Where Food Comes From, Inc. Expands Premium Protein Portfolio with Whole Foods Market Adoption of RaiseWell® Certified for Beef

Rhea-AI Summary

Where Food Comes From (Nasdaq: WFCF) announced that Whole Foods Market has adopted RaiseWell® Certified for Beef effective Feb. 19, 2026, marking retailer recognition of WFCF’s new animal-welfare certification.

RaiseWell Certified requires strict animal welfare, no antibiotics or added growth hormones, source-verified livestock traceable to farm of origin, and integrates with WFCF’s CARE Certified sustainability standard.

Positive

• Whole Foods Market adoption of RaiseWell Certified for Beef (Feb. 19, 2026)
• RaiseWell positioned as a market-ready, retailer-backed certification for premium natural proteins

Negative

• None.

News Market Reaction – WFCF

+4.48%

1 alert

+4.48% News Effect

On the day this news was published, WFCF gained 4.48%, reflecting a moderate positive market reaction.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.

Market Reality Check

Price: $12.26 Vol: Volume 555 is 0.36x the 2...

low vol

$12.26 Last Close

Volume Volume 555 is 0.36x the 20-day average of 1,538, suggesting limited pre-news positioning. low

Technical Shares at $11.39 traded slightly below the 200-day MA of $11.56 and about 17% under the 52-week high.

Peers on Argus

WFCF fell 8.81% while peers were mixed: PMEC -4.12%, DLHC -1.44%, TISI -1.81%, b...

WFCF fell 8.81% while peers were mixed: PMEC -4.12%, DLHC -1.44%, TISI -1.81%, but SST +4.01% and NTIP +5.71%, pointing to a stock-specific move.

Historical Context

4 past events · Latest: Jan 06 (Positive)

Pattern 4 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Jan 06	RaiseWell auction launch	Positive	+0.1%	Live auction of first RaiseWell Certified cattle with new verification standard.
Jan 06	RaiseWell standard launch	Positive	+0.1%	Launch of RaiseWell Certified standard for natural livestock production.
Dec 03	Sustainable leather partnership	Positive	+3.1%	CARE Certified sustainable leather collaboration with Pangea, Prime Pursuits and Walmart.
Nov 13	Q3 2025 earnings	Neutral	-2.8%	Flat revenue but higher net income helped by Progressive Beef stake sale gain.

Pattern Detected

Recent product and partnership news around RaiseWell and CARE Certified saw small positive to moderate positive moves, while the latest earnings release drew a modest negative reaction.

Recent Company History

Over the last few months WFCF has focused on verification standards and partnerships. On Nov 13, 2025, Q3 2025 earnings showed stable revenue around $7.0M with higher net income, yet shares fell modestly. A Dec 3, 2025 CARE Certified leather partnership with Pangea and Walmart coincided with a 3.14% gain. The Jan 6, 2026 RaiseWell® launch and inaugural auction triggered only small positive moves. Today’s Whole Foods Market adoption extends that same RaiseWell strategy with a marquee retailer.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement deepens WFCF’s RaiseWell® ecosystem, adding Whole Foods Market as a retail adopter...

Analysis

This announcement deepens WFCF’s RaiseWell® ecosystem, adding Whole Foods Market as a retail adopter of RaiseWell Certified for Beef and reinforcing themes of animal welfare, sourcing integrity, and traceability. It builds on prior milestones like the January 2026 RaiseWell launch and the CARE Certified leather partnership with Pangea and Walmart. Investors may watch for enrollment traction across additional species, incremental retailer uptake, and how these programs contribute to revenue alongside core verification services.

Key Terms

third-party verification, traceability, chain of custody, usda fsis, +1 more

5 terms

third-party verification technical

"a trusted resource for independent, third-party verification of food production practices"

An independent review by an outside organization that checks and confirms the accuracy, completeness or compliance of claims, numbers or processes reported by a company. For investors it’s like hiring an independent referee or home inspector: it reduces uncertainty by giving a trusted, unbiased confirmation that financial figures, product claims, safety records or regulatory steps are reliable, which can affect risk assessments and investment decisions.

traceability technical

"enabling traceability across the supply chain."

