Volume 77, No. 2
© alabn/iStock/Getty Images Plus
© alabn/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Woolf Farming is one of Danone’s partners in the promotion of regenerative agriculture. The outfit operates 25,000 acres in California’s farming-rich Central Valley, raising crops from almonds and pistachios to garlic, tomatoes, and cotton.
Danone buys almonds from Woolf for use in its almond-based nondairy products and pays Woolf about $50 an acre each year to offset Woolf’s costs of cover-cropping with triticale, legumes, and flowering plants that help pollinators. Danone’s funds also help Woolf’s own research into cover-cropping practices.
Among other things, the cover crops boost water retention for notoriously thirsty almond trees. “If we’re able to improve water penetration, we can run fewer hours of water because we don’t have to make up for the runoff,” explains Daniel Hartwig, Woolf’s resource manager. “We can reduce by maybe 4%–5% the amount of water we need through soil health practices.”
As for Danone, the company “gets the knowledge that they’re helping to improve soil health, helping to store carbon, which is improving the world,” Hartwig says.
Woolf has adopted other regenerative practices, such as developing a 10-acre garden to attract bees and other pollinators amid an on-farm array of solar panels. And it is bringing in more compost from local vendors to use on its trees and row crops. “It helps us reduce our reliance on synthetic fertilizers,” Hartwig says.
Criticism of processed foods is not new. However, until recently, the finger-pointing was placed squarely on a specific ingredient or nutrient: too much sugar, too much fat, not enough protein.
The National Strategy’s whole-of-government approach is a first step at breaking silos and was seen on the day of the conference, from USDA, FDA, and White House staff and others leading discussion sessions to current and former members of Congress presenting and hosting.
A core theme at last week’s White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health was the need to develop policies that more intimately tie nutrition and food security to healthcare—both as preventative and treatment measures.
The challenge for the 2022 White House Conference experts may be less about navigating the mechanics of program development, as was done 50 years ago, and more about taking stock of government’s role in solving today’s nutrition and health challenges.
A visually oriented overview of spice and seasoning ingredient trends.
Family restaurant owner Dane Carder navigates the hurdles to bring his grandfather’s spaghetti sauce to U.S. grocery stores
A look at trends in the refrigerated foods category.
An infographic describing how consumers use portion control to manage their diet.
A diverse collection of stories around the food industry.
IFT weighs in on the agency’s future in the wake of the Reagan-Udall Report and FDA Commissioner Califf’s response.
Learn how IFT boosts connections, efficiencies, and inspiration for its members.
In a new white paper, our experts examine the FDA’s Food Traceability Final Rule implications—and its novel concepts first proposed by IFT.
IFT’s 2022 Compensation and Career Path Report breaks it down.
