New Trade Group Seeking to Mainstream Upcycling
Print this Article | Send to Colleague
New trade group seeking to mainstream upcycling
Upcyclers, those food and ingredient manufacturers who incorporate food waste into products, have formed the Upcycled Food Association. Launched in October 2019, the nascent group’s goal is to develop a formal definition of upcycling and advocate for policies that will inform consumers and accelerate marketplace acceptance of finished products and ingredients.
The founding group included eight members, but the association’s membership has more than doubled since its inception, said Caroline Cotto, chief operating officer of Renewal Mill, Oakland, Calif., and president of the association.
“Our first directive as an organization is to formally define what it means to be upcycled,” Ms. Cotto said during an interview at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco on Jan. 19. “We are working with the F.D.A., the U.S.D.A., some researchers from Drexel University on the term upcycled, food waste and what it means to consumers.”
The group also will advocate to streamline the process of classifying upcycled ingredients for use in foods.
“A lot of these ingredients have never been classified by the U.S.D.A. or the F.D.A.,” Ms. Cotto said. “A resource we are offering to members is how to get this new class of ingredients recognized by the government and to advocate for making the process easier.”
Click here to read more of this article from Food Business News.
