As consumers increasingly seek foods that support both personal wellness and the wellness of the planet, plant-based and sustainable diets have moved from niche to mainstream. According to Innova Market Insights, regions across the globe are launching more plant-based products. Asia’s market saw a 85% compound annual growth rate from 2018 to 2022. 

Understanding what defines plant-based and sustainable diets—and how they intersect with sustainability goals—can help foodservice operators, manufacturers, and suppliers make informed decisions that balance nutrition, flavor, cost, environmental and social impact.

What Is a Plant-Based Diet? 

A plant-based diet is high in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains while also limiting saturated fat, sugar, and salt.

Common plant-based diets include veganism and vegetarianism, which apply strict rules to cutting out all or most animal-based foods like meat, dairy, and eggs. 

Flexitarianism, primarily eating a plant-based diet while occasionally incorporating animal products, is also a common plant-based diet. The Mediterranean diet is a prime example of the flexitarian persuasion—a diet that’s largely rooted in plant-based foods, as well as seafood and animal products in moderation.

What to Serve on a Plant-Based Diet 

If you think vegetables, beans, and fruits are the end-all-be-all of foods on a plant-based diet, it may seem rather limiting. However, according to Jackie Schulz, Senior Director of Global Nutrition at Griffith Foods, variety is one of the most important things to focus on to see the benefits of plant-based diets.

“By consuming a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein sources, a plant-based diet can be a complete and healthy option. That said, a plant-based diet can also be unhealthy if it is characterized by high intakes of energy dense, nutrient poor foods.” 

Benefits and Considerations

According to Schulz, benefits from a plant-based diet can include:

• Enhanced Nutrition: Plant-based foods tend to be higher in fiber and lower in saturated fats.
• Rich with Vitamins and Minerals: Fruits, vegetables, and legumes are a good source of essential vitamins and minerals.
• Reduced Disease Risk: Vegetarian and Mediterranean diets have been shown to reduce the risk of age-associated non-communicable diseases, such as certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease.

However, solely plant-based foods also have considerable shortcomings if the nutrition of your meals is not properly planned. 

• Lacking in Certain Nutrients: Plant-based diets can be lower in vitamins such as vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron, and calcium.
• Unpleasant Flavors: Some plant-based products, particularly those that are trying to mimic meat products (like alternative meat burgers or chicken), can have an earthy, vegetal taste that some consumers find unappealing.
• Lower Satiety: If protein is not prioritized, consumers may feel less satisfied. 

Fortunately, a diet enriched with fortified foods and finely-tuned flavors can easily avoid these common drawbacks.

What Is a Sustainable Diet? 

A sustainable diet is one with low environmental impacts that also contribute to food and nutrition security, as well as healthy lives for present and future generations.

Many studies find that plant-based and vegan diets are often considered the most sustainable diets. EAT-Lancet produced the Planetary Health Diet, one of many emerging plant-based sustainable diets rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes. Other sustainable diets include the Nordic diet, which focuses on plant-based foods, local and seasonal produce, fish, whole grains, and reduced meat and sugar.

What to Serve for a Sustainable Diet 

To reduce total environmental impact, restaurants and suppliers should buy from sustainable sources, such as local and seasonal ingredients. Products and ingredients should also consider helping local farmers diversify crop output or support their regenerative agriculture initiatives.

Granted, these aspirations are often not possible—or economically viable. In these cases, working with a sustainability-focused supplier can help you reduce your impact and generate positive opportunities for those in the food system.

Serving dishes free of certain animal products or in smaller portions can help address concerns regarding their contributions to global emissions. 

Benefits and Considerations

We often see that sustainable diets and plant-based diets largely overlap, since plant-based diets can be more eco-friendly. 

The benefits and considerations consumers should consider before switching to a sustainable diet are largely the same—consumers and food developers should ensure their sustainable offerings are enriched with variety and added nutrients.

The United Nations estimates the food industry is responsible for 30% of global energy consumption and 22% of gases that contribute to global warming. Sustainable diets include the improvement of environmental impacts.

Another benefit includes the improvement of health and wellness for generations to come—establishing a pattern of regenerative agriculture, sustainable eating, and food security. 

Aligning Supply Chain, Products, and Sustainability Goals

To truly achieve sustainable and appealing offerings, you must be able to balance consumer demands for health, flavor, and sustainability with environmental and social stewardship. Doing so can not only position your offerings as compatible with sustainable eating, it can have far-reaching positive impacts on the earth.