Traceability is the ability to follow a product, component, or piece of data backward and forward through every step of its lifecycle, like reading a parcel’s tracking history to see where it came from and where it went. For investors, strong traceability lowers risk by making recalls, quality problems, and regulatory breaches easier and cheaper to manage, while boosting consumer trust, supply-chain efficiency, and the reliability of reported information.

chain of custody technical

"Source-verified livestock with traceability and chain of custody to the farm of origin"

"Chain of custody" is the process of keeping a clear and documented record of how physical or digital evidence is handled, from collection to final use. It ensures that the evidence remains unaltered and trustworthy, much like tracking a package from sender to recipient to confirm it hasn't been tampered with. This is important for investors because it helps verify the integrity and accuracy of information or assets being evaluated.

usda fsis regulatory

"On-pack seals aligned with USDA FSIS requirements"

The USDA FSIS is the U.S. government agency that enforces safety, sanitation and labeling rules for meat, poultry and some egg products, acting like a national food inspector for those items. Investors watch its actions because inspections, recalls, and new requirements can disrupt supply, raise costs, affect sales and trigger stock moves for companies in food production, processing and retail.

sustainability standard technical

"integrates seamlessly with WFCF’s CARE Certified® sustainability standard"

A sustainability standard is a set of clear rules or criteria that describe how a company should manage its environmental impact, social responsibilities, and governance practices — think of it as a rulebook or scorecard for responsible business behavior. Investors use these standards to compare companies, assess long-term risks and costs (like pollution fines, supply chain problems or reputational damage), and decide which firms are more likely to deliver stable returns over time.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

RaiseWell® Certified for Beef is Recognized by Whole Foods Market as a New Certification for beef cattle production

CASTLE ROCK, Colo., Feb. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Where Food Comes From, Inc. (WFCF) (Nasdaq: WFCF), a trusted resource for independent, third-party verification of food production practices in North America, today announced the adoption of RaiseWell^® Certified for Beef by Whole Foods Market to support its commitment to farm animal welfare.

The adoption marks a major milestone for the recently launched RaiseWell standard, positioning it as a market-ready, retailer-backed certification designed to meet the evolving expectations of premium natural retailers, foodservice operators, and consumers seeking higher standards for animal care, sourcing integrity, and supply chain transparency.

WFCF launched RaiseWell Certified for the beef industry, the first species under a multi-species approach that will soon expand to poultry, eggs, dairy, and pork.

Developed in response to growing consumer demand and direct retailer input, RaiseWell Certified provides Whole Foods Market and other high-end natural retailers with a clear, third-party verified animal welfare claim that supports premium positioning, trusted sourcing, and differentiated in-store storytelling.

The certification requires that animals are raised to strict animal welfare standards at every stage of life, with no antibiotics or added growth hormones ever, and that livestock are source-verified back to the farm or ranch of origin, enabling traceability across the supply chain.

“RaiseWell Certified reflects what today’s conscious consumers expect and what leading natural retailers are demanding,” said Leann Saunders, President & COO of Where Food Comes From. “We are thrilled that Whole Foods Market now accepts our RaiseWell Certified for Beef certification. It is another indicator of a meaningful shift toward higher, more transparent standards for natural proteins. Our program brings together verified animal care, natural raising practices, and true traceability in a way that supports both market trust and continuous improvement across the supply chain.”

“Whole Foods Market has been committed to advancing farm animal welfare for decades,” said Ann Marie Hourigan, Executive Leader of Quality Standards for Whole Foods Market. “The addition of RaiseWell Certified for Beef as an approved animal welfare certification offers producers more access to rigorous animal welfare certification options and provides our customers with more high-quality meat choices.”

RaiseWell’s first wave of enrollment will focus on beef cattle, with additional species launching in phases. Developed with input from beef supply chain stakeholders and coupled with available science and robust auditing principles, RaiseWell Certified is designed to recognize operations already investing in humane care and responsible production, while creating a clear pathway to premium natural retail markets.

“Our co-op has always been committed to continuous improvement while upholding the high standards for people, land, and animals,” said C. Tylor Braden, CEO of Country Natural Beef. “This approach allows us to continue delivering all-natural, premium beef while supporting our ranchers and meeting evolving retail expectations. We believe ranchers, shoppers and retailers alike will embrace this evolution.”

The below structure gives retailers confidence in claim integrity while providing consumers with clarity about how their food was raised.

