipt of a USDA Business Builder Grant supporting its mission to strengthen regional grain supply chains. ROC is the highest standard in agriculture, requiring rigorous practices that prioritize soil health, animal welfare, and social fairness — values at the core of Roaring Fork Mill’s work.

At the Shelfies, Roaring Fork Mill was honored with the inaugural Sustainability-First Award, sponsored by Green Spoon. The award recognizes brands that prioritize people and planet above profit. Roaring Fork Mill stood out for its exclusive use of non-GMO grains grown by Colorado farmers using regenerative organic practices, with a focus on ancient and heritage wheats that require less water and fewer inputs and protect vital topsoil nutrients.

“We’re honored to be recognized by Startup CPG and Green Spoon for the values that guide our work every day,” said Jacob Trumbull, Founder of Roaring Fork Mill. “From our farmers to our stone mill, we are committed to proving that local grains, grown with care for soil health, can be both good for people and good for the planet.”

Startup CPG launched the Shelfies to celebrate emerging brands making a difference in food and beverage. This year’s awards included the first-ever Sustainability-First category, a reflection of the growing emphasis on climate-friendly innovation.

“A big congratulations to Roaring Fork Mill on winning our first ever Sustainability Shelfie Award, presented by our friends at Green Spoon Sales,” said Daniel Scharff, CEO of Startup CPG. “We're really proud of Jacob and his team putting sustainability into practice and we're so excited to recognize their efforts with this award."

Roaring Fork Mill is also a participant in Green Spoon’s Take Root accelerator, which provides early-stage, disruptive brands with retail sales and promotional support to help them scale.

“It’s inspiring to see Roaring Fork Mill recognized with the first-ever Sustainability Shelfie award,” said Green Spoon CEO and Co-Founder Kari Pedriana. “Their commitment to regenerative organic grains and regional farmer partnerships is exactly the kind of bold, planet-forward approach our industry needs to lift up and support.”

USDA Business Builder Grant
In addition to its Shelfies recognition, Roaring Fork Mill was awarded a USDA Business Builder Grant through the USDA’s Regional Food Business Centers (RFBCs). The grant program provides direct financial assistance to small and mid-sized farm and food businesses to expand local and regional supply chains. With this support, Roaring Fork Mill will continue investing in farmer partnerships, infrastructure, and consumer education around the benefits of regenerative organic grains.

“These two honors — one from our peers in the natural products community, and one from the USDA — give us significant momentum to keep building a resilient grain economy rooted in the Rocky Mountain West,” Trumbull added.

About Roaring Fork Mill
Founded in 2022, Roaring Fork Mill is a family owned Regenerative Organic Certified® stone flour mill based in Carbondale, Colorado. Sourcing heirloom grains from local farmers using regenerative practices, the mill produces premium flours for home bakers, chefs, and food producers. Roaring Fork Mill is also the only flour company in the U.S. with Upcycled Certified® baked goods. Products are available online and for wholesale. Visit the website and follow Roaring Fork Mill on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook. “A big congratulations to Roaring Fork Mill on winning our first ever Sustainability Shelfie Award, presented by our friends at Green Spoon Sales,” said Daniel Scharff, CEO of Startup CPG. “We're really proud of Jacob and his team putting sustainability into practice and we're so excited to recognize their efforts with this award."

Media Contact
Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, steve@compassnatural.com, tel: 303.807.1042

Host Defense® Receives INFRA’s Vendor Impact Award and Additional Awards from Taste for Life Magazine

Mushroom supplement category leader honored by Independent Natural Food Retailers Association as well as by leading health publication Taste for Life

OLYMPIA, Wash. (Sept. 9, 2025) — Host Defense®, the #1 best-selling mushroom supplement brand in the U.S. based on SPINS data, has just been honored with three major industry accolades.

The Independent Natural Food Retailers Association (INFRA) presented Host Defense with its Vendor Impact Award, recognizing the company’s leadership in sustainability, innovation, and retailer education. In addition, MycoBenefits™ Focus*, one of Host Defense’s newest product innovations, was named a winner in Taste for Life’s Back-to-School Essentials Awards for its formula designed to support attention, clarity, and concentration. Most recently, MycoBenefits™ Mood* was also honored by Taste for Life in its September Remedies Happiness (Avoid SAD) Essentials Awards, celebrating it as a standout solution to support a peaceful emotional state and balanced mood.*

"These awards affirm our mission to advance the science, sustainability, efficacy, and accessibility of beneficial mushroom mycelium and fruiting bodies," said Betsy Bullman, Host Defense Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "We’re proud to partner with independent retailers, innovate in ways that matter, and deliver products that help people thrive naturally. We appreciate the recognition from these distinguished organizations."*

INFRA Vendor Impact Award
With over 350 member retailers and 600 store locations across the country, INFRA is a cooperative of independently owned natural food stores working together to strengthen the success of their businesses.

