Foods produced according to Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) standards may be measurably more nutritious than their conventional counterparts, according to a new report by the Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA) and food testing company Edacious. Laboratory analysis of dozens of ROC products found more omega-3 fats in ground beef, more phosphorus in legumes and a much lower omega-6 to omega-3 ratio in meat compared with USDA reference values.
The report brings together findings from the first year of a four-year partnership between ROA and Edacious, which officially began in September 2025. Essentially, the partnership is testing the nutritional value of regenerative farming. Brands included in the first report include Niman Ranch, Patagonia Provisions, Lundberg and Charcutnuvo. These companies are already pursuing ROC certification and therefore looking beyond what appears on the nutrition facts panel on the packaging.
Edacious adds “a second, independently verified layer: actual measurement of nutrient density and product safety, based on primary data.” Nutrient density is defined as “the relative concentration of health-promoting compounds to non-beneficial compounds, per unit of measurement.” The researchers compare individual nutrients with USDA benchmarks, presenting them per serving — something that, according to the report, aligns with how FDA labeling conventions communicate nutrition to consumers today.
“The data that came back was even better than we imagined,” says Darcey Howard, head of marketing and engagement at ROA. “We knew healthy soil would create healthy food, but I think what surprised us so much was how much healthier.” Eric J. Smith, CEO of Edacious, adds: “The biggest takeaway for me is how much more nutritious our food can be.
The first year showed real differences in protein and fiber, which are exactly what consumers are focusing on right now. Nutrition is not determined by the ingredient list. How food is grown and raised changes what reaches the plate, and now we can measure it.”
The first-year findings include 17 brands that tested at least one ROC product with Edacious. Of these, 13 agreed to publish their findings in the report, representing 46 products across these categories: grains and legumes, oils, meat and proteins, fruit and vegetables, snacks and eggs.
According to Howard, one of the biggest takeaways was the consistently lower omega-6 to omega-3 ratio in meat products. While how to achieve this ratio is debated (reducing omega-6 versus adding omega-3), it is generally accepted that a lower 6:3 ratio is favorable. In conventional meat products, the ratio can reach as high as 15:1.
“Almost every” ROC product tested ranged between about 1:1 and 2.3:1, says Howard. The difference comes down to diet: an animal’s fat profile reflects what it eats, and the pasture- and forage-based feeding standards at the heart of ROC certification largely explain why pasture-raised meat tends to have a more favorable ratio than grain-fed alternatives.
ROC ground beef generally showed higher omega-3 levels, ranging from 124% to 388% above the USDA reference value, according to the report. “Although this is not the level of omega-3 found in fish, it is more than ground beef usually provides.” In other findings, all 10 legumes tested showed higher phosphorus content than the corresponding USDA reference values (16% to 584% more), and some were described as a “rich source of selenium.”
Howard says the research can serve as a tool for food companies, which need to consider the consumer’s shopping journey. Right now, the number of certifications on packaging can be overwhelming for the average shopper. “People don’t lie awake at night worrying about soil health,” she says. “Maybe someday they will, but what will resonate with most people is greater nutrient density, more fiber, more protein.”
The rise of GLP-1 drugs, along with a renewed focus on protein, is also prompting consumers to ask what their food actually contains. “I would eventually like to see the nutrition facts panel say more about what food actually contains than about how it meets standards,” Howard notes. “Will it solve all the problems? No. Will it really help people make purchasing decisions? I think so.”
Smith adds: “We want this work to push the industry to understand food quality at a deeper level. Not just what is on the label, but what is actually in the food. And we want to give more attention to the real heroes, which are unprocessed and minimally processed foods.
When people can see the difference in the data, these foods get the recognition they deserve, from shoppers and from the companies that produce them.” In the second year of the partnership, ROA and Edacious will bring more ROC brands into testing and are aiming for more than 200 products, while also including more producers in underrepresented food categories “to ensure breadth and depth across all food types.”
Comments