• Clearly defined, third-party verified animal-raising claims
• Source-verified livestock with traceability and chain of custody to the farm of origin
• A transparent supply chain story suited to premium markets
• On-pack seals aligned with USDA FSIS requirements
  
  

RaiseWell Certified integrates seamlessly with WFCF’s CARE Certified^® sustainability standard, enabling producers and retailers to bundle verified claims to communicate practices related to animal care, environmental stewardship, and social responsibility, as well as add-on opportunities like pasture-raised, pasture-access, grass-fed, and other value-added attributes into a single certification and audit experience.

“With RaiseWell Certified, our goal is simple,” added Saunders. “Help build a food system where doing the right thing isn’t the exception. It’s the expectation.”

RaiseWell Certified represents a strategic expansion of WFCF’s portfolio of third-party verification solutions, supporting continued growth and demand in value-added natural protein markets.

Natural retailers, foodservice operators, farmers and ranchers, and producers interested in enrolling can contact WFCF for program requirements and onboarding information.

Learn more at www.wherefoodcomesfrom.com.

About Where Food Comes From, Inc.

Where Food Comes From, Inc. is America’s trusted resource for third party verification of food production practices. Through proprietary technology and patented business processes, the Company estimates that it supports more than 17,500 farmers, ranchers, vineyards, wineries, processors, retailers, distributors, trade associations, consumer brands and restaurants with a wide variety of value-added services. Where Food Comes From solutions are used to verify food claims, optimize production practices and enable food supply chains with analytics and data driven insights. In addition, the Company’s Where Food Comes From® retail and restaurant labeling program uses web-based customer education tools to connect consumers to the sources of the food they purchase, increasing meaningful consumer engagement for our clients.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, based on current expectations, estimates and projections that are subject to risk. Forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and actual events could differ materially from the Company’s predictions. Important factors that could cause actual events to vary from predictions include those discussed in our SEC filings. Specifically, statements in this news release about industry leadership and expectations that the Company’s services will add value for producers, retailers, and consumers; and demand for, and impact and efficacy of, the Company’s products and services on the marketplace, are forward-looking statements that are subject to a variety of factors, including availability of capital, personnel and other resources; competition; governmental regulation of the agricultural industry; the market for beef and other commodities; and other factors. Readers should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation to update its forward-looking statements to reflect new information or developments. For a more extensive discussion of the Company’s business, please refer to the Company’s SEC filings at www.sec.gov.

Company Contacts:

Jennifer Moore-Stover
Manager, Livestock Marketing & Communications
jmoore@wherefoodcomesfrom.com
303.895.3002

Jay Pfeiffer
Manager, Investor Relations
jpfeiffer@wherefoodcomesfrom.com 
Direct: 303-880-9000

FAQ

What did Whole Foods Market approve regarding RaiseWell Certified for Beef and WFCF (WFCF) on Feb. 19, 2026?

Whole Foods Market adopted RaiseWell Certified for Beef, adding it to approved animal welfare certifications. According to the company, this gives producers more access to rigorous certification options and expands high-quality meat choices for customers.

How does RaiseWell Certified for Beef affect traceability requirements for suppliers to Whole Foods Market (WFCF)?

RaiseWell Certified requires source-verified livestock traceable to the farm of origin for Whole Foods Market eligibility. According to the company, this enables chain-of-custody traceability and clearer transparent supply chain storytelling for premium retail channels.

What animal welfare and production practices does RaiseWell Certified require for beef under WFCF (WFCF)?

RaiseWell Certified mandates strict animal welfare, no antibiotics or added growth hormones, and verified care across life stages. According to the company, these standards were developed with retailer input and science-based auditing principles.

Will RaiseWell Certified expand beyond beef and how will rollout occur for WFCF (WFCF)?

Yes. RaiseWell launched for beef as the first species with phased expansion to poultry, eggs, dairy, and pork. According to the company, the multi-species approach will enroll additional species in subsequent waves.

Can producers combine RaiseWell Certified with WFCF’s other sustainability programs like CARE Certified (WFCF)?

Producers can bundle RaiseWell Certified with CARE Certified to communicate animal care, environmental stewardship, and social responsibility. According to the company, this enables a single certification and audit experience with add-on attributes.

How can farmers and ranchers enroll in RaiseWell Certified for Beef with Where Food Comes From (WFCF)?

Interested producers can contact WFCF for program requirements and onboarding information to enroll in RaiseWell Certified. According to the company, enrollment will begin with beef cattle and include detailed auditing and traceability steps.