The Vendor Impact Award celebrates brands that embody INFRA’s values:

• Innovative Leadership: Pushing the boundaries of sustainability, retail innovation, and business excellence.

• Nourishing Communities: Supporting independent retailers and strengthening local economies.

• Forward Momentum: Demonstrating strong sales growth and purposeful expansion.

• Regenerative Impact: Leading in sustainability, ethical sourcing, and climate-conscious initiatives.

• Advocacy & Access: Championing diversity, equity, and inclusion while making sustainable, healthy food accessible to all.

Host Defense was chosen for its unmatched sustainability efforts. Climate Positive, the company offsets its carbon footprint by 110%—that’s 10% more emissions offset than the organization produces itself. Host Defense also sources energy from renewables like wind and hydroelectric, utilizes recycled plastics in packaging wherever possible, and commits to deforestation-free practices. The company invests in Life Cycle Analyses to further improve packaging efficiency and is developing a green transportation plan to reduce shipping impacts.

Beyond environmental business practices, Host Defense sets the bar for retailer education—hosting nearly 20 live webinars monthly, offering free products to attendees, and providing extensive training for retail staff. The brand’s research-backed formulations and category-defining product innovation continue to shape trends in the mushroom supplement space.

Taste for Life Awards
Reaching nearly 1 million readers, Taste for Life is a leading natural health and wellness magazine and online platform with over 25 years of editorial history.

The Taste for Life Back-to-School Essentials Award for MycoBenefits™ Focus* spotlights the formula’s unique blend of organic mushroom mycelium—including Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps, and Reishi—with targeted botanicals and nutrients to promote mental clarity, attention, and calm energy for students, professionals, and anyone seeking daily cognitive support. This recognition underscores Host Defense’s expertise in creating functional, multi-benefit wellness solutions.*

And the Taste for Life September Remedies Happiness (Avoid SAD) Essentials Awards recognizing MycoBenefits™ Mood* is a reflection of Host Defense’s ongoing commitment to formulating high-quality products. The formula uses Reishi and Lion’s Mane mushroom mycelium alongside other supportive adaptogens like Ashwagandha and L-Theanine to aid mental energy, mood, and calm thinking. It's a multi-ingredient formula that fits seamlessly into a self-care wellness routine and promotes a balanced mood, calm body, and clear mind.*

About Fungi Perfecti, LLC—Maker of Host Defense® Mushrooms™
Fungi Perfecti, LLC is a family-owned company founded by internationally renowned mycologist Paul Stamets, who launched Host Defense® under Fungi Perfecti with the goal of building a bridge between people and fungi. Host Defense is now the leading mushroom supplement brand in the U.S., specializing in mushroom mycelium-based supplements and functional beverage mixes designed to support human health. Its product line reflects the company’s commitment to sustainability, scientific integrity, research, and education.*

Fungi Perfecti has become synonymous with cutting-edge mycological research and solutions—from water filtration (mycofiltration) and ecological rehabilitation (mycoremediation) to combating Colony Collapse Disorder in bees. A Certified B Corporation, Fungi Perfecti is third-party designated as Climate Positive, offsetting 110% of its carbon emissions. Follow Host Defense and Fungi Perfecti on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Media Contact
Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, steve@compassnatural.com, tel 303.807.1042

Food Inflation in the U.S.: A Strategic Reckoning for Food Sector Leaders

This article first appeared in the September 2025 issue of Presence Marketing’s newsletter.

By Steven Hoffman

In 2025, food inflation in the United States has transformed from a passing concern into a defining business challenge—and opportunity—for leaders across the food ecosystem. A 3% year-over‑year increase in overall food prices, including 2.4% for groceries and 3.8% for restaurant meals, may seem modest. Yet beneath those figures lie sharper, more disruptive trends: surging prices in staples such as coffee, ground beef, and eggs; strategic responses from consumers and retailers; and structural pressures that demand both resilience and reimagining. Business strategists in the food sector must now lead with insight, not just facts.

A Collision of Climate, Cost, and Policy
Climate volatility continues to drag on food supply and costs. Extreme drought in U.S. cattle belts, heat waves in crop regions, and pest outbreaks such as avian flu have propelled food inflation beyond headline figures. Coffee is up 13.4%, ground beef 10.3%, while eggs have spiked 27.3%, putting extraordinary strain on manufacturers and squeezing household budgets (Axios).

