Non-GMO Project Adds Standard for 'Non-Ultraprocessed' Foods

The nonprofit noted that ultraprocessed foods account for more than half of the calories in Western diets.

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Non-GMO Project

The Non-GMO Project has announced the introduction of "Non-UPF Verified," a new program designed to highlight food products that are not classified as "ultraprocessed."

The standard, developed under the newly established Food Integrity Collective, aims to combat "an urgent public crisis," the group said, noting that ultraprocessed foods now accounts for more than 50% of calories consumed in Western countries.

The initiative is based on an "8-Petal Framework for Food Integrity," developed in collaboration with experts in the natural products industry. The new program will launch with in pilot phase this spring.

"The Standard American Diet has become one of the leading risk factors for death worldwide, yet navigating today's food landscape can feel like an impossible task," Megan Westgate, founder and CEO of the Non-GMO Project and the Food Integrity Collective, said in a statement. "This isn't by accident. When tobacco companies acquired major food manufacturers in the 1980s, they deliberately applied their expertise in addiction science to food engineering. The result was a new generation of ultraprocessed foods designed with the same precision as cigarettes to trigger cravings and override our body's natural satiety signals."

The Non-GMO Project's 2024 research with Linkage found that 85% of shoppers want to avoid UPFs, but they may feel overwhelmed and unsupported in this goal.

"Even the most informed consumers struggle to identify ultraprocessed foods consistently," said Westgate. "When we began addressing GMOs in 2007, we recognized that genetic engineering was just one way industrial food production was distancing us from natural ingredients. Today's ultraprocessed foods represent an even deeper departure — taking familiar ingredients and transforming them so fundamentally that our bodies no longer recognize them as food.”

The new certification will complement the group's existing Butterfly seal, helping consumers choose foods that promote human and environmental health. Like the Non-GMO Project Verified program, Non-UPF Verified will set clear standards and, the group said, will encourage food manufacturers to offer more minimally processed options.

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