Non-GMO Project Launches Non-UPF Verified

Non-GMO Project launched its Non-UPF Verified program to develop standards for food and beverage CPG companies around ultra-processed foods (UPFs) by reviewing existing research, particularly the NOVA classification system, the FoodNavigator-USA reported on February 03. The initiative aims to improve the human and environmental health by promoting non-ultra processed foods with minimal processing additives, the report said.
NOVA identifies biological, physical, and chemical processes after foods are extracted from nature into four classifications: Group 1: unprocessed or minimally processed foods, Group 2: oils, fats, salt, and sugar, Group 3: processed foods (a combination of 1 and 2), and Group 4: ultra processed foods.  The program will engage food companies in reformulating products to reduce UPF content, according to Megan Westgate, founder of and CEO of the Non-GMO Project and the Food Integrity Collective.
While NOVA provides a foundational framework, the organization distinguishes between traditional processing like home cooking, and industrial processing, which Westgate said alters food to the extent that the body does not recognize it as natural food but as a “collection of foreign substances.”
Pilot brands for Non-UPF Verified will be announced during the Natural Products Expo West 2025 with a broader launch expected in fall 2025 featuring input from food system stakeholders, researchers and brands participating in the pilot program.  The goal is to create meaningful, yet achievable criteria that encourage reformulation and innovation in packaged food, ultimately shifting the market toward products that are more nutritionally recognizable and beneficial to human health, Westgate added.