Adding to the upward pressure are sweeping tariffs introduced by the Trump administration, with tariffs on imports from Brazil and India reaching 50%. The tariffs are already working their way into the cost of everything from meat and produce to metals used in cans and packaging (The Washington Post). According to the Yale Budget Lab’s estimates as of August 7, 2025, consumers face an overall average effective tariff rate of 18.6% – the highest since 1933 – and the impact is projected to cost U.S. households an extra $2,400 per year.

Meanwhile, immigration enforcement over the past several months has destabilized farm labor. In California’s Oxnard region, intensified ICE activity has slashed agricultural labor by 20-40%, leading to $3-7 billion in crop losses and driving produce prices up 5% to 12%, according to research published in August 2025 from Cornell University. Simultaneously, cuts in SNAP and other supports have strained both consumer access and farm revenue—especially for smaller producers—plus, grocers in rural communities and elsewhere that depend on SNAP programs feel that impact much harder (Climate and Capital Media).

Beyond cost drivers, the retail margin picture is fraught. Analysis from the White House Council of Economic Advisers showed grocers’ profit margins rising 2 percentage points since before the pandemic—reaching two-decade highs—while “shrinkflation” and package downsizing quietly preserve profitability (Grocery Dive).

FMI—The Food Industry Association’s study released in July 2025, “The Food Retailing Industry Speaks 2025,” reveals an industry struggling to navigate challenging economic conditions, largely due to policies implemented during the Trump administration. According to FMI, about 80% of both retailers and suppliers anticipate that trade policies and tariffs will continue to affect pricing and disrupt supply chains. Most grocers expect operating costs to remain high (Supermarket News).

Consumers Are Stressed About Rising Prices
Recent polling reveals that nearly 90% of U.S. adults are stressed about grocery prices—with half calling it a major stressor. As a result, Americans are responding to these pressures with pragmatic and inventive shifts. Consumers across income levels are tightening the belt, leveraging buy-now-pay-later options, getting creative with savings, and turning to food banks when they must (AInvest).

Shopping behavior reflects this anxiety—and innovation. RDSolutions reports that 86% of consumers now buy private-label products, with price cited as the primary decision factor; 42% opt for cheaper alternatives; while 20% skip items altogether. Data from The Feedback Group shows 61% of supermarket shoppers use sale-driven habits—buying on promotion, eating more at home, and choosing store brands over national names (Progressive Grocer). Meanwhile, many households lean on grocery hacks such as careful list-making, midweek shopping, loyalty programs, and bulk purchases to maximize savings (Times of India).

Even amid tightening budgets, shoppers haven’t completely abandoned pleasure, however. KCI’s “stress index” reveals that consumers crave “affordable luxuries” and product discovery—seeking balance between taste and value. In fact, 68% of consumers surveyed prioritize taste over price, while one-third still prioritize lowest-priced options (Food Dive).

In a fresh produce market reeling from the effects of inflation and immigration enforcement, one consumer trend remains strong: Health continues to drive purchases of fresh fruits and vegetables. According to The Packer Fresh Trends 2025 report, published in August 2025, 72% of shoppers say their primary reason for buying produce is to support a healthy lifestyle. However, price pressures loom larger than ever, with 44% of consumers now saying that cost is the top factor in deciding what to buy, up from 39% last year. As households juggle tighter budgets, they’re opting for familiar staples over experimenting with newer or higher-priced options (Farm Journal).

For lower income individuals and families, higher food prices are resulting in less consumption of healthier food options, with the result that Americans are not eating enough fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient-dense foods. Instead, they are choosing sugary and ultra-processed foods, which tend to be cheaper and last longer.

"There's evidence that inflation continues to shape food choices, particularly for low-income Americans who prioritize price over healthfulness," Constance Brown-Riggs, a registered nurse and nutritionist specializing in diabetes care, told Northwell Health. "These results highlight the disparity in how income influences food priorities," she continued, adding that higher food prices often increase food insecurity. "These shifts increase the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity."

Even so, there is some opportunity on the horizon. The Packer Fresh Trends 2025 report shared some bright spots, including the fact that Millennials and Gen Z are leading the way on trying new products, exploring organic options, and prioritizing convenience, including prepped veggies and grab-and-go fruit packs. In addition, interest in organic remains strong, with 22% of consumers purchasing organic always or most of the time, particularly among younger and higher-income households.