Where do you start in your pursuit of sustainability goals? As a company that recently committed to prioritizing a nutritious and sustainable portfolio, we learned the transformation of a culinary portfolio begins with the ingredients at the top of your supply chain.

Leverage Sustainable Sourcing 

Effective alignment with modern sustainable sourcing requires “farm to factory” traceability. For example, TEROVA focuses on a farmer-first approach for ingredients while providing education and incentives for farmers to adopt sustainable practices to improve soil quality and yields.

Griffith Foods also believes sourcing strategies must ensure workers’ rights are protected and that deforestation is avoided throughout the supply chain. 

Address Consumer Needs and Trends

Consumers today are “hungry and confused”—a report from McKinsey & Company found that consumers want to eat both more healthily (50%) and sustainably (33%). However, many are left confused about how to achieve these goals.

One approach is to design products that are powered by protein—leveraging plant and hybrid proteins, reducing overall meat consumption while leaving customers satisfied with lower costs and satiating meals.

Another route is to utilize ingredients like legumes and ancient grains, which are both nutrient-dense and leave a smaller environmental footprint. In some regions of the world, these ingredients are traditionally grown by communities of small-scale farmers as a path to income diversification.

Incorporate Sustainability into Product Design 

Sustainability is not just a corporate metric, but rather a key attribute in product design. This introduces a unique and exciting challenge—figuring out how to reduce ingredients that leave a large carbon footprint while also increasing helpful nutrients and maintaining craveable flavor.

Culinarians should consider starting with incremental changes to meet these expectations. Significant impact can be made through small tweaks, like blending plant and animal proteins or bringing plant-based proteins like legumes and nuts to the center of the plate.

Let’s Build a Sustainable Future

By aligning sustainability goals with consumer needs and supply chain strategies—and leveraging sustainable and plant-based foods—companies can create offerings that are not only better for the planet, but also satisfying, accessible, and scalable for the future of food.

Feeling inspired to develop more offerings that support the wellness of both people and the planet? Learn more in our 2030 Aspirations and join us in our journey to nourish the world. 

View original content here.

Our Sustainability Journey
At Griffith Foods, we are committed to driving positive impact through a regenerative mindset. Sustainability is connected to everything we do as a business, and by 2030, we are dedicated to significantly improving the future with a singular sustainable business strategy that we call our 2030 Aspirations. To learn more about Griffith Foods and its current sustainability efforts, visit them online and download the 2024 Sustainability Report. 

About Griffith Foods
At Griffith Foods, our purpose defines who we are, what we do, and why we exist, highlighting what makes us distinct and authentic in the marketplace. We help our partners meet the evolving needs and desires of consumers in ways that respect and sustain the planet. Our care and creativity mean we’ll find the right mix of global reach and local impact to serve the earth and nourish all of us who call it home.

As consumers increasingly seek foods that support both personal wellness and the wellness of the planet, plant-based and sustainable diets have moved from niche to mainstream. According to Innova Market Insights, regions across the globe are launching more plant-based products. Asia’s market saw a 85% compound annual growth rate from 2018 to 2022. 

Understanding what defines plant-based and sustainable diets—and how they intersect with sustainability goals—can help foodservice operators, manufacturers, and suppliers make informed decisions that balance nutrition, flavor, cost, environmental and social impact.

What Is a Plant-Based Diet? 

A plant-based diet is high in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains while also limiting saturated fat, sugar, and salt.

Common plant-based diets include veganism and vegetarianism, which apply strict rules to cutting out all or most animal-based foods like meat, dairy, and eggs. 

Flexitarianism, primarily eating a plant-based diet while occasionally incorporating animal products, is also a common plant-based diet. The Mediterranean diet is a prime example of the flexitarian persuasion—a diet that’s largely rooted in plant-based foods, as well as seafood and animal products in moderation.

What to Serve on a Plant-Based Diet 

If you think vegetables, beans, and fruits are the end-all-be-all of foods on a plant-based diet, it may seem rather limiting. However, according to Jackie Schulz, Senior Director of Global Nutrition at Griffith Foods, variety is one of the most important things to focus on to see the benefits of plant-based diets.

“By consuming a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein sources, a plant-based diet can be a complete and healthy option. That said, a plant-based diet can also be unhealthy if it is characterized by high intakes of energy dense, nutrient poor foods.” 

Benefits and Considerations

According to Schulz, benefits from a plant-based diet can include:

• Enhanced Nutrition: Plant-based foods tend to be higher in fiber and lower in saturated fats.
• Rich with Vitamins and Minerals: Fruits, vegetables, and legumes are a good source of essential vitamins and minerals.
• Reduced Disease Risk: Vegetarian and Mediterranean diets have been shown to reduce the risk of age-associated non-communicable diseases, such as certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease.

