Ingredient Snapshot: At IFT 2022, Upcycled Foods Inc. announced strategic changes that it began implementing in 2020. The first includes moving from a CPG brand, under the ReGrained name, to a trusted innovation and ingredient platform. Upcycled Foods' goal is to power the food B2B upcycled economy by leading the way for food maker partners with its expertise in upcycled product development; deploying cutting-edge technology to create novel ingredient solutions; and building a consumer market for upcycled foods.

Today, ReGrained becomes the first portfolio brand within Upcycled Foods Inc. for grain-based upcycled ingredients. Under the ReGrained portfolio brand, the company is introducing at IFT FIRST three new products: SuperGrain+ Protein Crisps and SuperGrain+ Sourdough Systems made in partnership with Kerry and Puratos, respectively. The brand also announced ReGrained Grain Flakes, co-developed with California Cereal Products.

Upcycled Foods Inc. (dba ReGrained) has announced the launch of the first value-added product the ingredient tech startup co-developed through partnership with Kerry: an upcycled protein crisp. Designed to be formulated into products to add texture and nutrition, the crisp’s familiar format provides food makers an easy solution to accelerate innovation of sustainable food products. Upcycled foods are made from ingredients that would otherwise have ended up in a food waste destination. The protein crisp is just the beginning of this collaboration, pairing together Upcycled Food Inc.'s expertise and recognition in upcycling with Kerry's formulation, application, and category expertise.

Upcycled Food Inc. and Kerry developed the upcycled crisp to meet the rapidly increasing demand of food makers to create more environmentally sustainable products. Protein crisps were a natural starting point for the two company’s ongoing commercial collaboration. Crisps deliver desired nutritional benefits to consumers and are ubiquitous in a wide range of snack products—from bars and cereals to clusters to crunchy mixes and more. The companies immediately received interest from manufacturers for a product that would combine the flavor, nutrition, and sustainability of ReGrained SuperGrain+ with the textural benefits of a crisp. The new protein crisps are now available through Kerry and are ready to elevate product innovation.

“Our food manufacturer partners come to us searching for R&D expertise and ingredient solutions for new sustainable foods. Value-added ingredient applications like our new crisp offer a platform for finished product innovation, thus enabling more partners to have a bigger impact,” says Dan Kurzrock, founder & CEO of Upcycled Food Inc. “Collaborating with Kerry exponentially amplifies our mission to better align the food we eat with the planet we love.”

At a typical customer usage level, the crisp contains enough ReGrained SuperGrain+, an Upcycled Certified ingredient, to be eligible to apply to the Upcycled Food Association (an independent non-profit trade association) for certification. The plant-based crisp delivers 40% protein and 16% fiber, suitable for vegetarian, vegan, and kosher applications, and is made in the U.S.

“We exist to be our customers’ most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition,” said John Kaufmann, senior director of business development with Kerry. “Innovating new upcycled ingredient solutions with Upcycled Food Inc.’s leadership enables us to develop exciting new food items that live up to this vision and move us towards our goal of reaching over 2 billion people with sustainable nutrition solutions by 2030.”

To discuss potential R&D collaborations, please contact Maddie Faust, manager of ingredient sales for Upcycled Foods Inc., at maddie@upcycledfoods.com.