Grocers, Brands, and Manufacturers Corral Cost Pressures
The reaction from retailers and manufacturers has been tactical and dynamic. Major chains are reevaluating supplier cost increase requests, pushing back aggressively against inflation on branded items. Meanwhile, grocers are ramping up private-label assortments (Investopedia).

Businesses like Aldi are demonstrating how cost leadership can go viral: A summer discount campaign across 2,550 stores marked down 400 items by up to 33%, estimated to save shoppers $100 million. Fast-food chains are responding with value menu bundles—their way of catering to cash-strapped consumers without sacrificing frequency (The Wall Street Journal).

In the natural channel, retailers such as Natural Grocers are emphasizing value, loyalty programs and sales to draw shoppers. For its 70th anniversary in August, Natural Grocers leveraged deep discounts across its nearly 170 stores in 21 states—up to 60% off on more than 500 products—to tap into consumer demand for affordability and quality. According to AInvest, the campaign “sets a benchmark for value-driven retail” by blending “nostalgia, discounts and loyalty incentives to boost sales and customer retention.”

As demand for better-for-you foods remains strong among health-conscious consumers, Jay Jacobowitz, president and founder of Retail Insights, told Supermarket News that many retailers in the natural and independent space experienced a strengthened second half of 2024 and first quarter of 2025, as less price-sensitive consumers make personal health and wellness a priority. Smaller retailers “are going to have increased (economic) pressure, but it’s not pressure that they’re unfamiliar with dealing with,” he said.

Manufacturers are similarly pressured. They face rising raw material, labor, and energy costs, yet retailers limit how much of that inflation they pass through. Many are resorting to smaller or reformulated packaging, trimming promotions, and optimizing sourcing strategies to protect shelf placement (Columbus CEO).

Yet even in the last few weeks, food makers are succumbing to the need to raise prices as the longer-term effects of tariffs, economic policies, and supply chain disruption kick in. On Aug. 7, 2025, Forager Project co-founders Stephen Williamson and John-Charles Hanley announced the following on Instagram:

“Like many food makers, we’ve been feeling the effects of rising ingredient costs—especially for our beloved cashews (up 52%) and coconuts (up 113%). We’ve held off as long as we could, but to keep making food the right way, a price increase was necessary. What hasn’t changed? Organic ingredients, ethical sourcing, planet-healthy practices.”

At the agricultural level, the disconnect is acute. Farmers receive only about 16 cents back from every retail food dollar spent—and that fraction must cover skyrocketing seed, fertilizer, and machinery costs (Washington Post). Some farmers still support tariffs, believing they will yield long-term trade gains; others see them as a short‑term hit to margins (Investigate Midwest).

Strategy: Adaptation, Advocacy, and Resilience
Current forecasts from the USDA suggest moderate gains: food-at-home prices rising around 2.2% for 2025 and restaurant prices about 4%. But the structural challenges—climate, policy, labor, and pricing power—carry implications far richer and more urgent than those figures alone (Food & Wine).

For food-sector professionals, the directive is clear: Strategies must be multidimensional.

1. Reinvent Pricing & Perceived Value
Offer tiered, smaller, or private-label packaging; highlight affordable luxuries and discovery moments in-store and online. Aldi’s shelf reset, Sprouts Farmers Market’s value-based positioning, and Natural Grocers’ emphasis on savings and its frequent buyer program demonstrate ways to drive loyalty and savings.

2. Strengthen Supply Chain Flexibility
Diversify sourcing, invest in climate-resilient inputs, and forecast for volatility. Manufacturers need contingency plans for both weather and trade disruptions.

3. Align Expectations & Margins
Increase analytics around cost impacts and pass-through capabilities. Supplier–retailer partnerships should define fair margin boundaries and shared value strategies for inflation periods.

4. Advocate for Systemic Support
Engage policymakers to safeguard labor stability—through H-2A visa expansions or by regularizing undocumented workers—and to secure tariff relief for food essentials and farm inputs.

5. Build Resilient Retail Formats
Simplify offerings to reduce shopper anxiety and stock-outs. Grocery models like Aldi or Sprouts’ curated “innovation centers” help drive discovery while managing complexity.

A New Epoch for Food-Business Leadership
Food inflation in 2025 is less an anecdote than a wake-up call. When climate shocks strike, tariffs bite, and labor becomes unstable overnight, businesses that only react are left behind. But those that blend adaptive execution, strategic policymaking, and bold market positioning are building enduring advantage.

