From Seed to Shelf - Taking the Organic Wheat Journey with Ardent Mills

Today’s consumers continue to prioritize healthier food choices with 80% saying they seek out “good-for-you” foods that help meet their dietary goals.¹ At the same time, they desire transparency around how their food is sourced and produced.² These preferences make ingredients like organic wheat a smart addition to many CPG manufacturers’ product formulations. 

At Ardent Mills, we’ve embraced the organic journey. Our investments in long-term farming partnerships and sustainable production processes help brands bring consistent, high-quality organic wheat from seed to shelf. Let’s take a look at what sets us apart and how we help manufacturers navigate the complexities of organic ingredients (like wheat) while providing the transparency consumers expect. From soil preparation to the packaged product, we’re committed to supporting organic through every step of the supply chain. 

Meeting Demand with Our Organic Growers  

Nearly half of American shoppers consumed organic food products during 2024 alone.³ These same consumers were also willing to pay a premium for foods that used whole and/or less-processed ingredients⁴, helping drive record organic sales of more than $60 billion in the United States for 2023.⁵ 

The case for going organic is strong, with consumer demand for organic products showing no signs of slowing down. Projections indicate organic sales will grow at a CAGR of 5% or more over the next several years as this healthy eating trend continues.⁶ 

For manufacturers, the organic wheat journey begins with growers, who cultivate the seeds that are the backbone of in-demand organic products. To meet the increasing demand, Ardent Mills has partnered with an extensive network of farms. Our hands-on approach, which includes hosting meetings with growers and providing education, helps growers successfully transition to organic. In fact, we’ve been instrumental in doubling the organic wheat supply in the United States. We invest in long-term relationships with our growers to help ensure their continued success and a consistent, fully traceable supply for our customers. We like to think of it as an organic win-win.  

Maintaining the Highest Standards in Milling and Certifications 

Another critical part of the seed-to-shelf journey is the milling process. At Ardent Mills, our coast-to-coast milling, processing and distribution infrastructure allows us to mill near our local growers while offering nationwide availability for our customers. As seen in the map below, our milling footprint underscores our commitment to supporting your organic journey – both near and far. 

Ingredient consistency is always top of mind for our customers, especially considering the extent to which environmental factors and weather patterns can influence the quality of crops. Leveraging insights from our Organic Wheat New Crop Harvest Survey, alongside innovative milling and baking analyses from the Ardent Mills Innovation Centers (AMICs), our R&D and technical teams ensure precise blending to minimize variation across every batch. 

Our high milling standards mean your ingredients come with trusted certifications. Food certifications provide a way for manufacturers to align with consumer preferences around transparency. Research from Ardent Mills shows that organic claims favorably impact consideration among 52% of consumers in grocery stores and 45% ordering in restaurants.⁷ 

All of our milling facilities follow rigorous certification standards, paving the way for you to potentially include claims like USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified or KOF-K Kosher Certification (Parve) on your product packaging.  

Innovating with Organic Wheat Across Applications   

Knowing how best to incorporate organic wheat is a key strategic consideration for brands. Fortunately, this versatile ingredient can be used in a variety of applications thanks to flexibility and handling characteristics. We’ve seen major brands use organic wheat to reformulate classic products in the baked goods, snack and pasta categories to meet consumer demand. Forward-thinking manufacturers are also carving out new spaces on shelf with innovative, plant-based products made with wheat protein, which is known to deliver a desirable texture and neutral flavor.⁸ 

When it comes to our organic wheat flours, we have options for almost any application, including All Purpose, Whole Wheat, UltraGrain® Hard White Wheat, Bread, Pastry and Baker’s flours. With these options, you can reimagine product lines and grow your offerings. 

Looking for organic options beyond wheat? We also offer a full line of grains, pulses and flours that can help your team win on shelf with organic ingredients that extend beyond organic wheat.  

