SALISBURY, N.C. -- Grocery retail group Ahold Delhaize USA has announced a partnership with global snacking leader Kellanova (formerly Kellogg Company) and North American agribusiness, Bartlett, to reduce Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from wheat farming across the value chain. This collaboration aims to decrease Scope 3 emissions, improving farm and supply chain resiliency.
The pilot program, which is expected to kick off this summer, will leverage financial investments from Ahold Delhaize USA, Kellanova and Bartlett to support the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices among wheat farmers in North Carolina. The wheat harvested and milled from these farms will be used alongside conventionally grown wheat to produce Kellanova’s iconic Cheez-It® and Club® crackers. These products will be sold at the local brand stores of Ahold Delhaize USA in 2025.
This is a unique program with stakeholders from across the supply chain – from field to mill to manufacturing facility to shelf – collaborating to improve the livelihood of U.S. farmers while reducing GHG emissions. This is a first of its kind program for both Ahold Delhaize USA and Kellanova.
From farm to shelf
Regenerative agriculture focuses on soil conservation and improvement, creating a unique farming approach specific to the crop, climate and land. The process is as follows:
Farmers grow regenerative wheat in Eastern North Carolina. Bartlett’s certified crop advisors will work with these farmers, providing technical assistance for implementing conservation practices to improve soil health, which improves water quality and helps reduce emissions.
Bartlett combines the regenerative wheat with conventional wheat then mills it into flour at its recently expanded facility in Wilson’s Mills, N.C.
Kellanova bakes the wheat into Cheez-It and Club crackers at its state-of-the-art facility in Cary, N.C.
Ahold Delhaize USA brands to sell the crackers across their more than 2,000 local stores beginning in 2025.
In addition to the regenerative wheat, a key output of this program will be agronomic insights on farm and supply chain resiliency. Arva Intelligence, whose mission is to empower farmers to grow their business, while driving a larger environmental asset economy, will use their CropForce platform, to measure, report, and verify impacts to the partners’ respective emissions reductions, providing scalable knowledge each company can potentially take forward into the development of other Scope 3 initiatives.
The pilot will focus on farmers who have already implemented regenerative agricultural practices, enabling the cultivation of a base of farmers experienced in these practices to help teach new ones and facilitate the transition. Production is slated to begin this summer, with the final product expected to reach Ahold Delhaize USA brand shelves in 2025, with pilot learnings to quickly follow.