However, solely plant-based foods also have considerable shortcomings if the nutrition of your meals is not properly planned. 

• Lacking in Certain Nutrients: Plant-based diets can be lower in vitamins such as vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron, and calcium.
• Unpleasant Flavors: Some plant-based products, particularly those that are trying to mimic meat products (like alternative meat burgers or chicken), can have an earthy, vegetal taste that some consumers find unappealing.
• Lower Satiety: If protein is not prioritized, consumers may feel less satisfied. 

Fortunately, a diet enriched with fortified foods and finely-tuned flavors can easily avoid these common drawbacks.

What Is a Sustainable Diet? 

A sustainable diet is one with low environmental impacts that also contribute to food and nutrition security, as well as healthy lives for present and future generations.

Many studies find that plant-based and vegan diets are often considered the most sustainable diets. EAT-Lancet produced the Planetary Health Diet, one of many emerging plant-based sustainable diets rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes. Other sustainable diets include the Nordic diet, which focuses on plant-based foods, local and seasonal produce, fish, whole grains, and reduced meat and sugar.

What to Serve for a Sustainable Diet 

To reduce total environmental impact, restaurants and suppliers should buy from sustainable sources, such as local and seasonal ingredients. Products and ingredients should also consider helping local farmers diversify crop output or support their regenerative agriculture initiatives.

Granted, these aspirations are often not possible—or economically viable. In these cases, working with a sustainability-focused supplier can help you reduce your impact and generate positive opportunities for those in the food system.

Serving dishes free of certain animal products or in smaller portions can help address concerns regarding their contributions to global emissions. 

Benefits and Considerations

We often see that sustainable diets and plant-based diets largely overlap, since plant-based diets can be more eco-friendly. 

The benefits and considerations consumers should consider before switching to a sustainable diet are largely the same—consumers and food developers should ensure their sustainable offerings are enriched with variety and added nutrients.

The United Nations estimates the food industry is responsible for 30% of global energy consumption and 22% of gases that contribute to global warming. Sustainable diets include the improvement of environmental impacts.

Another benefit includes the improvement of health and wellness for generations to come—establishing a pattern of regenerative agriculture, sustainable eating, and food security. 

Aligning Supply Chain, Products, and Sustainability Goals

To truly achieve sustainable and appealing offerings, you must be able to balance consumer demands for health, flavor, and sustainability with environmental and social stewardship. Doing so can not only position your offerings as compatible with sustainable eating, it can have far-reaching positive impacts on the earth.

Where do you start in your pursuit of sustainability goals? As a company that recently committed to prioritizing a nutritious and sustainable portfolio, we learned the transformation of a culinary portfolio begins with the ingredients at the top of your supply chain.

Leverage Sustainable Sourcing 

Effective alignment with modern sustainable sourcing requires “farm to factory” traceability. For example, TEROVA focuses on a farmer-first approach for ingredients while providing education and incentives for farmers to adopt sustainable practices to improve soil quality and yields.

Griffith Foods also believes sourcing strategies must ensure workers’ rights are protected and that deforestation is avoided throughout the supply chain. 

Address Consumer Needs and Trends

Consumers today are “hungry and confused”—a report from McKinsey & Company found that consumers want to eat both more healthily (50%) and sustainably (33%). However, many are left confused about how to achieve these goals.

One approach is to design products that are powered by protein—leveraging plant and hybrid proteins, reducing overall meat consumption while leaving customers satisfied with lower costs and satiating meals.

Another route is to utilize ingredients like legumes and ancient grains, which are both nutrient-dense and leave a smaller environmental footprint. In some regions of the world, these ingredients are traditionally grown by communities of small-scale farmers as a path to income diversification.

Incorporate Sustainability into Product Design 

Sustainability is not just a corporate metric, but rather a key attribute in product design. This introduces a unique and exciting challenge—figuring out how to reduce ingredients that leave a large carbon footprint while also increasing helpful nutrients and maintaining craveable flavor.

Culinarians should consider starting with incremental changes to meet these expectations. Significant impact can be made through small tweaks, like blending plant and animal proteins or bringing plant-based proteins like legumes and nuts to the center of the plate.

Let’s Build a Sustainable Future

By aligning sustainability goals with consumer needs and supply chain strategies—and leveraging sustainable and plant-based foods—companies can create offerings that are not only better for the planet, but also satisfying, accessible, and scalable for the future of food.

Feeling inspired to develop more offerings that support the wellness of both people and the planet? Learn more in our 2030 Aspirations and join us in our journey to nourish the world. 

