Eight months after opening for enrollment, the Non-UPF Verified program has certified 304 products across 23 brands — a pace that signals genuine market pull for processing transparency, not just label curiosity. Verified products span 15 food and beverage categories and include names such as Amy's Kitchen, Simple Mills, Spindrift, and Chomps, with another 41 brands currently working through the verification process.
The Certification Standard
Non-UPF Verified, operated by the nonprofit Non-GMO Project, positions itself as the first third-party certification program built around a rigorous standard designed specifically to evaluate how food is processed — not just what ingredients appear on the label. To earn the seal, at least 70% of a product's ingredients must meet requirements for permissible minimal or moderate processing, while certain ingredients and processing methods associated with ultraprocessed foods are restricted or prohibited outright. That methodology draws on nearly two decades of independent verification experience the organization built with its better-known Non-GMO Project Verified Butterfly, which now appears on more than 63,000 products.
"People deserve meaningful information that goes beyond what they can see on an ingredient list," said Megan Westgate, CEO of the Non-GMO Project. "Verification means we've done the work behind the scenes to understand how a product was actually made."
The Consumer App
Paired with the milestone is a new Non-UPF Verified app for iOS and Android that lets shoppers scan a packaged food's barcode to see whether it holds certification and learn what the standard entails. Critically for food manufacturers and restaurant operators sourcing packaged goods, the app includes a one-tap verification request feature: if a scanned product is not certified, shoppers can flag it directly, creating a quantifiable demand signal that the program can relay to brands. The Non-GMO Project says the app builds on its relationships with more than 5,000 food brands across North America.
"Every scan offers an opportunity to learn, and every request for verification signals to food brands that consumers want to be informed about how their food is made," Westgate said.
Policy Pressure Adds Context
The program's growth is unfolding alongside accelerating legislative interest. California lawmakers recently passed AB 2244, legislation that would establish a state-administered Non-Ultraprocessed Certified program if signed into law. The Non-GMO Project draws a clear distinction between the two approaches: the California proposal would base eligibility on ingredients and nutritional profiles already visible on packaging, while Non-UPF Verified evaluates the processing methods themselves — information that typically cannot be derived from the label alone.
For foodservice operators and retail buyers navigating ingredient sourcing, that distinction matters. Procurement teams increasingly field questions about ultraprocessed ingredients from wellness-focused guests and institutional clients, and third-party certification programs offer a verifiable shorthand that internal audits rarely replicate at scale. As covered in food and beverage industry analysis, the ultraprocessed food conversation has moved from academic journals into menu development and product-launch strategy across the supply chain.
The Non-GMO Project, which is also the organization behind Food & Beverage Magazine partner coverage of clean-label trends, expects continued enrollment growth through the remainder of 2026. Brands interested in pursuing verification can find program details at nonultraprocessed.org.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
