Upcycled Certified Expands into Canada

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TORONTO — The Upcycled Food Association (UFA) has expanded its Upcycled Certified program into Canada. As part of the expansion, UFA is partnering with Anthesis Provision, the food sustainability experts within Anthesis Group and COIL (Circular Opportunity Innovation Launchpad) to expand the reach to Canadian consumers.

Named as one of the top food trends for 2021 by Whole Foods and one of the most prominent trends at Expo West in 2022, consumer research shows that demand for upcycled foods is strong and growing, with 80 percent of consumers saying they would seek out upcycled products.  The Upcycled Certified program has already certified more than 200 products and ingredients in the U.S. and is projected to prevent more than 820 million pounds of food waste in the next year. The expansion in Canada is a demonstration project of COIL, which is being funded by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).

“Our government is proud to support innovative solutions that address climate change while growing Canada’s economy. That’s why the Government of Canada, through FedDev Ontario, is supporting Guelph-Wellington’s COIL initiative as they work to expand the Upcycled Program into Canada, which will help to ensure Canadian consumers are aware of sustainable options for the everyday products they purchase,” says the Honourable Helena Jaczek, Minister responsible FedDev Ontario.

“For the last two years, Guelph and Wellington County have been working to support entrepreneurs and community leaders to reduce food waste and upcycle what can’t be avoided into an economic resource,” says David Messer, manager of COIL. “As part of this commitment to a new way of thinking about food and drink, we are excited to support the expansion of the Upcycled Certified Program and to champion the impact that it can have in growing the circular food economy in our region and beyond.” 

“We’re thrilled to see increased investment in the upcycled space by Canadian businesses and from all levels of the government. We are proud to expand the Upcycled Certified program to catalyze even more impact,” says Ben Gray MS, RD, co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer at the Upcycled Food Association and co-chair of the Upcycled Certified Standards Committee. “We’re confident the certification will further accelerate Canada’s progress towards ambitious climate goals.”  

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