View original content here.

Our Sustainability Journey
At Griffith Foods, we are committed to driving positive impact through a regenerative mindset. Sustainability is connected to everything we do as a business, and by 2030, we are dedicated to significantly improving the future with a singular sustainable business strategy that we call our 2030 Aspirations. To learn more about Griffith Foods and its current sustainability efforts, visit them online and download the 2024 Sustainability Report. 

About Griffith Foods
At Griffith Foods, our purpose defines who we are, what we do, and why we exist, highlighting what makes us distinct and authentic in the marketplace. We help our partners meet the evolving needs and desires of consumers in ways that respect and sustain the planet. Our care and creativity mean we’ll find the right mix of global reach and local impact to serve the earth and nourish all of us who call it home.

By Leigh Phipps

Three Things to Remember

1. Electric utilities seek innovative engineering solutions to meet load growth demands, strengthen the grid against extreme weather and cybersecurity threats, and maintain reliability.
2. Leidos AI-enabled solutions offer engineering designs that help electric utilities in their mission to harden the grid while also reducing costs, automating administrative tasks to save time and human capital, and accelerating project timelines.
3. Leidos is making significant investments in innovative technologies to provide utilities with cost-saving engineering solutions now and in the future.

Electric utilities face mounting pressure to deliver safe, reliable, and cost-effective power to their customers while navigating the challenges of frequent and severe storm events, surging load growth driven largely by data centers, and cyber threats. Aging infrastructure and limited resources present major obstacles to utilities as they work to meet growing demands, control costs, and maintain service reliability.

With too much to do and not enough time, money, or people to do it, electric utilities are looking for solutions, including AI and cloud-based technologies. Leidos, as a trusted engineering provider, is using our SkyWire™ suite of AI-enabled solutions to optimize engineering efforts and help utilities meet their most pressing needs. 

“The future of the power industry depends on smarter tools that unlock the full potential of our workforce. Our intelligent AI-enabled tooling combines automation, accuracy, and real-world insight to help our partners build, maintain, and modernize the grid with confidence.”

Ken Angeliu, Lead Automation Engineer

Using innovative technologies in planning

Investing in a modernized grid fortifies and protects the grid. Grid resilience is one of our best defenses against both natural and manmade disasters. The advent of AI-enabled technology like Leidos’ SkyWire Planning allows utilities to cost-effectively design and plan a better grid by improving engineering efficiency and optimizing capital investments.

By using AI-powered tools to accelerate and expand modeling and simulation, engineers can spend less time (and utilities can spend less capital) on modeling, forecasting, capital plan options, recommendations, and documentation, and focus on larger design, engineering, and investment decisions. When engineers have the tools to work smarter and faster in the engineering phase, it reduces the cost pressures utilities face during construction, operations, and maintenance.

How AI and innovation solve distribution challenges

Utilities are balancing significant increases in distribution capital spending with a shortage in a skilled engineering workforce. To meet these pressing needs, Leidos leverages sophisticated automation tools that use existing resources to allow us to execute more work, faster.

Leveraging AI-enabled technologies, Leidos has developed a proprietary end-to-end platform to streamline the execution of fielding and design into one web-based platform: SkyWire Distribution. Designed with customization in mind, SkyWire can be developed to fully integrate with utilities’ existing platforms, increasing functionality and efficiency. The SkyWire platform is made up of two key components: an iOS fielding application and web-based design software. Field data and photos are collected and validated through the SkyWire fielding application with unparalleled accuracy. The captured data, photos, and field notes are then automatically uploaded to the SkyWire design platform. Once ready for engineering design, SkyWire uses sophisticated tools to accelerate important engineering steps and deliverables, including pole loading analysis, clearance analysis, automated construction prints, and permitting. 

AI-enabled transmission line solutions

The Department of Energy estimates that the power grid must double in size by the year 2050 to meet load growth demand driven by data centers and additional usage demands. To illustrate this in real terms, electric utilities must double the number of transmission lines across the U.S. from half a million to one million miles. Intensifying this need for growth is a very real shortage of skilled labor — presenting additional challenges for an industry already resource constrained.  

By harnessing a proprietary Leidos transmission line design solution – SkyWire Transmission – Leidos can evaluate multiple combinations of structures and conductors, as well as optimal locations for placement. This entire process can be completed in days, not months as is typical without the use of AI. This production speed empowers utilities to make smart capital decisions and address their most pressing transmission needs head-on, while exploring efficiency options not previously considered or available.

