In the search for climate-friendly foods, scientists have spent decades reimagining what grows in the field. But a quieter question has lingered in the background: Will anyone actually want to eat it?

A new study in the journal Agricultural Economics applied this question to intermediate wheatgrass, finding that consumers will pay more for the perennial grain if the sustainability benefits are clearly explained – as long as it tastes good, too.

Better known by its trademarked name, Kernza, intermediate wheatgrass is one of the most closely watched sustainable crops in development. With its deep roots and ability to stay in the ground for years, the crop promises healthier soil, less erosion and reduced fertilizer runoff compared with conventional wheat. Yet despite those environmental advantages, its commercial future hinges on something more immediate: taste – and price.

Research thus far has been a cart-before-the-horse situation, said first author Jie Li, senior research associate in the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management in the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. 

“A few years ago, the research team got a grant to try to understand how to improve the yield of this perennial grain,” she said. “But as for any kind of new food product, it can have environmental benefits only if a consumer will buy it.”

She and Cornell collaborators Miguel Gomez, the Robert G. Tobin Professor of Food Marketing in the Cornell SC Johnson College, and Matt Ryan, professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science, Soil and Crop Sciences Section in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, set about trying to find out. 

The researchers recruited adult consumers in upstate New York to participate in an experimental bread tasting and auction. Participants sampled four artisanal sourdough loaves baked by a local wood-fired bakery: whole wheat, spelt and two versions made with 15% and 25% intermediate wheatgrass (IWG) flour blended with regular wheat flour. Using an auction mechanism designed to encourage people to reveal their true willingness to pay, the researchers measured how much participants would actually be willing to spend on each loaf.

“We tried to craft language to describe the breads that didn’t overexaggerate the benefits,” said Li, who is also director of programs of the Cañizares Center for Emerging Markets. “We referenced language from General Mills, which has expanded its use of Kernza. We used plain language about how, once planted, it can stay in the soil for 3 to 5 years.”

When consumers were given information about IWG’s environmental benefits – including improved soil carbon storage, enhanced biodiversity and reduced nutrient runoff – their willingness to pay increased by 5 to 10% compared with the control breads. The 15% IWG loaf, in particular, maintained a price premium even after tasting, indicating that it met consumer expectations for flavor and texture.

The results suggest cautious optimism for the future popularity of perennial grains, Li said. In the world of food retail, a consistent 5% to 10% edge can signal a viable niche market, especially in the premium bread sector, which in the United States alone is valued at more than $1 billion.

The study arrives at a moment when sustainable food sales are outpacing conventional ones. Between 2016 and 2021, sustainably labeled foods in the U.S. grew significantly faster than their conventional counterparts. Consumers increasingly say they care about how their food is produced. Yet economists and behavioral scientists have long warned of a gap between what shoppers claim they value and what they are willing to pay at the register.

By using an incentive-compatible auction method rather than a hypothetical survey, the researchers sought to narrow that gap. Participants were given $25 and informed that they might actually purchase the bread based on their bids. In other words, their decisions carried real financial consequences.

Unsurprisingly, taste mattered too.

While the bread made with 15% IWG performed well in sensory evaluations, Li said, the 25% version received lower ratings and weaker bids. Previous research has shown that IWG forms a weaker gluten network than traditional wheat, producing denser loaves with less elasticity. In this experiment, 25% appeared to push the limits of what consumers found appealing.

That finding underscores a familiar tension in sustainable agriculture: Environmental performance does not automatically translate into culinary success. Consumers’ expectations, shaped by labels like “sustainable,” “local” or “ancient grain,” can enhance enjoyment when the product delivers. But if taste falls short, enthusiasm can quickly fade.

Li says perennial grains still represents less than 1% of global cereal grain production, in part because yields lag behind annual crops like wheat, corn and rice. Grain output from intermediate wheatgrass also tends to decline over time. Bridging that productivity gap will require continued breeding advances and public investment. But market development is equally crucial. Farmers are unlikely to plant new crops without reliable demand.

“There’s been almost no scientific research on consumer interest,” Li said. 

These findings offer one of the first concrete signals that perennial grains may find a foothold with consumers – provided the product tastes good and the sustainability story is clear.