Most consumers are little or not familiar with regenerative agriculture

Survey also shows that the importance of food affordability has increased since August 2022

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Many citizens are unaware of the agricultural practices known as regenerative agriculture, according to the August 2024 Consumer Food Insights Report (CFI).

The survey-based report from Purdue University Centre for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability (CFDAS) assesses food spending, consumer satisfaction and values, support for agricultural and food policies, and trust in information sources. Purdue experts conducted and analyzed the survey, which included 1,200 consumers across the United States.

Regenerative agriculture refers to farming practices that result in improved soil health, carbon sequestration, enhanced biodiversity, and healthy water resources. Around 43% of survey respondents said they were “not at all familiar” with the term “regenerative agriculture,” and another 28% were only “somewhat familiar.”

“This creates an opportunity for producers and industry leaders interested in scaling up regenerative agriculture practices on their farms to clearly communicate to consumers what regenerative agriculture means for their farms,” said the report’s lead author, Joseph Balagtas, professor of agricultural economics at Purdue University and director of the CFDAS.

Brenna Ellison, a professor of agricultural management at Purdue University, recently wrote in her blog about this lack of consumer understanding and how important clear communication is if regenerative agriculture is to remain more than just a buzzword.

After presenting respondents with the general definition of regenerative agriculture, CFDAS researchers determined support or opposition to the practice under four hypothetical scenarios. The first two scenarios involved the practice of regenerative agriculture on U.S. farms and farmers voluntarily adopting its methods. The other two scenarios involved industry or government plans that would provide financial incentives for adopting the practices, but that would result in higher prices or taxes to fund the incentives.

“While consumers say they generally support regenerative agriculture initiatives, their support drops when they receive additional information about costs,” Balagtas said. A 2018 study on education policy found a similar result related to education spending.

“Understandably, a food policy is likely to be less popular if it comes at the expense of consumers who are already struggling with high food prices,” Balagtas said.

Affordability outweighs other characteristics that consumers see as benefits of regenerative agriculture, such as improved soil health or reduced water use. “The benefits of regenerative agricultural practices come at a price, some of which may be borne by food consumers or taxpayers. Proponents of regenerative agriculture must consider consumers’ or taxpayers’ willingness to pay for these practices,” Balagtas said.

This month’s CFI report also examines how educational disparities may correlate with certain CFI indicators, such as food security, values, behaviors and beliefs. Education groups are categorized into high school graduation or less, college graduation or two-year college degree, four-year college degree and college degree.

CFDAS researchers continue to track trends in food values ​​by asking respondents to assign 100 points to six food attributes based on their importance in grocery shopping. Taste and affordability have been the most important attributes in the nearly three years the center has been tracking this data. The most important considerations in consumers’ purchasing decisions are taste and price, said Elijah Bryant, survey research analyst at CFDAS and co-author of the report.

“When it comes to food values, nutritional value is a distant third and social and environmental sustainability is the least important,” Bryant said.

Consumers with at least a four-year college degree place greater importance on nutrition than those with little or no college education, who place greater importance on food affordability.

“Similarly, we see higher rates of food insecurity among people with lower levels of education. Thirty-one percent of people with a high school diploma or less report household food insecurity,” Bryant said. “Because education correlates with income, the findings on food value and security underscore the importance of ensuring our food system is able to provide nutritionally adequate food at affordable prices. Otherwise, consumers may shift their purchasing focus from the nutritional value of their food to affordability.”

Inflation expectations for food over the next 12 months fell for the second month in a row by 0.4 percentage points to 2.8 percent. This figure is close to the current consumer price index figure of 2.2 percent food inflation.

“This relatively sharp decline over the past two months may indicate that consumers are getting used to the more stable inflation rate we have seen since early 2024,” Bryant said. “However, the higher consumer estimate of food inflation over the past 12 months suggests that food prices are still negatively affecting consumers.”

Consumers’ reactions to statements about the food system also vary depending on their level of education. Despite scientific evidence that genetically modified foods are safe, more than a third of respondents with a two-year college degree or less disagree that foods made from genetically modified organisms are safe.

However, 41% of four-year degree graduates and 51% of postgraduate degree graduates agree with this statement.

The CFDAS trust index also showed that college-educated adults tend to trust companies like McDonald’s or Chipotle less when it comes to information about healthy and sustainable food, Bryant said.

Consumers with lower levels of education are more likely to trust family members or friends as sources of information about healthy eating, while highly educated consumers are more likely to trust organizations such as the American Medical Association and the Food and Drug Administration.

The Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability is part of Purdue’s next steps in agriculture and the food system and uses innovative data analytics shared through user-friendly platforms to improve the food system. In addition to the Consumer Food Insights Report, the center offers a portfolio of online Dashboard.