Editor’s Note: At a time when more consumers are identifying sustainability and planet health as important, there’s a growing, global infrastructure for products incorporating upcycled ingredients. To learn more about this sector’s progress—and prospects for 2026, Prepared Foods reached out to Amanda Oenbring, chief executive officer at the Upcycled Food Association (UFA); and Kathryn Britton, executive vice president-customer experience, for Where Food Comes From, Inc., owner and administrator of the Upcycled Certified program.

Prepared Foods: How would you summarize overall growth in the upcycled food and ingredients space in 2025?

Amanda Oenbring: The chorus of support for upcycled food continues to span startups to multinational companies with interest and efforts spanning the globe. From events bringing together supply chain actors in India, the UK and across Canada—to the global virtual convenings we lead at UFA, it is exciting to see curiosity, innovation and collaboration create real change. UFA member products and ingredients continue to surprise and delight across CPG categories and beyond.

Kathryn Britton: I’d say it’s been a defining year for the upcycled food movement. What started as a passionate, values-driven concept continues to mature into a measurable impact-based framework that brands, investors, and consumers alike can stand behind. Upcycled Certified participation now includes more than 100 companies and 620 Certified items, representing a 30% increase in Certified products and 1.35 million tons of food waste diverted annually—enough to fill more than 270 million grocery bags.

What encouraged me most this year is seeing large and mid-sized CPGs move from pilots to portfolio-wide adoption. Upcycling is no longer an R&D experiment. It’s becoming a formalized part of ESG strategies and product innovation pipelines. The biggest challenge has been the same one driving most of the sustainability landscape: scaling responsibly. As the number of participants grows, maintaining data integrity and credible impact reporting across highly varied supply chains remains critical.

PF: Where was the greatest growth during 2025? Did it involve finished products or suppliers and ingredients?

Oenbring: It was great to see NielsenIQ recognize zero waste and upcycled ingredients as a top 10 pet food trend at SUPERZOO this year (Pet Food Processing, 2025). While measures of the overall global product market estimates a current size of $63B USD, growth is expected to surge to $124B by 2034 with a CAGR of 7.7% (Towards FnB, 2025). Upcycled food ingredients globally were estimated at $314M in 2024 with CAGR 6.8% to reach $647M by 2035 (Fact.MR, 2025). Lastly, the upcycled cosmetic ingredients market size is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.6% to reach $433M by 2031 (Allied Analytics, 2025).

Britton: Both sides of the supply chain grew, but finished products led the charge. Pet products emerged as the #1 category in 2025, followed by snacks, fruits and vegetables, wholesale ingredients, and beverages.

On the supplier side, we saw an encouraging rise in ingredient certifications—a sign that upcycling is embedding deeper into B2B sourcing. Ingredient suppliers are recognizing that certification isn’t just a sustainability badge; it’s a market access tool that helps their customers substantiate claims and simplify compliance.

What’s new and next for food, beverage and retail trends in 2026

PF: What most surprised you this year? What were a few memorable moments?

Oenbring: Several milestones were significant. We unveiled our new logos during Climate Day at Natural Products Expo West. In April, during Earth Month, we were delighted to launch our global scientific upcycled food research community through the Upcycled Food Foundation (UFF).

We also convened two global virtual symposiums this year. We hosted Symposium I last June in recognition of Upcycled Food Month. It explored a wide range of topics with the latest qualitative and quantitative research and perspectives on AI and brewers spent grain. It also included updates on national efforts to learn from and replicate, as is the case in Australia. In June, Vineland Research also convened the first national gathering of the upcycled community from across Canada.

Our September Symposium II presented a fascinating survey of upcycled advancements led by Cornell University, where activities include an upcycled student club and annual “hackathon.” We also heard from leading minds about upcycling across Europe. These reports included activities in Poland, Ireland, Spain, Norway and Denmark. It is exciting to have this repository of knowledge, including more than 18 hours of content available to UFA members to catalyze their efforts. We also are honored to see circularity, upcycling and UFA in the spotlight as the sustainability theme of Food Ingredients Europe this December in Paris.

Britton: The most surprising and encouraging shift is the tone of the conversation. During Climate Week and Upcycled Food Month’s “Trends & Predictions” webinar, it was clear that food waste reduction is being reframed as an economic opportunity, not only an environmental obligation.

Companies are starting to treat upcycling as a rare win-win proposition—both as a business strategy for supply-chain efficiency and brand resilience as well as product innovation and an authentic way to mitigate the real impacts of food waste.

We also heard more discussion about scope 3 emissions alignment and how upcycled sourcing helps companies address waste-based emissions directly within their reporting structures.

PF: Were there any changes to the Upcycled Certified program during 2025?

