40 food companies including Carlsberg, Diageo and Nestlé unite to launch regenerative agriculture program

Forty major food and agriculture companies, including Carlsberg, Diageo, Nestlé, Mondelēz, and ADM, have signed a joint declaration backing SAI Platform’s forthcoming Regenerating Together Program, a structured framework designed to align the global food industry around regenerative farming practices at the field level.

The declaration of intent was announced in Geneva ahead of the SAI Platform’s Annual Event in Saskatoon, Canada, scheduled for June 2026, where the next phase of the program will formally launch. Other signatories include Unilever, McCormick, and FrieslandCampina, according to Reuters.

The program, developed with input from farmers, agronomists, NGOs, and academics, establishes common indicators and measurable outcomes across four areas: soil health, biodiversity, water stewardship, and climate resilience. SAI Platform said the framework is designed to be adaptable to local farming systems while maintaining standardized measurement and verification across signatories’ supply chains.

The significance of the declaration lies less in its individual company commitments and more in the attempt to create shared standards. Simon Boas Hoffmeyer, VP and global head of sustainability and ESG at Carlsberg, said the program offers “consistency and credibility” through its shared framework and common standards — a direct response to the proliferation of uncoordinated corporate regenerative agriculture programs that have drawn criticism for inconsistent measurement and limited on-farm uptake.

SAI Platform will formally launch the next phase and expand the coalition in Saskatoon in June 2026. Programme adoption rates among enrolled farms will be the key variable to watch as the framework moves from declaration to implementation.

Source: Reuters / The Manufacturer