Verified data. Real insight. | Q1 2026
This is the full companion to our Q1 2026 newsletter. Each section expands on what you read in the email. Use the links below to jump directly to what interests you most.
In this issue:
Notes From the CEO
The movement is real. When we started Edacious, nutrient density was still a niche term. Plenty of nutritional profiling models existed, but almost none could deliver a true apples-to-apples comparison of food quality.
That moment has arrived. Next quarter, Edacious is releasing our Nutritional Quality System, unlocking relative comparison across key commodity foods and exposing the variability that exists within the foods that form the foundation of our diets and the backbone of our agriculture system.
This is our mission in action: helping differentiate food quality. It’s how we aim to help producers and brands get paid for the real work of land stewardship and investment in quality sourcing and production. For the first time, producers and brands can say definitively why their products are different, and why they deserve to be valued.
The data coming out of our lab is incredible. Real differences that show why investing in soil health pays off, why genetics and breeding programs can genuinely move the needle on nutrition, and why testing surfaces hidden value and insight that no generic database will ever give you.
Every day I wake up more bought into this mission. More convinced that the move toward a quality food system is foundational to real systems change, and that Edacious is one key piece of the story helping us reorient around nutrition and health instead of calories and yield.
Thank you for being on this journey with us.
— Eric J. Smith, CEO, Edacious
The Signal
Building a Standard That Holds Up
Across the food industry, a quiet credibility crisis is taking shape. More brands than ever are introducing their own quality icons and self-defined standards, each one promising something meaningful, but few are backed by data that can withstand scrutiny.
The brands building something durable are approaching this differently. They are testing first and claiming second, treating verified nutritional data as the foundation their story is built on rather than a marketing layer added at the end.
Insights From the Lab
What the Eye Can’t See, the Lab Can
Organic romaine lettuce and conventional romaine lettuce are, by any visual measure, the same product. What the label does not show is what is inside, and why the "organic" matters.
In a recent assessment of 48 romaine lettuce samples by Dr. Joseph Blankinship at the University of Arizona, the organic samples came back roughly 2.3 times denser in total micronutrients, a gap that held up as statistically significant across the full sample set.
In Practice
Does How a Cow is Raised Change What's in the Milk?
Brands that prioritize soil health and regenerative practices believe it shows up in the food they produce. Alexandre Family Farm has believed that for years; now they can prove it.
Over the course of a full production year, AFF partnered with Edacious to test milk from five sourcing farms across 60+ nutrient markers, including omega fatty acid ratios, CLA, and key micronutrients. What came back was confirmation that their regenerative, grass-based farming practices produce a measurably different nutritional outcome. With the proof in the data, AFF became one of the first U.S. dairies to feature verified omega balance claims on product packaging, updated their Nutrition Facts panels to reflect farm-specific analytical results, and published their full nutrient profiles publicly through the Edacious platform.
It is one thing to believe in what you are doing. It is another to be able to prove it.
What's New
Built for Brands That Want to Show Their Work
In the last issue, we shared a look at what the Pro Platform had become. Since then, we keep building and improving features and functionality to help our customers. Q2 brought three updates that make your verified data more visible, more comparable, and easier to put to work.
Public Product Pages
Your verified claims, certifications, and food quality data now live on a redesigned public page built to be shared. When a consumer, buyer, or retail partner clicks through, they see your full product story, not just a data table. LEARN MORE →
USDA Benchmarks in the Platform
USDA FoodData Central is now searchable and comparable inside Edacious. Browse records and compare your products against the national benchmark without leaving the platform. LEARN MORE →
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Web Embeds
Embed your certified lab results directly on your website with one line of code. Your data stays current automatically. Every embed links back to your certified analysis. LEARN MORE →
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LOG INTO YOUR EDACIOUS PRO PLATFORM →
A Final Note
We hope you are enjoying The Translation. We'll be back next quarter with more data, more stories, and more insights. Have a question, a story to share, or feedback on this newsletter? Reply directly to this email, we want to hear from you.
— The Edacious Team
