The Non-GMO Project has introduced Non-UPF Verified, developed under a newly established Food Integrity Collective, which brings together thought leaders and stakeholders across the natural products industry to create systematic change in the food system.

The new initiative expands beyond GMO avoidance to address what the nonprofit called “an urgent public health crisis”: the pervasive dominance of ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) in the global food supply, which now accounts for more than half of calories consumed in Western countries.

“The Standard American Diet has become one of the leading risk factors for death worldwide, yet navigating today’s food landscape can feel like an impossible task,” said Megan Westgate, founder and CEO of the Non-GMO Project and the Food Integrity Collective. “This isn’t by accident. When tobacco companies acquired major food manufacturers in the 1980s, they deliberately applied their expertise in addiction science to food engineering. The result was a new generation of ultraprocessed foods designed with the same precision as cigarettes to trigger cravings and override our body’s natural satiety signals.”

Recent research reveals the scope of UPF impact on human health, the nonprofit said, from depression, disrupted sleep patterns and hormonal imbalances to increased risks of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and cancer. The effects can be especially profound in children.

Recognizing UPFs

According to the Non-GMO Project’s 2024 research with Linkage, 85% of shoppers want to avoid UPFs, but they may feel overwhelmed and unsupported in this goal.

“Even the most informed consumers struggle to identify ultraprocessed foods consistently,” said Westgate. “When we began addressing GMOs in 2007, we recognized that genetic engineering was just one way industrial food production was distancing us from natural ingredients. Today’s ultraprocessed foods represent an even deeper departure — taking familiar ingredients and transforming them so fundamentally that our bodies no longer recognize them as food.”

The new certification will complement the Butterfly seal, helping consumers choose foods that promote human and environmental health. Like the Non-GMO Project Verified program, Non-UPF Verified will set clear standards and encourage food manufacturers to offer more minimally processed options. This initiative is based on the 8-Petal Framework for Food Integrity, developed in collaboration with experts in the natural products industry.

The Non-UPF Verified program will launch with its pilot phase in spring 2025. Consumer-packaged food companies and manufacturers interested in certification can learn more at www.nonultraprocessed.org.