Defining Upcycled Food Products

A Delphi study analyzing responses from food manufacturers affiliated with the Upcycled Food Association (UFA) was used to develop a definition for upcycled food products. Interviews and surveys of upcycling food businesses were used to define industry’s perspective regarding upcycled food products, their production, and how such products could be integrated into the food supply chain. This study provides a third-party validation for upcycled foods and proposes a definition that could shape the Upcycled Food Association’s official definition of such foods as well as a shared understanding of this category of food products.