US-based AgriFiber Solutions announced that its portfolio of insoluble fiber ingredients now offers meat and dairy alternative formulators the opportunity to include the claim Upcycled Certified™ on their product labels.
Developed by the Upcycled Food Association, The Upcycled Certified Program is the world’s first third-party certification program for upcycled food ingredients and products. The on-package label, which helps retailers display upcycled products on shelves and lets customers know which products are upcycled certified, is the program’s centerpiece and gives customers the chance to reduce food waste with every purchase.
The Upcycled Food Association announced the certification in late 2021 and estimates that using Upcycled Certified™ goods and ingredients will reduce food waste by more than 703 million pounds annually. AgriFiber Solutions is one of the first 17 businesses that provide Upcycled Certified™.
Relevance of Upcycled Certified
Upcycled Foods often contain materials that would not otherwise be sold, such as spoiled food, by-products, and food processing leftovers. Since upcycled foods are a new food category, they must overcome several obstacles, such as finding the correct marketing strategy to make customers understand their importance and impact.
A scientific paper published in the journal Foods argues that “Upcycled foods are value-added products, and therefore, if their production also results in the development of healthy, nutritious, and environmentally friendly foods, people may be more inclined to purchase and consume these foods.”
The conclusion suggests that especially companies in the plant-based sector can benefit from Upcycled Certified™ labelling, as they offer significantly healthier alternatives compared to conventional meat and dairy products, and thus might achieve consumer acceptance of upcycled products more easily.
“So many organizations deceptively persuade the public that their products and policies are environmentally friendly,” AgriFiber CEO Jonathan Kahn said. “But when you hold a magnifying glass up to some of these companies, you often see that it’s just marketing. In this era of ‘greenwashing,’ Upcycled Certified™ ingredients are an opportunity for brands to tell a genuine, transparent, and validated sustainability story that consumers can trust.”
“Whether it’s in an injection or marinade or a sausage or patty, our ingredients offer the clean label, functional opportunity that formulators need to replace the thickening and gelling properties that they’ve relied on carrageenan for,” concludes Kahn.
