About
Building the Standard for Real Food
The Non-UPF Verified program was launched by the Non-GMO Project, drawing on nearly 20 years of experience in standard-setting and certification. The program Standard was developed with input from researchers, healthcare practitioners and food brands to ensure it is both scientifically rigorous and achievable within today's manufacturing environment.
Non-UPF Verified continues our nonprofit organization's commitment to informed choice in service of a food system that nourishes life. When we began our work on GMOs in 2007, many said preserving a non-GMO supply chain was impossible. Today, the Non-GMO Project's Butterfly is one of the most trusted food labels in the world, representing more than 63,000 Verified products and $47 billion in annual sales.
Our new program invites eaters, shoppers, manufacturers and health care practitioners to reimagine what's possible when it comes to how our food is processed, bringing clarity to a complex issue, and setting a rigorous yet achievable standard for thoughtfully made, minimally processed foods.
We believe that together we can build a safe, healthy food supply for future generations.
The Non-UPF Verified Standard establishes clear, evidence-based criteria for what it means to be non-ultraprocessed. Independent Technical Administrators evaluate every product against that Standard before verification is granted, and through annual renewals.
Because ultraprocessing goes beyond what's visible on the label, so do product evaluations. Every Verified product is assessed across two dimensions:
To earn verification, a product must be composed primarily of minimally or moderately processed ingredients.
The program's integrity is reinforced by a deliberate separation of roles: Non-UPF Verified sets and maintains the Standard; independent, third-party Technical Administrators evaluate products against it.
The Standard undergoes continuous review as our understanding of ultraprocessed foods grows.