Navigating Challenges with Organic Ingredients  

Investments in organic open up new opportunities with consumers but require a knowledgeable, strategic partner who can help you navigate potential challenges. Take cost, for example, which is always a concern. We focus on long-term contracts with our growers to help provide both short- and long-term price stability. Additionally, our robust network of farms helps maintain a consistent and reliable supply to meet manufacturing needs, even as your demand grows. 

It's also critical to consider that organic wheat requires special handling to prevent cross-contamination and is more susceptible to pests because of limitations on fumigation for organic ingredients. While these handling challenges are unique, our team supports customers through this process by providing dedicated handling facilities, pest management solutions and in-house technical expertise to help minimize the risks of pest infestation and/or cross-contamination. 

Food safety remains critical when handling flour. We offer two products that help prevent foodborne pathogens from reaching consumers. The first is Ardent Mills SafeGuard™ Treatment & Delivery System for ready-to-eat applications like cookie dough and cold-pressed bars. It uses advanced heat treatment technology for up to a five-log validated pathogen reduction process. The second is our BakeSafer™ Treatments for ready-to-bake products such as frozen pizzas and bread mixes. These treatments lower pathogen levels in wheat flour, reducing the risk of foodborne illness from flour by a minimum of 90% (observed up to 99.9%) and minimizing the dangers of undercooking foods. 

Finally, you’ll need to maintain your brand’s reputation by ensuring compliance with organic labeling. With the Strengthening Organic Enforcement rule enacted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program in 2024, even stricter certification requirements and compliance procedures are becoming the norm.⁹ 

At Ardent Mills, we want to help ensure the complexities that can come with organic ingredients don’t get in the way of your success. That’s why we take a collaborative approach to addressing these challenges head-on. No matter what part of the seed-to-shelf journey you need assistance with, our team can help develop strategies tailored to meet your goals.  

Partnering with Ardent Mills for Organic Success 

Ardent Mills is more than a supplier. We’re a trusted partner with everything you need to be successful on shelf, including a nationwide network of growers and mills and unrivaled technical expertise. Our experts will help guide you through the organic space so you can deliver the organic foods and transparency consumers crave. 

Ready to begin your organic journey? We encourage you to explore our organic portfolio and connect with our experts to see how Ardent Mills can help you capitalize on this incredible, growing market opportunity. 

^{1“Trend to Table: The food trends driving today’s consumer purchases and their impact on grains, pulses and flours,” Ardent Mills Consumer Study, 2024, https://www.ardentmills.com/trend-to-table/ 
2“Transparency Trends 2023: Food Shoppers Increasingly Prioritize Information,” The Food Industry Association (FMI) and NIQ, 2023, https://www.fmi.org/forms/store/ProductFormPublic/transparency-trends-2023 
3 Ardent Mills Proprietary Research; U.S. Consumers 18+ 
4“Trend to Table: The food trends driving today’s consumer purchases and their impact on grains, pulses and flours,” Ardent Mills Consumer Study, 2024, https://www.ardentmills.com/trend-to-table/
5 “US Organic Marketplace Posts Record Sales in 2023,” Organic Trade Association, May 14, 2024, https://www.ota.com/news/press-releases/23183
6 “US Organic Food Market Research Report: Forecast (2023–2028),” MarkNtel Advisors, June 2023, https://www.marknteladvisors.com/research-library/usa-organic-food-market.html 
7 Ardent Mills Proprietary Research; U.S. Consumers 18+ 
8 “Why Do We Use Wheat as Our Primary Source of Plant-Based Protein?” Ensemble Foods, August 2, 2023, https://www.ensemble-foods.com/blog/why-do-we-use-wheat-as-our-primary-source-of-plant-based-protein  9 “Reichman, Lawrence and Tobin, Thomas,"USDA Issues New 'Organic' Labeling Rule, Strengthening Enforcement," February 8, 2023, Perkins Coie, https://perskinscoie.com/insights/update/usda-issues-new-organic-labeling-rule-strengthening-enforcement}  

Interested in learning more? Get in touch today!