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Sparkling water brand Spindrift and frozen food maker Amy’s Kitchen are among the first food and beverage brands to certify their products as non-ultraprocessed under the Non-GMO Project’s new verification program.
The Non-UPF Verified Standard is designed to help consumers easily identify products that avoid the core characteristics of ultra-processing, according to the program description. Instead of focusing on specific ingredients, the standard looks at how the food is processed.
“Most current approaches to dealing with ultra-processed foods rely entirely on nutrient thresholds and lists of banned ingredients found on package labels,” Megan Westgate, CEO and founder of the Non-GMO Project, said in a statement. “But research has shown that treatment itself is the missing variable.”
The certification, which is now available for registration after six months of pilot testing, comes as consumers are becoming increasingly skeptical of ingredient lists and highly processed foods.
The “Make America Healthy Again” movement has also brought a brighter spotlight on the issue as state and federal regulators weigh new regulations and compare ultra-processed foods to cigarettes and alcohol.
Despite the growing interest in ultra-processed foods, there is still no consensus on what the term means. The FDA is working to create a definition, but states are taking the lead with their own standards. A California law banning ultra-processed foods in schools defines the term as products with at least one additive, or high amounts of saturated fat, sodium or sugar.
In the absence of an agreed definition, third-party verification bodies have decided to provide their own standards. The Non-UPF program, which launched its own verification system last fall, uses the Nova Classification System for Ultra-Processed Foods, a framework that classifies foods into four categories based on their level of processing.
Meanwhile, the Non-UPF certification standard recognizes some processing, such as grinding, fermenting or freezing, as making “real food safer.” Instead of dividing foods into categories, we look at whether the products have undergone industrial processing that changes their chemical or structural properties.
The standard also limits the ingredient profile of ultra-processed formulations, bans non-nutritive sweeteners, and limits refined added sugars.
“Currently, shoppers have to guess how to avoid ultra-processed products based on ingredient lists, health claims and nutritional panels, and even that can be really confusing,” Westgate said. “Non-UPF Verified evaluates things you can’t see: manufacturing methods, ingredient specifications, and formulation techniques to determine whether a product is a real food or a processed edible substance.”
The Non-UPF Certified certification is also supported by the non-profit Non-GMO Project, which has seen the butterfly mark appear on more than 63,000 products with annual sales of $47 billion. The certifier says internal research shows that 72% of shoppers now trust independent certification more than company marketing, and nearly two-thirds say a non-UPF certification label would make them more likely to purchase a product.
Spindrift and Amy’s Kitchen, which participated in the Non-UPF certification pilot program, said the certification fills a critical gap in consumer trust. Spindrift’s entire portfolio has been certified by the program, and Amy’s Kitchen will announce which products have been verified later this year.
“As consumer interest and concerns about ultra-processed foods grow, this program provides a more grounded, evidence-based framework for understanding what people are actually eating,” Paul Schiefer, president of Amy’s Kitchen, said in a statement.