Cybersecurity solutions bolstered by AI-enabled technologies

As utilities adopt cutting-edge technologies, they inadvertently expose themselves to increased cybersecurity risks. Adversaries, including AI-enabled and sophisticated state-sponsored actors, perpetually seek out and exploit weaknesses within control systems, communication infrastructures, and software frameworks.

Leidos offers AI-assisted defensive cyber solutions to protect the grid from cyberattack, including advanced persistent threats (APT). We provide innovative solutions, such as AI-enabled multi-layer security protection; advanced threat detection; real-time, evolving threat mitigation; vulnerability assessment, monitoring; and critical infrastructure visibility for Network Operations Center (NOC) / Security Operations Center (SOC) personnel. This proactive approach to threat detection enhances situational awareness and enables utilities to mitigate cyber threats before they escalate into full-blown incidents.

Deploying advanced monitoring tools and intrusion detection systems enables utilities to continuously monitor network traffic and detect potential cyber threats proactively. By leveraging real-time threat intelligence and offensive behavioral analytics, utilities can prevent novel cybersecurity events, not just react to them once they happen.

Innovation and automation: Partnering for success

When electric utilities face complex challenges that demand innovative solutions, partnering with a forward-thinking organization like Leidos provides access to cutting-edge technologies and unparalleled expertise. By leveraging advanced automation tools and processes such as the SkyWire suite of solutions, we deliver rapid, accurate, and cost-effective results to utilities who are balancing capital budgets and accelerated project timelines. Additionally, Leidos designed SkyWire to integrate with existing technologies within the utilities. By tapping into sophisticated automation tools, utilities are now more able to meet their need to provide a stronger, more resilient grid.

By Leigh Phipps

Three Things to Remember

1. Electric utilities seek innovative engineering solutions to meet load growth demands, strengthen the grid against extreme weather and cybersecurity threats, and maintain reliability.
2. Leidos AI-enabled solutions offer engineering designs that help electric utilities in their mission to harden the grid while also reducing costs, automating administrative tasks to save time and human capital, and accelerating project timelines.
3. Leidos is making significant investments in innovative technologies to provide utilities with cost-saving engineering solutions now and in the future.

Electric utilities face mounting pressure to deliver safe, reliable, and cost-effective power to their customers while navigating the challenges of frequent and severe storm events, surging load growth driven largely by data centers, and cyber threats. Aging infrastructure and limited resources present major obstacles to utilities as they work to meet growing demands, control costs, and maintain service reliability.

With too much to do and not enough time, money, or people to do it, electric utilities are looking for solutions, including AI and cloud-based technologies. Leidos, as a trusted engineering provider, is using our SkyWire™ suite of AI-enabled solutions to optimize engineering efforts and help utilities meet their most pressing needs. 

“The future of the power industry depends on smarter tools that unlock the full potential of our workforce. Our intelligent AI-enabled tooling combines automation, accuracy, and real-world insight to help our partners build, maintain, and modernize the grid with confidence.”

Ken Angeliu, Lead Automation Engineer

Using innovative technologies in planning

Investing in a modernized grid fortifies and protects the grid. Grid resilience is one of our best defenses against both natural and manmade disasters. The advent of AI-enabled technology like Leidos’ SkyWire Planning allows utilities to cost-effectively design and plan a better grid by improving engineering efficiency and optimizing capital investments.

By using AI-powered tools to accelerate and expand modeling and simulation, engineers can spend less time (and utilities can spend less capital) on modeling, forecasting, capital plan options, recommendations, and documentation, and focus on larger design, engineering, and investment decisions. When engineers have the tools to work smarter and faster in the engineering phase, it reduces the cost pressures utilities face during construction, operations, and maintenance.

How AI and innovation solve distribution challenges

Utilities are balancing significant increases in distribution capital spending with a shortage in a skilled engineering workforce. To meet these pressing needs, Leidos leverages sophisticated automation tools that use existing resources to allow us to execute more work, faster.

Leveraging AI-enabled technologies, Leidos has developed a proprietary end-to-end platform to streamline the execution of fielding and design into one web-based platform: SkyWire Distribution. Designed with customization in mind, SkyWire can be developed to fully integrate with utilities’ existing platforms, increasing functionality and efficiency. The SkyWire platform is made up of two key components: an iOS fielding application and web-based design software. Field data and photos are collected and validated through the SkyWire fielding application with unparalleled accuracy. The captured data, photos, and field notes are then automatically uploaded to the SkyWire design platform. Once ready for engineering design, SkyWire uses sophisticated tools to accelerate important engineering steps and deliverables, including pole loading analysis, clearance analysis, automated construction prints, and permitting. 

