Perennial Percent Label launched to increase Kernza adoption

The Land Institute announced the launch of the Perennial Percent label to encourage food and beverage companies to incorporate small percentages of perennial grains, such as Kernza, into their existing product lines.

Perennial Percent is the world’s first and only program for perennial grain products and ingredients. Because perennials are planted once and harvested for multiple years, it empowers consumers to help keep soil in place and reduce carbon emissions through their purchasing choices.

“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,” said Tessa Peters, Director of Crop Stewardship at The Land Institute.

By focusing on gradual adoption rather than requiring a complete overhaul of product formulations, Perennial Percent provides a practical path for food and beverage manufacturers to utilize perennial grains. The label indicates a company’s commitment to ecological change toward healthy crops, soil, water, and air from transitioning to perennial agriculture.

The Land Institute is a nonprofit research organization dedicated to developing perennial grain crops as a sustainable alternative to annual agriculture. Through its research and development efforts, The Land Institute aims to create a more resilient and ecologically sound food system.

Bang Brewing leads the charge

The Perennial Percent label is open to any food or beverage containing at least 1% of Kernza perennial grain. Other perennial grains may be considered for inclusion in the program in the future.

Sandy Boss Febbo, owner and brewer at Bang Brewing in St. Paul, Minn., helped spark and name the broader Perennial Percent initiative. Bang, which began brewing with Kernza in 2017, was the first brewery to include the grain in its entire beer line-up 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,” says Boss Febbo. “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.”

Food and beverage makers interested in participating in the program can learn more at the Perennial Percent label web page or contact The Land Institute’s Crop Stewardship Program to enroll their products and receive a brand guide. The first 20 members enrolled before January 2026 will benefit from waived fees for their initial year of participation.

The Perennial Percent initiative and related collaborators include:

The Perennial Percent label is supported by AFRI Sustainable Agricultural Systems Coordinated Agricultural Program (SAS-CAP) grant no. 2020-68012-31934 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.