The Non-GMO Project has opened enrollment for its Non-UPF Verified program, with the intention to bring greater transparency to the food system and give consumers a new tool for making informed choices about how their food is made. According to the organization, the program was developed in collaboration with 16 pioneering brands that participated in the Non-UPF Verified pilot, helping to shape the standard through real-world application and feedback.

In tandem, the Project has also released a comprehensive executive brief revealing insights about ultraprocessed foods. Titled "Understanding Ultraprocessed Foods: A Framework for Action," the brief explains what ultraprocessed foods are, why processing matters, and how the new Non-UPF Verified program provides a framework for reducing potentially harmful additives and processing. The brief reportedly shows that two products can be identical in their nutrient composition—same sugar, fat, and sodium—yet produce different effects on appetite, weight gain, and metabolic health based on their level of processing.

"Most current approaches to addressing ultraprocessed foods rely entirely on what you can see on a package label: nutrient thresholds and banned ingredient lists," says Megan Westgate, CEO and founder of the Non-GMO Project. "But research shows that processing itself is the missing variable. As certifiers, we have access to ingredient specifications, manufacturing methods, and formulation data that allow us to evaluate how foods are actually made, not just what's declared on the label."

Non-UPF Verified arrives as research indicates shoppers increasingly distrust marketing claims. While 68% of consumers actively try to avoid ultraprocessed foods, 70% say they struggle to identify them, according to research from the Food Integrity Collective.

According to the Non-GMO Project, terms like "clean label," "natural," and "wholesome" carry no regulatory meaning and often obscure how food is actually manufactured. Meanwhile, nutrient-focused approaches miss what research now shows to be a key factor: the degree of processing itself.

A 2025 Lancet study found that the displacement of long-established dietary patterns by ultraprocessed foods is a key driver of the escalating global burden of multiple diet-related chronic diseases.

"Currently, shoppers are left to guess at how to avoid ultraprocessing based on ingredient lists, health claims, and nutrition panels, and even that can be really confusing," Westgate explains. "Non-UPF Verified evaluates what you can't see: the manufacturing methods, ingredient specifications, and formulation techniques that determine whether something is truly food or a processed edible substance."

The Non-UPF Verified Standard sets out to define the line between helpful processing (like grinding, fermenting, freezing) and ultraprocessing, which uses industrial techniques such as chemical fractionation, high-pressure extrusion, and synthetic additives to engineer palatability and shelf life.

Independent technical administrators assess products across core criteria, including:

• Ingredient Integrity & Formulation: The standard restricts ingredients that are either widely recognized as harmful or characteristic of ultraprocessed formulations, especially those used to create hyperpalatable textures and flavors or to replace the structure and function of real food. This includes a prohibition on non-nutritive sweeteners and limits on refined added sugar.
• Processing Limits: This standard distinguishes between minimal, conditional, and prohibited processing methods, requiring that products be composed primarily of minimally processed ingredients and free from high-impact chemical, structural, thermal, and biological modification. These limits are applied both to individual ingredients and to the product as a whole.

The Standard sets quantitative limits on refined added sugar while acknowledging the roles of healthy fats and naturally occurring mineral salts, a reported departure from approaches that treat all macronutrients uniformly, and aligning with key concepts in the recently updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

"Added sugar isn't an essential nutrient. Fat and sodium are," Westgate notes. "The Standard reflects that biological reality. We restrict heavily refined oils and synthetic sodium additives while recognizing that naturally occurring fats and mineral salts are integral to health."

The Non-GMO Project reports that since 2007, the organization has established itself as one of North America's most trusted food verifications, with its Butterfly mark appearing on more than 63,000 products representing $47 billion in annual sales.

Non-UPF Verified is said to apply the same rigorous, third-party verification model to the ultraprocessed food crisis, giving brands a framework for meaningful reformulation, retailers a signal for differentiation, and shoppers a reliable tool in an increasingly confusing marketplace.

The program began as a pilot in March 2025, with participating brands helping refine the verification process before the Standard's November 2025 publication. With enrollment now open, companies can apply at nonultraprocessed.org.

Consumer demand for third-party verification is reportedly surging; 72% of shoppers now trust independent certifications more than company marketing, and 65% say a Non-UPF Verified label would increase their likelihood of purchasing a product, according to internal research.

"Shoppers aren't just reading nutrition panels anymore. They're reading between the lines, looking for evidence of authenticity backed by independent, third-party verifiers," Westgate states. "This certification gives them a reason to trust again."

The certification launches under the umbrella of the Food Integrity Collective, the Non-GMO Project's initiative for comprehensive food systems transformation. While Non-UPF Verified addresses minimal processing, the Collective encompasses eight interconnected impact areas, including regenerative sourcing, nutrient density, and animal wellbeing.

"We accomplished what many thought impossible with the non-GMO supply chain," Westgate declares. "Now we're applying that same collaborative model to something even more fundamental: the basic human need for real nourishment. Ultraprocessed products may be edible, but they’re not food in the way nature intended. With Non UPF Verified, we’re working together to restore access to food that nourishes life.”

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