Support Sustainable Farmers And Businesses With The ROC Label

There’s a new label many people will be looking for whether they’re shopping for food, clothing, or personal care products, and if you see it, you can feel really good about what you’re buying. It’s called “ROC”, which stands for Regenerative Organic Certified. 

The Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA) is behind the new certification. The group includes various experts in farming, ranching, soil health, animal welfare, and fair trade.

The goal of the ROA is to heal a broken system, repair the planet, and empower farmers and consumers through better farming practices. The ROC stamp of approval is a way to do that, and is already being touted as the highest standard for organic agriculture in the world! 

Before being eligible, farms must be organic-certified by the USDA. After that, they must meet additional ROC criteria to ensure soil health, animal welfare, and social fairness.

For example, a USDA-recognized organic farm must also provide a tillage action plan, soil lab test results, and a record of native fauna and flora on the farm to get the ROC. 

Beyond that, they must also have not cleared any forests for agricultural purposes since 2015. Cover crops must be planted year-round, and crop rotation must also be practiced. These are just a few examples of the criteria ROC farms must meet.

There are three levels to the ROC — bronze, silver, and gold. Farms and businesses must strive to include more rigorous regenerative organic practices to make it to the top tier.

So, if you ever buy a gold-level ROC product, you know you’re supporting the cream of the crop.

The pilot project for the certification has just come to an end, but the good news is you can already find ROC products in the marketplace! They include:

• Apricot Lane Farms: Avocado Oil from Moorpark, CA   
• Dr. Bronner’s: Regenerative Organic Coconut Oil from Serendipol Ltd. in Sri Lanka
• Nature’s Path: Oats from Legend Organic farm in Saskatchewan, Canada
• Grain Place Foods: Popcorn and Cornmeal from Marquette, NE
• Patagonia Provisions: Regenerative Organic Chile Mango from Sol Simple, Masaya, Nicaragua
• Lotus Foods: Brown and White Basmati Rice from Rohini, India
• Sol Simple: Banana from Masaya, Nicaragua 

You can buy ROC products at any store that carries organic items. If you’re looking to shop online, check out the Patagonia Provisions website. 

Guilt-free shopping? Yes, please! 

Catherine Sherriffs

Catherine is a Canadian award-winning journalist who worked as a reporter and news anchor in Montreal’s radio and television scene for 10 years. A graduate of Concordia University, she left the hustle and bustle of the business after starting a family. Now, she’s the editor and a writer for Garden Culture Magazine while also enjoying being a mom to her two young kids. Her interests include great food, gardening, fitness, animals, and anything outdoors.

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