SALINA, KAN. — Sustainable agriculture researcher The Land Institute has rolled out Perennial Percent, a product label indicating that a food or beverage contains a small percentage of perennial grains.

The group described Perennial Percent as “the world’s first and only” labeling program for perennial grain products and ingredients. The label is open to any food or beverage containing at least 1% of the perennial grain Kernza, an intermediate wheatgrass developed and trademarked by the nonprofit research group.

A perennial substitute for annual wheat, Kernza may be used in baked foods and beverages like beer or as a whole grain like barley or rice, according to The Land Institute. Other perennial grains, such as the upcoming perennial Baki bean, may be considered for the Perennial Percent program later, the researcher said.

The Perennial Percent label provides a way for food and beverage companies and consumers to commit to more sustainable agriculture via greater use of perennial crops in products and through purchases of the items, according to The Land Institute. Planted once and harvested for multiple years, perennials produce healthier crops, soil and water because soil is kept in place and carbon emissions are reduced, the group said.

Additionally, Perennial Percent offers a “practical path” for manufacturers to use perennial grains by focusing on gradual adoption instead of requiring a “complete overhaul” of current product formulations, The Land Institute noted.

“Perennial Percent is a game-changer for the food industry,” said Tessa Peters, director of crop stewardship at The Land Institute. “By encouraging companies to use even small amounts of perennial grains in their popular products, we can significantly increase the overall market penetration of these tasty and sustainable emerging crops and drive positive environmental impact at scale.”

Red Wing, Minn.-based Sturdiwheat, which makes a line of baking mixes and high-protein hot cereal, will be the first food manufacturer to use the Perennial Percent label for its baking mix products. The company already has two Kernza products on the market: Honeyed Kernza Muffin Mix and Kernza Cinnamon Pancake Mix.

“We are excited to support the Perennial Percent label and see it gain traction in the market,” said Missi Blue, co-owner of Sturdiwheat, founded in 1939. “We live and work along the Mississippi River and care deeply about the river’s water quality. Using deep-rooted perennial Kernza grain not only makes delicious products but also builds a market for regenerative ingredients, giving farmers an economic incentive to plant more acres of perennial crops.”

Participants and collaborators in the Perennial Percent initiative include The Land Institute, Sturdiwheat, Bang Brewing, Forever Green at the University of Minnesota, Sustain-A-Grain, Mad Agriculture, Perennial Promise Growers Cooperative, Merge Impact, Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance and USDA Kernza CAP.

The Land Institute said Sandy Boss Febbo, owner and brewer at Bang Brewing, helped name and drive the broader Perennial Percent initiative. St. Paul, Minn.-based Bang, which has been brewing with Kernza since 2017, marked the first brewery to include the grain across its beer line with the launch of its Perennial Percent series in 2020.

“While we love brewing unique beers with a high percentage of Kernza, you can tell a bigger story of this grain’s potential impact with a small percentage inclusion across all your beers,” Boss Febbo said. “And for macro breweries, brewing just one style or brand of beer with 1% Kernza could move a huge volume of grain, helping grow the market for brewers and food makers of all sizes while supporting the kind of regenerative farming we need to better steward our soil, water and communities.”