Regenerative Organic Certified
ECOSYSTEM
CONFIDENCE HIGH · ANALYSIS ONLY, NOT AN AUDIT OR CERTIFICATION
Our read
The most complete agricultural standard in this set in terms of breadth, because it is the only one that requires soil, animal welfare and labour together and will not certify an operation that fails any one pillar. It also sits on top of USDA Organic rather than beside it, so the input controls and the federal enforcement machinery come with it, and the ROA-approved certification bodies work to requirements based on ISO 17065. The two things to hold in mind are scope and outcome. Scope: a Bronze mark can represent as little as 10% of an operation's food or fibre land at initial certification, and in the Global North a Bronze or Silver operation is not required to hold any existing social fairness certification. A reader who sees the seal without the level has been told very little. Outcome: the programme's stated goal is soil carbon sequestration, and it requires soil lab and in-field testing and key performance indicators, but it sets no minimum soil organic matter level and no required rate of improvement. It is a strong practice standard with measurement attached, not yet an outcome standard.
What it covers
- USDA Organic certification, or an NOP-recognised international equivalent, as a mandatory prerequisite at every level
- Three pillars assessed together: Soil Health and Land Management, Animal Welfare, and Farmer and Worker Fairness
- Three levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold, with practices moving from optional to required as the level rises
- A documented Regenerative Organic System Plan including a tillage action plan, soil lab test results, in-field soil test results, a record of native flora and fauna, and per-pillar key performance indicators
- Year-round vegetative cover thresholds scaled by level (25-50% of cultivated land at Bronze, 50-75% at Silver, 75-100% at Gold)
- Crop rotation minimums scaled by level: three crops at Bronze, four at Silver, seven at Gold
- Tillage reduction: all tillage events documented with a plan to reduce intensity over time; no-till required at Gold
- Rotational grazing, with sensitive habitat protected from grazing at damaging times of year
- No deforestation of primary or old-growth secondary forest, and no conversion of wetlands, peatlands or protected grasslands
- No fracking, mining or extractive activity on the operation
- Hydroponics, aquaponics and soilless growing excluded from eligibility
- Animal welfare: CAFO prohibition, forced feeding prohibition, environment and shelter requirements, and grass-fed feed thresholds scaled by level
- Farmer and worker fairness: minimum wage as a critical tolerance, freedom of association and collective bargaining, worker rights training, child labour provisions, long-term buyer commitments, and a living wage requirement that tightens by level
- Annual recertification audits at all levels; 90 days to close a required-practice non-conformance and 30 days for a critical tolerance
What it leaves out
Not a criticism of the scheme. A standard is a scope, and this is where this one ends.
- No greenhouse gas measurement, inventory or reduction target, despite carbon sequestration being a stated goal of the programme
- No Scope 1, 2 or 3 emissions accounting or disclosure requirement
- No soil carbon outcome threshold: soil testing and key performance indicators are required, but no minimum soil organic matter level or rate of increase is specified
- At Bronze, only 10% of food or fibre-producing land need be certified at the outset, rising to 50% by year five, so most of a Bronze operation may be outside the certified scope
- For Bronze and Silver operations in the Global North, the requirement to hold an existing recognised social fairness certification is waived
- No packaging material, recyclability or plastic content requirement
- No water use, irrigation efficiency or water footprint threshold beyond conserving water bodies and holding legal irrigation rights
- No published register of suspensions or decertifications
- No published fee schedule in the framework itself
The scheme
| Issued by | Regenerative Organic Alliance |
|---|---|
| Where it applies | Global, provided the operation holds USDA Organic or an international organic standard with which USDA has a formal equivalence arrangement |
| Audit and renewal | Annual recertification audit at all levels |
| Cost | Not published in the framework. The ROA maintains a separate 'Cost & Fee Structure' document and a 'Cost & Fee Worksheet' for brand licence fees at RegenOrganic.org/Resources; specific figures were not retrieved. |
What we read
Framework for Regenerative Organic Certified, document ROC_QMS_STD_FR_v4.1, Version 4.1, effective 27 June 2023
- standard_version_read and issuer — ROC_QMS_STD_FR_v4.1, Version 4.1, Effective 27 June 2023... Regenerative Organic Certified is overseen by the nonprofit Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA).
- USDA Organic prerequisite — To achieve Regenerative Organic Certified, an entity must first hold USDA organic certification or an international equivalent formally recognized by the National Organic Program. Operations will not be eligible for Regenerative Organic Cer
- three pillars and three levels — Regenerative Organic Certified is built on three pillars: Soil Health & Land Management, Animal Welfare, and Social Fairness... There are three levels of Regenerative Organic Certified: Bronze, Silver, and Gold... Annual recertification aud
- Bronze land coverage threshold — Bronze: To claim Regenerative Organic Certified at the Bronze level, at least 10% of fiber- or food-producing land within an operation must be certified at initial certification and must reach at least 50% by year five.
- Global North social certification waiver — For Bronze and Silver operations in the Global North, requirement for proof of existing certification is waived. All criteria within the Regenerative Organic Certified social pillar must be met by undergoing a complete social audit with an
- soil testing and Regenerative Organic System Plan — Required items include: Tillage action plan; Soil lab test results & in-field soil testing results; Record of native flora and fauna on farm; Key performance indicators as required per pillar
- non-conformance and critical tolerance timelines — When a non-conformance for a Required practice is issued by the certifier, the operation has 90 days to resolve the non-conformance... If the Critical Tolerance (CT) is not resolved within 30 days, a producer cannot claim Regenerative Organ
- independence_score, certification body requirements — Certification Body Requirements: Requirements for certifying bodies based on ISO 17065
- deforestation, extraction and soilless exclusions — Aquaponics, hydroponics, and other soilless practices are not eligible for Regenerative Organic Certified... Fracking, mining, and other extractive practices including initial exploration shall not be conducted on land within the operation.
- cost_range and disputes process exist as separate documents — Cost & Fee Structure: Outlines the estimated certification costs for farmers, supply chain actors, and brands... Disputes Process: Process for submitting concerns, complaints, appeals, or reports of misuse of the Regenerative Organic Certif
What we could not establish
The framework was read in full, but the supporting documents it references (Cost & Fee Structure, Program Manual, Disputes Process, Required Baseline Certifications & Equivalency Assessment, Approved Certification Bodies list) were not retrieved, so fee figures and the identity of the approved certification bodies are not stated here. Version 4.1 dated June 2023 is the version served from regenorganic.org as of July 2026; whether a later revision exists was not confirmed because the web search budget was exhausted. No published record of ROC suspensions or decertifications was located.
Who holds it
Scored companies carrying this mark, highest first. Holding it is not the same as scoring well — the mark is one input of six.
| Company | Scope held | YKO score |
|---|---|---|
| Lundberg Family Farms | Not stated | 34.7 |
If you hold this certification, it is already on your record. What a buyer cannot see there yet is the evidence behind the parts this standard does not reach.