Consumers may feel squeezed, but they’re still looking for experiences that feel smart, authentic, and human. Retailers, suppliers, processors, and farmers must each meet them there—delivering value, stability, and insight. Because in this new era, food-sector leadership is not just about pricing; it’s about crafting trust in uncertain times—and reshaping food systems to weather today’s storms and make the most of tomorrow’s opportunities.

Steven Hoffman is Managing Director of Compass Natural Marketing, a strategic communications and brand development agency serving the natural and organic products industry. Learn more at www.compassnatural.com.

JAMBAR Embraces Sports Heritage With New Wrappers

Organic Energy Bars Created by PowerBar® Co-Founder Now Feature Runners, Cyclists, Skiers, Snowboarders, Soccer Players and Surfers

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (Aug. 20, 2025) -- Organic energy bar maker JAMBAR today unveiled new packaging that celebrates the brand’s deep roots in performance nutrition and its growing community of sports partners. Wrappers and boxes for each of the brand’s five flavors now include images of athletes: Chocolate Cha Cha has runners; Peanut Butter Malt Medley features cyclists; Jammin’ Jazzleberry includes skiers and snowboarders; Musical Mango pictures soccer players; and Tropical Trio shows surfers. Launched in 2021, JAMBAR was founded by Jennifer Maxwell, returning her to the category that she and her late husband, Brian, pioneered in 1985 when they created the original energy bar, PowerBar®.

Maxwell, a former college athlete and lifelong runner, crafted JAMBAR with a nutritional profile and commitment to real food that appeals to many athletes, who also appreciate that the bars don’t melt, crumble or freeze. JAMBARs contain ancient gluten-free grains, authentic natural sweeteners, dried fruit or premium chocolate and high-quality protein.

“So many active people - ranging from weekend warriors to professional athletes - have told us that JAMBAR is their go-to energy bar to fuel their performances and daily adventures,” said nutritionist, food scientist and JAMBAR founder Jennifer Maxwell. “The new JAMBAR packaging leans into our love of sports and our commitment to providing clean ingredients for athletes and active people.”

As part of its giveback program, JAMBAR donates 50% of after-tax profits to organizations that promote active living and music. Since its launch, JAMBAR has supported athletes and sponsored races, events and sports organizations. 

JAMBAR partners with professional athletes including:

• Running power couple Joe and Sage Hurta-Klecker, 

• Skier and Olympic Gold Medalist Jonny Moseley,

• Cyclist and Gravel Hall of Fame rider Ali Tetrick,

• Freestyle skier and downhill mountain bike racer Ryan McElmon, and

• Runner and 2023 Stroller Mile World Record holder Neely Spence Gracey.

The company also sponsored Jimmy Conrad’s Kwik Goal FC at The Soccer Tournament in 2023 and 2024, and worked with pro surfer Tia Blanco to launch its Tropical Trio flavor in 2024. 

“Jennifer Maxwell is an absolute legend in the energy bar industry, and with JAMBAR, she’s done it again,” said Olympic Gold Medalist and skier Jonny Moseley. “I’ve tried a lot of energy bars, and JAMBAR is my favorite - I really appreciate the whole food, organic ingredients and the great taste.”

JAMBAR can be found at hundreds of events and races across the country, and is the official energy bar of teams and organizations including:

• Aspen Snowmass;

• The Bear National Cycling Team;

• The Armory;

• The Big Sky Conference;

• Penn Athletics and Penn Relays; and

• More than 20 collegiate athletic departments, including University of Texas, University of California - Berkeley and University of Richmond.

ABOUT JAMBAR
In 2021, Jennifer Maxwell founded JAMBAR with the goal of helping people feel good about the ingredients they put in their bodies, and the positive impact they can have on their local communities. JAMBAR organic energy bars are made in the U.S. and crafted in small batches in the company's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in California. A woman-owned, mission-based business, JAMBAR donates 50% of after-tax profits to organizations that support active living and music. JAMBARs are available in sports specialty shops, natural foods and grocery stores, and online at Amazon.com. Learn more at www.jambar.com and follow JAMBAR on Facebook and Instagram.

Media Contact
Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, steve@compassnatural.com, tel: 303.807.1042

Can Publicly Run Grocery Stores Solve Food Deserts — and Deliver on Nutrition Equity?

As New York and Chicago explore city-run supermarkets, new models — public, nonprofit and cooperative — are reshaping the business of feeding underserved communities.

This article first appeared in the August 2025 issue of Presence Marketing’s newsletter.