AI-enabled transmission line solutions

The Department of Energy estimates that the power grid must double in size by the year 2050 to meet load growth demand driven by data centers and additional usage demands. To illustrate this in real terms, electric utilities must double the number of transmission lines across the U.S. from half a million to one million miles. Intensifying this need for growth is a very real shortage of skilled labor — presenting additional challenges for an industry already resource constrained.  

By harnessing a proprietary Leidos transmission line design solution – SkyWire Transmission – Leidos can evaluate multiple combinations of structures and conductors, as well as optimal locations for placement. This entire process can be completed in days, not months as is typical without the use of AI. This production speed empowers utilities to make smart capital decisions and address their most pressing transmission needs head-on, while exploring efficiency options not previously considered or available.

Cybersecurity solutions bolstered by AI-enabled technologies

As utilities adopt cutting-edge technologies, they inadvertently expose themselves to increased cybersecurity risks. Adversaries, including AI-enabled and sophisticated state-sponsored actors, perpetually seek out and exploit weaknesses within control systems, communication infrastructures, and software frameworks.

Leidos offers AI-assisted defensive cyber solutions to protect the grid from cyberattack, including advanced persistent threats (APT). We provide innovative solutions, such as AI-enabled multi-layer security protection; advanced threat detection; real-time, evolving threat mitigation; vulnerability assessment, monitoring; and critical infrastructure visibility for Network Operations Center (NOC) / Security Operations Center (SOC) personnel. This proactive approach to threat detection enhances situational awareness and enables utilities to mitigate cyber threats before they escalate into full-blown incidents.

Deploying advanced monitoring tools and intrusion detection systems enables utilities to continuously monitor network traffic and detect potential cyber threats proactively. By leveraging real-time threat intelligence and offensive behavioral analytics, utilities can prevent novel cybersecurity events, not just react to them once they happen.

Innovation and automation: Partnering for success

When electric utilities face complex challenges that demand innovative solutions, partnering with a forward-thinking organization like Leidos provides access to cutting-edge technologies and unparalleled expertise. By leveraging advanced automation tools and processes such as the SkyWire suite of solutions, we deliver rapid, accurate, and cost-effective results to utilities who are balancing capital budgets and accelerated project timelines. Additionally, Leidos designed SkyWire to integrate with existing technologies within the utilities. By tapping into sophisticated automation tools, utilities are now more able to meet their need to provide a stronger, more resilient grid.

February 17, 2026 /3BL/ – A new shared infrastructure for impact reporting is now underway. The Impact Reporting Network, powered by the leading impact measurement platform True Impact, enables nonprofits to create a single outcomes report and choose where and when to share it across participating platforms where funders and donors make decisions – reducing duplicative reporting while keeping nonprofits in control of how their information is used. Charity Navigator, the country’s largest independent nonprofit evaluator, and YourCause from Blackbaud join True Impact to launch a network that enables nonprofit outcomes to reach millions of donors and funders while reducing the reporting burden and making credible outcomes data more useful across the sector.

True Impact partnered with Charity Navigator to create the Impact Reporting Network to address a long-standing challenge in the sector: rising impact reporting expectations for different audiences and formats. Rather than taking a top-down approach or introducing another standalone tool, the Network aligns partners around True Impact’s reporting approach, giving nonprofits the option to submit one report that can be shared across platforms. In a constrained funding environment, this shared infrastructure makes it possible to scale credible impact data while reducing reporting burden and improving consistency.

“Nonprofits have been asked for years to prove their impact in ways that don’t always reflect how they actually work,” said Farron Levy, Founder and CEO of True Impact. “The Impact Reporting Network creates a new path forward–one where nonprofits can report in a common format, share their results across multiple platforms, and have their work recognized based on the outcomes they are creating. By sharing what works, we’re building a social sector that can learn faster and achieve more good.”

As part of the Network’s launch, Charity Navigator is embedding True Impact’s guided impact reporting module directly into its Nonprofit Portal, making it easier for nonprofits to showcase to potential donors their outcomes and impact within the trusted Charity Navigator rating. To donors, this translates into clear visibility of a nonprofit’s results, regardless of the specific mission size or type.

“Expanding how outcomes and impacts are reflected in our ratings has long been a priority for Charity Navigator,” said Michael Thatcher, President and CEO of Charity Navigator. “By participating in the Impact Reporting Network, we’re making it easier for nonprofits to share their results and for donors to access deeper and more meaningful information so that they can give with confidence.”

