Major Food Corporations Lag Behind Regenerative Agriculture Expectations, FAIRR Report Reveals

FAIRR’s latest report highlights a widening credibility gap in the implementation of regenerative agriculture initiatives by the world’s largest food corporations.

The study, which assessed 78 publicly listed agri‑food companies, praised certain firms for robust governance, ambition, measurement accuracy, and farmer support, while exposing dropped pledges and significant gaps in activity tracking.

None of the companies examined has set a pesticide‑reduction target within its regenerative agriculture programmes.

The proportion of firms with quantified regenerative agriculture targets fell from 35% in 2023 to 28% in the current assessment.

Only 4% of companies have set outcome‑based targets, even as 54% claim to measure regenerative agriculture outcomes.

Although more than half of companies aim to reduce agrochemical inputs, many widely used regenerative practices still rely on herbicides, and no firm has yet established a pesticide‑reduction target.

Only U.S. food manufacturer Conagra Brands, Danone, Nestlé, and foodservice supplier Sysco are tracking herbicide use within their regenerative agriculture programmes.

María Montosa Ródenas of FAIRR noted that while regenerative agriculture holds real potential for building resilience against climate and nature‑related risks, potential alone does not equate to progress.

Our research reveals fragmented, under‑resourced corporate strategies and a stark pesticide contradiction: firms cannot credibly claim nature restoration while deploying practices that undermine it. Investors must push for outcome‑based targets and company‑wide reporting, or the regenerative agriculture potential will remain unrealised.

Despite the challenges, there are signs of cautious optimism. The share of companies measuring regenerative outcomes rose from 16% in 2023 to 54% in 2026.

Researchers also noted an increase in linking regenerative agriculture to Scope 3 emissions strategies, with 52% of firms now making a quantitative or qualitative connection compared to 24% three years ago.

Nonetheless, most metrics remain confined to individual projects rather than company-wide, complicating investor assessment of scale and impact.

Acknowledging the inherent difficulty of measuring long‑term regenerative initiatives, the researchers highlighted General Mills’ clear programme scope and PepsiCo’s outcome‑based farmer payment schemes as examples of credibility and trust building.

Arthur van Mansvelt of Achmea Investment Management, a FAIRR member, remarked that many agri‑food firms market regenerative agriculture as a silver bullet for climate and nature goals, yet investors still face challenges assessing initiative credibility. He stressed the need for clarity on how companies employ regenerative practices to meet global nature targets.

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