By Steven Hoffman

When New York Assembly member and mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani proposed opening five city-run grocery stores—one in each borough—he reignited a debate that cuts to the heart of capitalism, food justice, and municipal responsibility. Critics labeled it a socialist fantasy. Proponents called it long overdue. But behind the political theater lies a legitimate question: Can publicly operated grocery stores succeed where the private market has failed?

Across America, millions live in low income, low access (LILA) markets—communities without easy access to affordable, nutritious food, or what many in the media refer to as food deserts. In these neighborhoods, fast-food outlets and corner stores predominate, while supermarkets are few and far between. For decades, policy solutions have focused on tax incentives or subsidies to lure grocery chains into underserved areas. Often, those stores don’t last. Mamdani’s proposal dares to flip the script: If the private sector won’t meet the need, let the public sector step in.

Pixabay.com

It’s not an entirely new idea. In small towns and major cities alike, experiments in publicly owned, nonprofit, or cooperative grocery models have taken root. Some have succeeded. Others have shuttered. Together, they paint a nuanced picture of what it takes to make public grocery stores work—and where they can go wrong.

The Rural Proof-of-Concept
With corporate consolidation leading to fewer grocery store options as food prices soar, “people are clamoring for solutions, and that’s leading to creative thinking on what might work,” Ganesh Sitaraman, Director of the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator, told the Food and Environment Reporting Network. Sitaraman recently published a report, Public Grocery Stores: A Guide for Policymakers.

In St. Paul in rural southeastern Kansas, a town with a population of 600, a municipal grocery store has been in operation since 2013. After the town’s last private grocer had closed, residents faced a 30-minute drive to the nearest supermarket. Rather than accept that future, the city council voted to open its own store. St. Paul’s model is humble, offering a basic selection of staples, fresh produce, and frozen goods. It doesn’t need to generate big profits—just enough to keep the doors open. In that way, it functions like any other public utility: not glamorous, but essential. More than a decade later, it remains in business.

Not every rural experiment has succeeded. In 2019, the town of Baldwin, Florida, opened a city-run grocery store, but by 2024, it had closed its doors. The reasons? Low foot traffic, challenges sourcing competitively priced goods, and the gravitational pull of the nearby Walmart. The lesson: Public stores face the same economic headwinds as private ones, and without a clear strategy and strong local buy-in, they may struggle.

A City of Contradictions
Chicago offers a case study in both the fragility of private grocery models and the resilience of community-driven alternatives. Between 2013 and 2021, the city lost at least 20 full-service grocery stores, many in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods on the South and West Sides. In 2022, Whole Foods Market closed its Englewood store just six years after opening with $10.7 million in city subsidies. For residents, the closure felt like a betrayal and a confirmation that public-private partnerships may not always prioritize community needs (Block Club Chicago).

But even as chains exit, grassroots solutions are emerging. The Go Green Community Fresh Market, launched in Englewood in 2022, is a nonprofit market developed in partnership with local organizations and institutions. It offers fresh produce, pantry staples, and prepared foods in a space designed to reflect community needs.

According to a report in Next City, the store is part of a broader movement toward community-led food infrastructure. Unlike traditional grocers, these models often blend retail with education, workforce development, and health services. They’re small but mighty—and in many cases, they’re succeeding where big box stores have failed.

Chicago’s city government has taken notice. In 2023, the city commissioned a study on the feasibility of municipal grocery stores. The findings, published in 2024, estimated that opening three stores would cost around $26.7 million (Chicago Sun-Times). Critics balked at the price tag. Advocates pointed out that the city has spent far more on failed economic development deals.

Mayor Brandon Johnson has voiced support for continued exploration. His administration sees food access as part of a broader public health and equity strategy—one that requires thinking beyond the boundaries of traditional retail.

New York’s Big Swing
In New York, Mamdani’s plan has drawn national attention. His proposal envisions five city-operated grocery stores with a focus on affordability, accessibility, and cultural relevance. The goal is not just to provide food, but to provide good food—including fresh produce, whole grains, and organic staples—at prices families can afford.

The backlash has been swift. Billionaire grocery executives and conservative commentators warn of government inefficiency, cost overruns, and mission creep. The Wall Street Journal editorial board argued that the plan would replicate “all the flaws of a Soviet commissary.” Mark Cuban quipped, “None of that s*** has a chance.”

But Mamdani remains undeterred. “We treat food like a luxury when it should be a public good,” he told Bloomberg. He sees the city-run grocery model as a form of infrastructure—akin to schools or libraries—that delivers long-term social ROI, not quarterly profits.

