Trend Takeaway from Natural Products Expo: Upcycling Food

Natural Products Expo is the nation’s leading natural, organic & healthy products event. One trend that continues building momentum is sustainability in the CPG space. And growing in this category is upcycled food trend with the idea of food reaching its highest and best use.

Upcycled foods are made from ingredients that would otherwise have ended up as food waste. According to the Food Loss and Waste Protocol, the food waste destinations are when food ends up in places like incinerators, as animal feed, in landfills, or in anaerobic digestors.

Upcycled Food Association

The Upcycled Certified™ Program has an auditable supply chain

According to Upcycled Food Association, Upcycled products prevent food waste by creating new, high quality products out of surplus food. The motivation to push the upcycled food economy includes:

  • 8% of human-cause greenhouse gas emissions come from food loss and waste
  • Globally, we lose around $1 trillion per year on food that is wasted or lost
  • Upcycled food creates a sustainable and resilient food system
  • 28% of agricultural land goes to grow food that is never eaten

An example of an upcycled product from the Natural Products Expo is the Cranberry Seed Shaker from New Orleans-based Beyond the Equator and Ocean Spray. This shaker-product allows enthusiasts to add a splash of tart and fruity taste from sustainably upcycle cranberry seeds. Cranberry Seeds are considered to be an undiscovered nutritional powerhouse.

Another company that has committed to upcycle food products is Matriark Foods. All of their products are upcycled certified, meaning that they have an auditable supply chain that proves their positive environmental impact. They launched the first carbon neutral upcycled pasta sauce.

Each year nearly 33 million tons of vegetables are not utilized. Companies like Matriark Foods and Beyond the Equator are upcycling food and reducing food waste.

The team at Green Forest Brand assists companies in developing infused products that enhance the medicinal value as well as the value proposition of their products. >>Click here to connect with the Green Forest Brand team.<<