ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, US — Benson Hill, Inc. has achieved ProTerra Certification for its proprietary non-GMO soy portfolio, one of the first US-based ingredient providers to verify its sustainable practices under the rigorous global standard for sustainable agricultural and labor practices as well as segregated non-GMO programs and more. 

Benson Hill joins the respected ProTerra Network, a group of companies dedicated to sustainable practices and continuous improvement. The ProTerra Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in the Netherlands that advances and promotes sustainability at all levels of the feed and food production system.

The ProTerra Certification program promotes social and environmental sustainability through food and feed supply chains, to support efforts to continuously improve day-to-day business operations and to help organizations to engage and implement the concept of sustainable development.

Benson Hill completed audits of its Creston, Iowa, and Seymour, Indiana, US, plants as well as two shipping ports that store and transport its non-GMO soymeal. Benson Hill also partnered with its growers to conduct several on-farm visits. These in-depth audits examined data related to identity preservation along with deforestation practices, biodiversity efforts, and other Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) metrics such as fair labor practices.

“Through our journey with ProTerra, we gained important insights to solidify our position as a global ingredients company focused on responsible growth,” said Andres Martin, executive vice president and general manager, International for Benson Hill. “Achieving the ProTerra certification standard is a testament to the ESG principles guiding our work to sustainably deliver our non-GMO soybean portfolio to markets within and outside the United States.”

ProTerra certification ensures that high quality supplies of crops, food and feed, that are independently certified as non-GMO and produced with improved sustainability, are available on the global market. Benson Hill’s proprietary soy ingredient portfolio, designed to meet specific end uses with less processing and increased traceability, is currently available in North America and in Europe.

The ProTerra standard, against which organizations are certified, is based on the Basel Criteria for Responsible Soy created by Coop Switzerland and World Wildlife Fund.