Public support appears strong, especially in districts hit hardest by inflation and store closures. In a city where the average grocery markup can exceed 25% in low-income neighborhoods, the idea of subsidized pricing resonates—and aligns with Mamdani’s broader political platform centered on economic justice (NBC New York).

Natural and Organic for Everyone?
One of the most compelling aspects of publicly operated groceries is their potential to democratize access to natural, organic, and specialty foods. In most food deserts, such items are virtually nonexistent. For households managing diabetes, allergies, or autoimmune conditions, the absence of unprocessed, nutrient-dense food isn’t just inconvenient—it could be dangerous.

Public stores, especially those not beholden to shareholder profits, could prioritize clean-label foods, support regional regenerative farms, and offer bulk bins, zero-waste options, and plant-based products typically confined to high-end co-ops. By participating in programs like Double Up Food Bucks or SNAP Match, these stores can extend purchasing power for low-income shoppers (Axios).

Imagine walking into a municipal grocery where you can use your EBT card to buy organic lentils, fresh kale, or local mushrooms—and receive a discount for doing so. That’s not just a policy victory; it’s potentially a public health breakthrough. Cities like Madison, Wisconsin, and Atlanta are already exploring similar models, indicating a growing appetite to align food equity with climate and nutrition goals.

Co-ops and Nonprofits: Lessons from the Field
In the space between private retail and public provision lies another model: the food cooperative. Owned and operated by members, co-ops have long served as alternatives to corporate grocery chains. But historically, they’ve skewed toward affluent, mostly white communities.

That’s changing. The Cooperative Development Institute (CDI) has worked to support co-ops in low-income and BIPOC communities across the Northeast. According to CDI, co-ops in food deserts thrive when they reflect local culture, offer accessible membership structures, and receive early technical and financial support.

In the majority Black-led community in Detroit’s North End, the Detroit People’s Food Co-op celebrated one year in business this past May, making fresh produce and products from locally sourced farms and producers more accessible to more than 4,000 co-op members. The term “food desert” doesn’t sit well with co-op general manager Akil Talley ― a desert, he said, is naturally occurring: “We like to call it 'food apartheid,' because a lot of it was intentional," he told the Detroit Free Press. The co-op was founded by the Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching residents about the importance of fresh food that is also behind a number of other food sovereignty initiatives. 

In Chattanooga, Tennessee, the nonprofit Chattanooga Food Center strives to create a food system that offers affordable and convenient access to healthy food, bridging the gap between producers and consumers. The organization partners with farms located within 150 miles of the city to source fresh produce, meat, eggs and dairy products. Its retail store, Gaining Ground Grocery, located in the Highland Park neighborhood of the city, an area previously bereft of fresh food options, offers discounted groceries alongside nutrition education. All proceeds from the store support the continuing mission of the Chattanooga Food Center. Customers can pay for groceries via a SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer card, and the store also participates in the Double Up Food Bucks program established by the Fair Food Network which doubles the value of SNAP dollars for fresh local produce.

In Dayton, Ohio, the Gem City Market—a Black-led co-op—was launched in 2021 after a successful community investment campaign with more than 3,200 members. Both serve as proof points that with the right support, co-ops can thrive in marginalized neighborhoods and for many communities, municipal or hybrid public/nonprofit models may offer a more sustainable path.

Yet co-ops and nonprofits face unique challenges: they often require significant volunteer labor, complex governance, and ongoing grant support. Stores in low income areas also rely on such government programs as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which serves 42 million Americans as a defense against hunger.

For example, Gem City Market is committed to making sure food is readily available to local residents of all income levels, with programs like their “WeGotchu” sale, where they match EBT/SNAP-eligible purchases at 50%. However, the SNAP program is facing the biggest funding cuts in its history with the passage of the 2025 reconciliation bill, aka the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which could undermine the ability for low income families to access SNAP.

What Failure Teaches Us
Every closure is a lesson. Florida’s Baldwin Market closed because it couldn’t compete on price. Whole Foods Market left Englewood because it didn’t meet its margin targets. Even Rise Community Market in Cairo, Illinois, launched with fanfare, has struggled to maintain sales volume (New Republic).

These failures underscore the importance of three factors: management expertise, community trust, and economic patience. A grocery store is an operations-intensive business. Success depends on efficient procurement, cold chain management, labor stability, and pricing strategy.

Public or nonprofit ownership doesn’t remove those challenges. It only changes the priorities. Profit may not be the goal—but solvency is still essential. As one food policy analyst put it: “You can’t build equity on empty shelves.”

The Case for Investment
Despite the risks, many argue the benefits of public grocery stores outweigh the costs. The returns may not show up in balance sheets, but in reduced health care spending, increased employment, better school performance, and stronger local economies.

