The growing upcycling movement got a boost on April 22 with the launch of a network of upcycling stakeholders in Canada led by the Upcycled Food Association (UFA).
The new network results from research conducted in 2025 by Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in partnership with UFA that investigated the opportunities and challenges within the fledgling upcycling movement.
Amanda Oenbring, CEO of the Upcycled Food Association, said Vineland’s research, funded by the Canadian government in 2025, culminated in a summit of stakeholders in June 2025 to explore the needs within the industry.
“The momentum we’re seeing in Canada reflects a food system that is ready to scale upcycling,” said Oenbring. “By establishing a Canadian hub, we can support industry alignment, global standards and collaboration – helping Canadian companies grow while contributing to a more circular food system.”
Sustainable Sourcing: From upcycling to carbon neutral to sustainable packaging
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Upcycling is upscaling
UFA defines upcycling foods as those that “use ingredients that otherwise would not have gone to human consumption, are procured and produced using verifiable supply chains and have a positive impact on the environment.”
The US upcycled food market currently stands at $109.3 million, up 30.3% from $83.9 million a year ago, according to SPINS data.
Shelf-stable products like packaged goods, beverages and baked goods hold the majority of the market at $63.8 million, followed by frozen at $33.9 million and refrigerated products, like dairy products, at $11.6 million, according to SPINS.
Upcycling also is scaling with certification, according to Where Food Comes From, a US business that operates a certification program developed by UFA for upcycled food products, in its 2025 Impact Report.
More than 600 products and 137 brands joined the program as of 2025, with snack foods, pet products and produce taking the top three product categories.
Awareness is growing as more food manufacturers certify and promote their upcycled status, according to Vinodthan Nayagar, EVP of Growth Strategy at Where Food Comes From.
“We see a lot of brands and new brands coming up; they’re doing a lot of innovation,” said Nayagar, noting that upcycled products were more prolific at Natural Products Expo West 2026 than in previous years. “It was nice to see more brands showing up and being really proud about being Upcycle Certified.”
Where Food Comes From noted in its report that in 2025, Upcycled Certified products diverted 1.23 million tons of food waste from landfills.
Collaboration needed in upcycled foods
The industry’s rapid growth requires greater collaboration among stakeholders, according to Vineland and UFA.
Fragmentation is the industry’s biggest hurdle, according to Alexandra Grygorczyk, new UFA Board Member and Research Scientist and food upcycling lead at Vineland.
“The June forum during Upcycled Food Month was designed to bring together the people, perspectives and expertise needed to move beyond individual successes and start building a more connected approach to food upcycling,” Grygorczyk said.
The 2025 summit revealed four major pain points for the industry, including the need for:
- Stronger connections across the food value chain
- Greater alignment between innovators, processors and ingredient suppliers
- Improved visibility and a shared language around upcycled food
- A national platform to support credibility, collaboration and market development
