BELLINGHAM, WASH. — The Non-GMO Project has introduced Non-UPF verified, a certification to show products are not ultra-processed foods (UPFs). A pilot phase will launch in the spring. The new certification will complement the “butterfly,” Non-GMO Project’s verified seal that signifies products do not contain genetically modified organisms.

Research has shown ultra-processed foods negatively impact human health in areas like depression, disrupted sleep patterns, hormonal imbalances, and increased risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes and cancer, according to the Non-GMO Project. The organization’s 2024 research with Linkage found 85% of shoppers said they want to avoid ultra-processed foods.

"Even the most informed consumers struggle to identify ultra-processed foods consistently," said Megan Westgate, founder and chief executive officer of the Bellingham-based Non-GMO Project. "When we began addressing GMOs in 2007, we recognized that genetic engineering was just one way industrial food production was distancing us from natural ingredients. Today's ultra-processed foods represent an even deeper departure, taking familiar ingredients and transforming them so fundamentally that our bodies no longer recognize them as food.”

Ultra-processing typically involves breaking foods down into isolated components and then recombining them with industrial ingredients to create products engineered to trigger cravings and override natural satiety signals, according to the Non-GMO Project, which gave examples of soft drinks, instant noodles, plant-based meat alternatives, protein bars, breakfast cereal and low-fat items that often contain numerous industrial ingredients.

An Innova Market Insights survey found consumers do not have a precise definition of ultra-processed foods. An executive order signed Jan. 3 by California Governor Gavin Newsom instructs state agencies to recommend potential actions to limit the harms associated with ultra-processed foods and food ingredients that pose health risks to consumers. The executive order describes ultra-processed foods as those “generally characterized as industrial formulations of chemically modified substances extracted from foods, along with additives to enhance taste, texture, appearance and durability, with minimal to no inclusion of whole foods …”