As a signature partner, YourCause from Blackbaud brings the Impact Reporting Network directly into the corporate philanthropy, employee giving, and volunteerism workflows used by leading companies and foundations. Nonprofit outcomes data from the Network will now flow into YourCause, giving funders earlier, more consistent insight into the results of their giving. Later this year, YourCause will also embed True Impact-powered impact reporting directly within the Blackbaud Verified Network portal, giving nonprofits a one-stop destination to submit impact reports to corporate funders while also providing the option to share the results across the Impact Reporting Network.

“Blackbaud is here to empower the people and institutions changing the world – accelerating human progress and building a future where resources move at the speed of need,” said Dale Strange, Senior Vice President and Head of Corporate Impact at Blackbaud. “We are committed to doing anything we can to remove friction from the systems that drive the social impact sector, which is why we’re participating in the Impact Reporting Network to help mission-driven organizations do more with less.”

How the Impact Reporting Network Works

The Network is powered by True Impact’s reporting infrastructure, including its APIs, outcomes taxonomy, and analytics platform. Nonprofits can create impact reports either directly through True Impact or via embedded reporting within partner platforms like Charity Navigator and YourCause from Blackbaud.

Participation is entirely opt-in and nonprofit-led. Nonprofits choose whether to create reports, and whether to share them across the Network. This approach was designed specifically to put nonprofits in control of their own information.

U.S.-based nonprofits can begin creating impact reports now through a pilot phase within Charity Navigator’s Nonprofit Portal, and eligible nonprofits that choose to participate may receive an impact-based rating. Nonprofits can learn more and check eligibility at www.charitynavigator.org/portal. YourCause from Blackbaud will launch its embedded reporting module later in 2026, expanding access for nonprofits already working with corporate and foundation funders.

Looking Ahead

The Impact Reporting Network is designed to expand and evolve in response to the needs of nonprofits and donors. Additional partners will be joining in the coming months and years, expanding where and how credible outcomes data can be reused across the sector – while keeping nonprofits in control of when and how their information is shared.

About True Impact

True Impact is a Public Benefit Corporation and Certified B Corp that helps nonprofits, funders, and Fortune 1000 companies measure and maximize the results of their charitable initiatives. With over 20 years of experience, True Impact combines expert guidance with a leading impact measurement platform to make it easy for nonprofits to demonstrate outcomes and for foundation teams to drive strategic decisions, strengthen partnerships, and showcase results. True Impact provides the infrastructure that enables the Impact Reporting Network, helping thousands of organizations reduce reporting burden and use impact data to drive better decisions. Learn more at trueimpact.com.

About Charity Navigator

Founded in 2002, Charity Navigator is a 501(c)(3) organization that guides intelligent giving with the nation’s largest, most comprehensive charity evaluation system. The organization helps donors easily identify U.S.-registered charities making a difference on the issues they care about most while assisting charities to share their impact through data and increase awareness and funding. Learn more at charitynavigator.org

About YourCause from Blackbaud

YourCause from Blackbaud is a leading corporate social responsibility and employee engagement platform that connects companies, employees, and nonprofits to drive social impact. Part of Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB), a leading provider of software for powering social impact, YourCause helps corporations and foundations manage their giving programs, engage employees in volunteerism and donations, and measure the outcomes of their philanthropic investments. Learn more at yourcause.com.

Media Contacts

True Impact

Gabe Cohen
VP of Partnerships and Growth gcohen@trueimpact.com
410-903-1307

Charity Navigator

Kelly Ramirez
Director, Communications and Public Relations kramirez@charitynavigator.org
201-345-5081

February 17, 2026 /3BL/ – A new shared infrastructure for impact reporting is now underway. The Impact Reporting Network, powered by the leading impact measurement platform True Impact, enables nonprofits to create a single outcomes report and choose where and when to share it across participating platforms where funders and donors make decisions – reducing duplicative reporting while keeping nonprofits in control of how their information is used. Charity Navigator, the country’s largest independent nonprofit evaluator, and YourCause from Blackbaud join True Impact to launch a network that enables nonprofit outcomes to reach millions of donors and funders while reducing the reporting burden and making credible outcomes data more useful across the sector.

True Impact partnered with Charity Navigator to create the Impact Reporting Network to address a long-standing challenge in the sector: rising impact reporting expectations for different audiences and formats. Rather than taking a top-down approach or introducing another standalone tool, the Network aligns partners around True Impact’s reporting approach, giving nonprofits the option to submit one report that can be shared across platforms. In a constrained funding environment, this shared infrastructure makes it possible to scale credible impact data while reducing reporting burden and improving consistency.

