First Two Food Brands Achieve Soil & Climate Health Initiative Verification

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 28, 2024 - A groundbreaking label is about to arrive in grocery stores, and with it an inspiring glimpse at a thriving, sustainable future for our food system. PACHA and Roots Chips will be the first two companies to carry the Soil & Climate Health Initiative Verified label and will be available in stores nationwide. Over the next 12 months, a growing selection of Soil & Climate Health Initiative Verified products are also slated to hit grocery shelves.

Adam Kotin, Managing Director of the Soil & Climate Initiative (SCI), said: "The Soil & Climate Health Initiative Verified label represents a holistic, science-based commitment to farming systems that seek to restore the land that feeds us."

PACHA, an organic food company based in Vista, California, uses sprouted buckwheat and sea salt with organic herbs and spices to make their vegan, gluten-free breads. PACHA sources its buckwheat from verified regenerative farms for all four of their hearty Sourdough Bread products including: Buckwheat Loaf, Garlic Rye, Cheesy Herb, and Buckwheat Buns.

Maddie Hamann, Director of Marketing and Co-Founder of PACHA, said: "PACHA is dedicated to nourishing the health of people AND our planet through regeneratively grown foods. We are so grateful for the farmers making changes to provide our buckwheat, and for SCI's work that is making our mission a reality!"

Roots Chips, a family-run farm-to-bag Idaho potato chip company based in Aberdeen, Idaho, uses simple and natural ingredients for its farm-fresh products. Roots Chips sources its potatoes from their very own SCI Verified regenerative farms for all five of their savory kettle potato chip flavors including: Sea Salt, Barbecue, Purple Sea Salt, Jalapeño, Sea Salt and Vinegar.

Ladd Wahlen, Co-Founder of Roots Chips and fourth-generation potato farmer, said: "The SCI team has developed an amazing regenerative framework for both farmers and brands that we are thrilled to be a part of. We look forward to this tremendous opportunity to work side by side in this initiative!"

The Soil & Climate Initiative (SCI), a project of the non-profit Green America, is excited to announce the first products to successfully complete the independent verification process. These specific products are made using ingredients from farms practicing regenerative agriculture - a farming approach that prioritizes healthy, living soil to drive powerful outcomes in carbon drawdown, biodiversity, climate resiliency, and farm prosperity. To earn verification, farms track soil health outcomes, use practices that protect and nourish the soil, and commit to continuous improvement over the long-term. An independent third-party verifier confirms that on-farm activities and monitoring meet the requirements of the program.

Farmers worldwide are on the frontlines of climate change, as they face increasingly erratic weather patterns and shifting temperatures. At the same time, we face stunning losses of the fertile topsoil that sustains food production.

Restoring soil health and its natural ability to draw down atmospheric carbon is a critical step to addressing these climate and soil crises. SCI's science-based commitment and verification program gives food producers and manufacturers the ability to measure soil health improvements and works to empower the entire food supply chain to scale the transition of acres under regenerative agriculture management.

SCI's partner program, the Nutrient Density Alliance, will soon launch a report this March focusing on recommendations for food and agriculture brands to make verifiable nutrient density claims related to their use of regenerative agriculture practices.

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ABOUT
Soil & Climate Initiative (SCI), a project of Green America, is a holistic program that empowers and incentivizes farmers and the food supply chain to scale the transition of acres under regenerative agriculture management in order to maximize regenerative outcomes. www.soilclimateinitiative.org

Green America is the nation's leading green economy organization. Founded in 1982, Green America provides economic strategies, organizing power and practical tools for businesses and individuals to solve today's most pressing social and environmental problem. www.greenamerica.org

Nutrient Density Alliance (SCA), a project of Green America, is a program focused on making meaningful nutrient density metrics widely and directly accessible to everyone — from farms to families — that will drive demand for a healthy food system by deepening awareness that human health, including the wellbeing of the soil, water, biodiversity of life above and below the ground, and the welfare of the human beings growing our food. www.nutrientdensityalliance.org
At PACHA, we consciously pick ingredients that contribute to soil health. We chose buckwheat for its deliciously hearty flavor, its numerous health benefits, and its utility in regenerative farming. As a cover crop it helps to prevent erosion and is tilled back into the earth to become fertile soil. Its numerous flowers also promote biodiversity and allow farmers to cut out pesticides. www.livepacha.com

Our focus at Roots Chips is on regenerative potato farming. Since our first year farming, we have focused on practices that are beneficial to soil health. We are continually improving our sustainable and regenerative practices on our farm. www.rootschips.com