Public stores can act as anchor tenants, revitalizing commercial corridors and attracting additional services like clinics, pharmacies, or credit unions. They can train and employ local residents at living wages. And they can reinvest revenue into community priorities.

As Mamdani frames it: “We’re not just opening stores. We’re opening a future where no New Yorker has to choose between dinner and dignity.”

A New Chapter in Food Access
The feasibility of publicly operated grocery stores isn’t a yes-or-no question. It’s a matter of design, context, and political will. Done poorly, they risk inefficiency and failure. Done well, they can transform food systems.

What’s clear is that the private market alone will not solve food apartheid. After decades of disinvestment and unmet promises, communities are demanding something different. Whether through municipal markets, nonprofits, or co-ops, the movement is growing. And it’s not just about access. It’s about what kind of food system we want—and who it serves.

If cities like New York and Chicago can make public groceries work, they may set a new precedent: that good food is not a luxury, but a right. And that sometimes, the best way to feed the people—is to own the store.

Steven Hoffman is Managing Director of Compass Natural Marketing, a strategic communications and brand development agency serving the natural and organic products industry. Learn more at www.compassnatural.com.

JAMBAR Organic Energy Bars Now Available Nationwide via Sysco Marketplace

Organic, Woman-Owned Brand Now Available for Foodservice Operators Across the U.S.

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (June 4, 2025) – JAMBAR®, the organic energy bar company founded by Jennifer Maxwell, creator of the original PowerBar®, today announced that all five flavors of JAMBAR are now available through Sysco Marketplace, the digital commerce platform launched by Sysco in 2024. This expanded distribution enables JAMBAR to reach foodservice customers across the contiguous U.S.—from campus dining halls and hotel chains to corporate pantries and wellness programs.

“Now, every Sysco customer in the lower 48 can easily order JAMBARs,” said Peter Pelanek, vice president of sales at JAMBAR. “This partnership brings our certified organic, artisan-made bars to a wider audience—streamlining access and boosting brand visibility and sales.”

Sysco Marketplace connects buyers to more than 40,000 curated third-party products, complementing Sysco’s traditional broadline offerings. The platform is designed to enhance the customer experience by offering a one-stop-shop solution that supports emerging and diverse-owned brands like JAMBAR. By leveraging its scale, Sysco is able to elevate innovative suppliers and meet the evolving needs of its customers.

Born from Innovation, Fueled by Purpose
JAMBAR delivers great-tasting, nutrient-rich bars made with certified organic, whole-food ingredients—no seed oils or processed sugars. Each bar contains 10g of protein and is a good source of fiber. With five vibrant flavors—Chocolate Cha Cha, Malt Nut Melody, Jammin’ Jazzleberry, Musical Mango, and Tropical Trio—the bars include gluten-free and plant-based options, and provide easy-to-digest fuel for athletes and active individuals.

“JAMBAR was created for everyone—from kids to weekend warriors to elite athletes. Our partnership with Sysco Marketplace allows people access to healthy choices when they’re away from home,” said Maxwell, who is also a food scientist, athlete, and musician. 

“By tapping into Sysco’s vast network of foodservice customers, we can now bring our clean, organic energy bars to schools, hospitals, hotels, offices, and beyond—making it easier than ever for people to access better nutrition on the go.”

Half of Profits to Music & Movement: Fueling Bodies and Communities
JAMBAR is more than just an energy bar—it’s a vehicle for positive change. As a mission-driven, woman-owned company, JAMBAR donates 50% of its after-tax profits to nonprofit organizations that support music education, performance programs, and active living initiatives across the country.

This unique business model is rooted in founder Jennifer Maxwell’s lifelong passions for both physical activity and music—two forces she believes are essential to personal and community well-being. Whether it’s funding youth music programs, sponsoring athletic events, or supporting wellness nonprofits, JAMBAR reinvests in efforts that get people moving and connecting.

About JAMBAR
In 2021, Jennifer Maxwell founded JAMBAR with the goal of helping people feel good about the ingredients they put in their bodies, as well as the positive impact they can have on their local communities. JAMBARs are made in the U.S. and crafted in small batches in the company's own state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in California. JAMBARs are now available in popular sports specialty shops, leading independent natural foods and mainstream grocery stores, online at Amazon.com, and now, through Sysco Marketplace. Learn more at www.jambar.com and follow JAMBAR on Facebook and Instagram.

Media Contact
Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, steve@compassnatural.com, tel: 303.807.1042