Upcycled Food Association

About Upcycled Food Association

Upcycled Food Association (UFA) is a global, membership-based trade association dedicated to growing the upcycled food economy. It brings together businesses, nonprofits, researchers, and individuals across the supply chain to advance a food system where all food reaches its highest and best use.

UFA positions upcycled food as a scalable response to food waste and climate change. Through advocacy, shared standards, research, education, and community-building, it works to increase consumer demand, improve supply chains, and support the organizations developing and selling upcycled products.

Core Values

• Waste reduction: UFA’s central mission is to prevent food waste by elevating surplus ingredients into high-quality products for human consumption.
• Climate action: The association frames upcycling as one of the most important solutions for mitigating climate change and reducing greenhouse-gas emissions tied to food loss and waste.
• Collaboration: UFA emphasizes building a global network of food-system leaders, researchers, and brands that can share knowledge and accelerate adoption of upcycled food.
• Transparency and integrity: The organization promotes auditable supply chains, clear labeling, and certification standards to help consumers and industry trust upcycled claims.

Unique Aspects

• First dedicated industry association: UFA describes itself as the first and only industry association focused specifically on catalyzing the global upcycled food economy.
• World’s first upcycled certification standard: UFA developed the first formal Upcycled Certification Standard, which underpins the third-party Upcycled Certified program.
• Global membership network: The association supports hundreds of leaders internationally and represents a broad mix of consumer brands, ingredient suppliers, retailers, nonprofits, universities, and technology companies.
• Canadian hub leadership: UFA has assumed formal leadership of a Canadian food upcycling network, building on research and community work led by Vineland Research and Innovation Centre.
• Foundation-backed research platform: Its affiliated Upcycled Food Foundation supports global scholars, research initiatives, and education efforts, including Upcycled Food Month each June.