How often do you think about the origin of your food? Like many, this is not often top-of-mind when it comes to eating your daily meals. With an increased focus on sustainability, continuous learning and development are the key to a healthier environment. Experience Notre Dame had the honor of hosting Suzanne Sengelmann, Chief Growth Officer and Mario Payssé, Head of Food Service at Lundberg Family Farms for a conversation about sustainability. Lundberg Family Farms is the provider of the brown rice served in both dining halls on campus.
If you’ve shopped at Martin’s, Whole Foods, Publix, or Sprouts, you may have encountered Lundberg Family Farm rice products on the shelves. Lundberg has over 150 products, with almost 80 of them being regenerative-organic certified. With over 17 varieties of rice and 2 varieties of quinoa, Lundberg Family Farms is passionate about creating quality products. This passion has been growing for many decades. Lundberg Family Farms has a rich history and stems back to the dust bowl, when Grandpa Albert saw a need for better farming practices and leaving the land better than it was found. Flashforward to 2024 and Lundberg Family Farms is still on a mission to treat the land with respect.
Lundberg Family Farms discussed many integral topics about sustainability, but the biggest being about regenerative-organic food and farming. In the farming environment, there are a plethora of different certifications farms can receive based on their practices. The journey to receiving the “organic” and “organic-regenerative” certifications is not for the faint of heart, as the stipulations and requirements can be lengthy and detailed. However, Lundberg Family Farms believes in the importance of ethical and natural farming practices to create the healthiest and purest forms of rice possible.
Lundberg Family Farms is proud to say that they have received the “regenerative-organic” certification and this mark can be seen on most of their packaging. Out of the different grades of farming, the most known by consumers is “organic.” Organic farming is based on practices and inputs, meaning primarily doing no harm to the soil through pesticides and harmful chemicals. Similarly, but still different, is the certification of being a “regenerative-organic” farm. Regenerative-organic refers to restoring things back to their original state through natural means. For example, at the Lundberg Family Rice Farms, cultivation does not involve pesticides or chemicals, a natural route is used to restore their soil called “flooding.” This helps the farms acquire the best rice and restore their land back to its original state using natural resources. Overall, an estimated 2.6 million pounds of chemicals were kept off of over 22,000 acres of Lundberg’s farming land in 2023, assisting in Lundberg’s mission to leave the land better than they found it.
As a company following regenerative-organic farming practices, Lundberg Family Farms has three main pillars they pride themselves on. The first being soil health. As stated above, Lundberg Family Farms practice natural ways to keep their soil healthy. The second being animal welfare. Through practices such as flooding the field in the winter, the farms are transformed into a beaming environment for natural wildlife. Did anyone catch the cute duck in the Notre Dame sweatshirt picture posted by Campus Dining? This healthy duck is a result of Lundberg’s commitment to paying attention to the animal inhabitants of their land. The last pillar focused on is social fairness. Lundberg works with over 400 farmers and strives to treat them fairly by offering long-term contracts, benefits, etc. Lundebrg believes that farming is not only a business, but a community as well.
With an increased awareness of sustainability and its importance, we are delighted to serve a rice product in our dining halls that attributes its tastiness to sustainable practices. Sustainability is a multi-faceted and evolving idea. For Lundberg Family Farms, the idea of sustainability and building a healthier planet is not only seen in their farming practices, but in things like creating renewable energy on their farms, practicing zero waste, and being diligent about their packaging procedures. We are excited to be able to serve rice from regenerative practices that not only tastes great, but that assists in keeping the conversation about sustainability preeminent.
If you want to learn more, navigate to https://www.lundberg.com/.