Nestlé U.S. has announced its investment in promoting regenerative agriculture practises in wheat farms within the supply chain of its DiGiorno pizza brand. The company is providing financial support and technical resources to assist wheat farmers in implementing regenerative agriculture practises such as cover cropping, reduced tillage, and decreased pesticide use. These practises contribute to improved soil health, fertility, water resource protection, and biodiversity enhancement.
This initiative will bring regenerative agriculture practises to more than 40,000 hectares of farmland, equivalent to over 53,000 football fields and nearly double the land area required for growing wheat used in DiGiorno pizzas. Nestlé has partnered with ADM and Ardent Mills, the primary wheat flour suppliers for DiGiorno, to benefit wheat farms in Kansas, North Dakota, Indiana, and Missouri. Through this investment, Nestlé aims to accelerate the adoption of regenerative agriculture practises within its supply chains.
“At Nestlé our aim is to help leave the world better than we found it, and as the world’s largest food and beverage company, we have a tremendous opportunity to help create a regenerative, healthy food system while also working with the local farming communities that employ it,” said Steve Presley, CEO, Nestlé Zone North America. “To do this we need to find solutions that create shared value throughout the ecosystem – value for us, value for farmers, value for consumers, and value for the planet. This investment in wheat producers is just one example of how we are bringing this commitment to life across our supply chain.”
Scott Stroberg of Stroberg Farm in Hutchinson, Kansas, who has been growing wheat for ADM over the last decade, has implemented regenerative agriculture practises on his farm, including replacing synthetic fertilisers with natural alternatives, and is now introducing cover crops with the support of ADM and Nestlé.
“Our family introduced regenerative agriculture practises on our farm after noticing a decline in our yields and deterioration of the health of our soil,” said Stroberg. “These methods have not only been good for our land and the environment, but we’ve also seen a financial benefit as we are spending less on inputs like synthetic chemicals.”
Today, nearly two-thirds of Nestlé’s global greenhouse gas emissions come from sourcing ingredients, which is rooted in agriculture. As part of its detailed roadmap to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, the company aims to source 20% of its key ingredients through regenerative agricultural methods by 2025, and 50% of its key ingredients by 2030.
