Upcycled Food Association (UFA), in partnership with Misfits Market, is hosting the Upcycled Alley at Natural Products Expo East from Sept. 21-23, 2023 in the Innovation Experience. Ten UFA member companies, many of which offer Upcycled Certified® products, will be present including:
● Amäzi (RAD Snack) (Booth IE575) - Started by female-founder, Renee Dunn in 2016, Amäzi partners directly with farmers and small businesses in Uganda to make their unique, vegan, nutrient-dense Jackfruit Chews - sticky, chewy, sweet bites packed with fiber - and Plantain Chips - dried never fried, hearty, grease-free crunch.
● Bake Me Healthy (Booth IE558) - Founded by an Asian-American mom to help others bake better for themselves, their families and the planet, without compromising, Bake Me Healthy offers a line of sustainable, allergy-friendly, plant based baking mixes that include upcycled ingredients.
● Blue Circle Foods (Booth IE573) - Blue Circle Foods is an employee-owned sustainable seafood company founded in 2005 by organic industry pioneers. By sourcing sustainably farmed and wild-caught fish, and upcycling parts of the fish typically not used because they don’t meet rigorous portion requirements, they’re helping to save resources for the future.
● Chia Smash (Booth IE524) - Chia Smash is a superfood jam that's good for you, your tastebuds, and the planet. Their products have no added sugar, are packed with superfoods, and are made using 'imperfect' fruits.
● Daily Crunch (Booth IE559) - Daily Crunch is the upscale nut made through a special multi-step process. Their almonds are soaked in purified water to activate or “sprout” the nuts and then dehydrated. This process makes their snacks Uniquely Crunchy™, easier to digest, and more nutrient dense. They are made with clean ingredients.
● Heritage Laboratories (Booth IE591) - Asterism Healthcare is an innovation-driven healthcare nutrition company. They specialize in bioavailable liquid and solid dose functional foods and dietary supplements formulated from plant-based compounds, probiotics, advanced peptides, micronutrients, Japanese Kampō, and other functional vitamins and supplements ingredients.
● Kazoo Snacks (Booth IE542) - Each bag of Kazoo Tortilla Chips is made using 40% upcycled corn germ. This reduces the product’s water footprint by at least 16 gallons per 11 oz bag (compared to 100% new growth corn), without compromising on taste.
● Matriark Foods (Booth IE523) - Matriark Foods upcycles farm surplus and fresh-cut remnants into healthy, delicious, low sodium vegetable products for schools, hospitals, food banks and other foodservice.
● PKN (Booth IE560) - CEO and founder Laura Shenkar developed a creamy, nutritious pecan milk that upcycles even the smallest pecan pieces, which resulted in a delicious, dairy-free milk that supports Texan farmers and regenerative farming practices.
● Uglies Kettle Chips (Booth IE577) - