Nestlé Professional and Footprint, a UK sustainability and ESG expert in the food and drink industry, have launched a new report examining how organizations across the hospitality and foodservice sector can accelerate the transition to regenerative agriculture. The report, titled “Growing Regenerative Agriculture: How Businesses Can Help Deliver Impact at Scale,” explores how businesses can support regenerative farming transitions while ensuring impact is measurable and credible.
With 2024 recorded as the hottest year on record and extreme weather continuing to disrupt food supply chains, the report highlights the need to address farming system resilience and nature restoration. Through detailed analysis and interviews with farmers, manufacturers, and foodservice operators, the research identifies key enablers for scaling regenerative agriculture across supply chains.
The report features case studies from organizations including Nestlé, McCain, McDonald’s, Compass Group, Fresh Direct, and Wahaca, demonstrating partnership approaches to systemic change in agricultural practices.
“Regenerative agriculture represents one of the most powerful tools we have to protect the food system. But scaling it requires partnership and collaboration between farmers, manufacturers and hospitality operators to share risk, align on measurement, and drive real, lasting change,” said Julia Jones, Head of Sustainability and Corporate Communications at Nestlé Professional UK & Ireland. “This report offers the insight and evidence needed to help the industry turn ambition into action.”
Key findings and industry requirements
The research identifies several requirements for scaling regenerative agriculture across the foodservice sector. Industry-wide alignment on practices and outcomes is needed, along with financial support for farmers to de-risk the transition. Consistent market demand must be sustained, and businesses must engage beyond sustainability teams to ensure cross-functional commitment. Transparency is identified as essential for companies to demonstrate real benefits for people and planet.
For Nestlé Professional, regenerative agriculture is central to its sustainability strategy. The company achieved 20% of key ingredients sourced from farms adopting regenerative agriculture practices in 2024, meeting this target a year ahead of schedule. Nestlé Professional is now aiming to source 50% regeneratively by 2030.
The report also highlights growing consumer interest in sustainability, with younger demographics leading the shift. However, it cautions that public understanding of the term “regenerative” remains low, emphasizing the need for businesses to communicate transparently and support claims with evidence to maintain trust.
Practical recommendations and case studies are provided to guide foodservice leaders in supporting farmers, de-risking the transition to regenerative systems, and embedding nature-positive principles into sourcing strategies. With this, organizations can focus on delivering measurable impact while addressing the operational challenges of implementing regenerative practices at scale.
This comes as food companies face increasing pressure to address climate impacts on supply chains while meeting stakeholder expectations for environmental stewardship. Regenerative agriculture practices focus on soil health, biodiversity, water management, and carbon sequestration, offering approaches to build resilience in agricultural systems while reducing environmental footprints.
The full report is available for download via Nestlé Professional’s website.
