Cereal kingpin Kashi is taking strides to grow organic crop supply through its Certified Transitional Initiative.
This move, which supports farmers during the grueling three-year process required to achieve USDA Organic Certification, has been launched through products like Kashi’s Dark Cocoa Karma Shredded Wheat Biscuits cereal.
“Kashi knows from firsthand experience how it is still very challenging to source organic ingredients because less than 1% of farmland in the U.S. is organic,” says Nicole Nestojko, senior director of supply chain and sustainability for Kashi. “This is one of the things that inspired Kashi to pursue Certified Transitional — to increase the availability and accessibility of organics, as well as raise awareness of the barriers that farmers face when converting to organic.”
Created by Kashi and QAI, a USDA-accredited organic certifying body, the Certified Transitional label aims to support financially-burdened farmers who as they invest in organic practices. During the first three years of this investment, they are unable to benefit from organic prices for their crops.
According to Kashi, this issue especially effects grain producers—soft wheat is susceptible to disease, which is hard to combat while transitioning to organic. What’s more, wheat tends to be a lower-cost commodity than, say, fruits or vegetables.
Kashi notes that Dark Cocoa Karma has been extremely well-received by customers, with this being the company’s best-performing cereal innovation in over five years. The company plans to add additional Certified Transitional products to its roster.
Moreover, the OTA and the USDA have partnered to create a National Certified Transition Program, the first round of approvals for which are expected to be complete in March. As this trend continues, it is important for retailers, manufacturers and producers to get informed. Certified Transitional labelling could be your next competitor—or your latest money-maker.