“Nonprofits have been asked for years to prove their impact in ways that don’t always reflect how they actually work,” said Farron Levy, Founder and CEO of True Impact. “The Impact Reporting Network creates a new path forward–one where nonprofits can report in a common format, share their results across multiple platforms, and have their work recognized based on the outcomes they are creating. By sharing what works, we’re building a social sector that can learn faster and achieve more good.”

As part of the Network’s launch, Charity Navigator is embedding True Impact’s guided impact reporting module directly into its Nonprofit Portal, making it easier for nonprofits to showcase to potential donors their outcomes and impact within the trusted Charity Navigator rating. To donors, this translates into clear visibility of a nonprofit’s results, regardless of the specific mission size or type.

“Expanding how outcomes and impacts are reflected in our ratings has long been a priority for Charity Navigator,” said Michael Thatcher, President and CEO of Charity Navigator. “By participating in the Impact Reporting Network, we’re making it easier for nonprofits to share their results and for donors to access deeper and more meaningful information so that they can give with confidence.”

As a signature partner, YourCause from Blackbaud brings the Impact Reporting Network directly into the corporate philanthropy, employee giving, and volunteerism workflows used by leading companies and foundations. Nonprofit outcomes data from the Network will now flow into YourCause, giving funders earlier, more consistent insight into the results of their giving. Later this year, YourCause will also embed True Impact-powered impact reporting directly within the Blackbaud Verified Network portal, giving nonprofits a one-stop destination to submit impact reports to corporate funders while also providing the option to share the results across the Impact Reporting Network.

“Blackbaud is here to empower the people and institutions changing the world – accelerating human progress and building a future where resources move at the speed of need,” said Dale Strange, Senior Vice President and Head of Corporate Impact at Blackbaud. “We are committed to doing anything we can to remove friction from the systems that drive the social impact sector, which is why we’re participating in the Impact Reporting Network to help mission-driven organizations do more with less.”

How the Impact Reporting Network Works

The Network is powered by True Impact’s reporting infrastructure, including its APIs, outcomes taxonomy, and analytics platform. Nonprofits can create impact reports either directly through True Impact or via embedded reporting within partner platforms like Charity Navigator and YourCause from Blackbaud.

Participation is entirely opt-in and nonprofit-led. Nonprofits choose whether to create reports, and whether to share them across the Network. This approach was designed specifically to put nonprofits in control of their own information.

U.S.-based nonprofits can begin creating impact reports now through a pilot phase within Charity Navigator’s Nonprofit Portal, and eligible nonprofits that choose to participate may receive an impact-based rating. Nonprofits can learn more and check eligibility at www.charitynavigator.org/portal. YourCause from Blackbaud will launch its embedded reporting module later in 2026, expanding access for nonprofits already working with corporate and foundation funders.

Looking Ahead

The Impact Reporting Network is designed to expand and evolve in response to the needs of nonprofits and donors. Additional partners will be joining in the coming months and years, expanding where and how credible outcomes data can be reused across the sector – while keeping nonprofits in control of when and how their information is shared.

About True Impact

True Impact is a Public Benefit Corporation and Certified B Corp that helps nonprofits, funders, and Fortune 1000 companies measure and maximize the results of their charitable initiatives. With over 20 years of experience, True Impact combines expert guidance with a leading impact measurement platform to make it easy for nonprofits to demonstrate outcomes and for foundation teams to drive strategic decisions, strengthen partnerships, and showcase results. True Impact provides the infrastructure that enables the Impact Reporting Network, helping thousands of organizations reduce reporting burden and use impact data to drive better decisions. Learn more at trueimpact.com.

About Charity Navigator

Founded in 2002, Charity Navigator is a 501(c)(3) organization that guides intelligent giving with the nation’s largest, most comprehensive charity evaluation system. The organization helps donors easily identify U.S.-registered charities making a difference on the issues they care about most while assisting charities to share their impact through data and increase awareness and funding. Learn more at charitynavigator.org

About YourCause from Blackbaud

YourCause from Blackbaud is a leading corporate social responsibility and employee engagement platform that connects companies, employees, and nonprofits to drive social impact. Part of Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB), a leading provider of software for powering social impact, YourCause helps corporations and foundations manage their giving programs, engage employees in volunteerism and donations, and measure the outcomes of their philanthropic investments. Learn more at yourcause.com.

Media Contacts

True Impact

Gabe Cohen
VP of Partnerships and Growth gcohen@trueimpact.com
410-903-1307

Charity Navigator

Kelly Ramirez
Director, Communications and Public Relations kramirez@charitynavigator.org
201-345-5081