Austin, Texas-based Vital Farms has launched restorative pasture-raised eggs, produced using regenerative agriculture principles such as perennial rotations and cover crops.
Vital Farms collaborated with regenerative thought leader Understanding Ag for more than a year to transition five farms to a core set of tenets that promote rich, nutrient-dense soil.
“We applaud Vital Farms for taking steps to help restore the natural system,” said Shane New, partner and consultant, Understanding Ag. “Their dedicated farmer support team brings a unique approach to helping farmers learn and apply regenerative practices, while their outcome-based testing brings authenticity to the consumer.”
Regenerative agriculture helps create balanced environments between pastures and animals that aims to increase the land’s resiliency and improve the health of waterways.
“Restorative is a natural evolution of our purpose to improve the lives of people, animals, and the planet through food,” said Liz Harroun, a restorative project leader at Vital Farms.
“We’re…naming the carton restorative, not regenerative, because there are limited third-party certification options for egg farmers who follow regenerative practices but don’t use mobile coops. We’re currently pursuing a third-party certification and hope to further these practices across even more farms in the future.”
Vital Farms is working with Regen Ag Lab to track key measurements like biodiversity and water retention every quarter on the five initial farms. Those measurements will be used to determine year-over-year soil health improvements which will be reported annually. Additional progress highlights will be updated seasonally on the Vital Farms website.
“We’re constantly evaluating how we can operate more sustainably since we believe we have a responsibility to lead the industry forward by implementing emerging and scalable practices that support farmers, animals, and the environment,” said Andrea Chu, director of environmental, social and governance, Vital Farms. “This is only the beginning of our journey with regenerative agriculture and one of the many ways Vital Farms is trying to leave the land better than we found it.”
Fifty percent of the new home-compostable, green-hued restorative carton is made from natural grasses like ryegrass fibers, a cover crop sourced from nature reserves. Joining Vital Farms’ existing portfolio of pasture-raised eggs, restorative eggs are available at select Whole Foods Market stores nationwide.