Britton: Yes! We hit a major milestone back on June 1 when we published Version 3.0 of the Upcycled Certified Standard. This revision reflects Where Food Comes From’s full ownership and administration of the program. The new version introduced enhanced auditable waste metrics, simplified product designations, and the concept of “Secondary Waste,” a way to measure what happens after food is diverted from waste streams, ensuring the program tracks net waste reduction, not just intent.

In addition, the restriction on regional-based enrollment eligibility was removed from the Standard, which is a major win to making the certification globally accessible.

PF: As a follow-up Kathryn, what sorts of numbers did the Upcycled Certified program generate by year’s end 2025?

Britton: As of Q4 2025, Upcycled Certified participants have collectively diverted over 5.12 million tons of food waste since the program’s launch. Program participation grew from 89 brands and 476 certified items in 2024 to 106 brands and 622 items in 2025, a 17% increase in companies and nearly 30% growth in product count.

This growth correlates with strong category performance: +27% sales growth in SPINS’ Natural Enhanced channel and +39% growth in certified natural products over the prior year.

PF: How would you describe consumers’ understanding or acceptance of upcycled products?

Oenbring: We saw some consistent themes emerge during our symposiums. One is that global consumers respond favorably when brands lead with upcycling messaging that emphasizes efficiency, frugality and nutrition. We also learned that climate framing is most impactful with younger female demographics.

Taste, innovation, novelty and value are key factors to upcycled success and consumers perceive “better for” purchases benefitting loved ones (family, children, and pets) as the strongest motivator.

Britton: Consumer understanding has grown steadily but remains nuanced. Sustainability-conscious shoppers are driving most of the growth, yet what’s changed is trust. Upcycled Certified has given consumers permission to act on their values. McKinsey data shows that 73% of values-oriented shoppers are influenced by product certification when making purchases, and we see that reflected in retail scans.

When the economy feels uncertain, consumers do tend to prioritize price and familiarity — but many now expect sustainability to be part of a brand’s DNA. Upcycling has earned its place alongside “organic” and “non-GMO” as a recognizable quality signal.

PF: How would you describe retailer response?

Britton: Retailers are increasingly proactive. We’re seeing national chains and regional grocers create sustainability-focused product sets, sometimes dedicating full shelf blocks to Upcycled Certified products.

Retailers recognize that upcycled offerings deliver differentiation and engage a younger, mission-driven shopper base. Many now request Upcycled Certified verification as part of their sourcing and private label criteria — a strong sign that the certification has become an operational expectation rather than a marketing add-on.

PF: What are your predictions for 2026?

Oenbring: Upcycled messaging will emphasize efficiency and frugality. This will apply both to companies making the internal case of support to adopt or expand upcycling; as well as to consumers listening to trusted messengers as economic uncertainty persists. Broader US consumer awareness will grow as the EPA focuses on food waste as their theme to mark America 250.

I believe the range of ingredient formulation alternatives and upcycled applications will continue to expand through certification growth and technological advancements. I also project that we’ll see deepening upcycled adoption across private label, foodservice and cosmetics.

More broadly, we believe global coordination of research and findings will accelerate innovation accessibility, consumer understanding and novel product development.

Britton: I expect broader mainstream familiarity with consumers. The language of “upcycled” will start appearing in store circulars and retailer sustainability reports. When it comes to processing, I expect more mid-tier manufacturers will integrate upcycled streams as part of cost-avoidance strategies with sustainability wins—particularly in perishables and co-manufacturing.

Upstream, we anticipate supplier expansion as ingredient-level Upcycled Certified enrollment helps companies scale faster and standardize claims across regions. Downstream, we believe retailers will start quantifying food waste reductions within their ESG disclosures and use Upcycled Certified products as a measurable lever.

PF: Where do you see the most opportunity for meaningful growth in 2026?

Oenbring: In a world of global supply chains, the future of our food system will require courageous curiosity and global collaboration. It also will require a willingness to reconsider if the way things have always been done—still makes sense in current times with current constraints. We heard from a pioneering mind behind the commercialization of whey protein during our UFF Symposium II. One success story we take for granted—amidst infinite possibilities—is to make sure the food we produce reaches its highest and best use.

To feed a growing, climate impacted planet, I see a future of abundant nutrition, protein and sustenance arising from the plentiful surplus and streams available today. Let’s eat UP and choose upcycled whenever possible to create that flourishing future now.

Britton: The greatest opportunity lies in data-driven impact storytelling and supply-chain collaboration. In just five years, this Upcycled Certified community has grown from a handful of innovators to a global network across 12 countries. The next step is embedding upcycling into the DNA of how food is made, marketed, and measured. That’s when we’ll know the movement has truly arrived.