CASTLE ROCK, COLO. — Where Food Comes From, Inc., (WFCF) a company that owns and operates third-party verification services, has acquired the Upcycled Certified program from the Upcycled Food Association (UFA). Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
“The upcycled food movement is closely aligned with broader sustainability trends in the United States and around the world,” said John Saunders, chairman and chief executive officer of WFCF. “This acquisition enables Where Food Comes From to meet growing consumer demand for products that contain upcycled food ingredients. As the exclusive certification body for the standard since early 2021 — and as the most diverse food verification body in the country with more than 17,000 customers — we are ideally suited to take Upcycled Certified to the next level of growth.
“Our first order of business following the ownership transition will be to make it easier and more cost effective for brands, grocery retailers and foodservice operators to engage with the standard, ultimately expanding the offering of upcycled products and making it easier for consumers to eat well and be a part of the food waste solution,” he added. “Our long-term objective is to make Upcycled Certified a ubiquitous standard and a meaningful component of our overall revenue mix.”
The UFA was founded in 2019 to develop a formal definition of upcycling and advocate for policies that will inform consumers and accelerate marketplace acceptance of ingredients and products formulated with upcycled components. The Upcycled Certified program and logo were introduced in 2021, and has been awarded to various food companies, including those in the pet nutrition space.
“UFA is thrilled that Upcycled Certified has become part of the Where Food Comes From family of certifications,” said Angie Crone, chief executive officer of the UFA. “Given the scale of the food waste crisis, growing demands on our natural resources, and increasing food insecurity, we need to work collaboratively and as quickly as possible to transform our food system into one where food is valued and never wasted. Due to its high profile in the food verification industry, we believe WFCF is the ideal partner to help further our mission to accelerate the upcycled food movement for impact at scale.”
Verification services owned by WFCF include IMI Global, Postelsia, SureHarvest, Validus and WFCF Organic. Claims verified by the services include American Humane, CARE Certified, The Non-GMO Project, The Paleo Diet, Prop-12 AKA Animal Care, Safe Quality Food and USDA Organic.
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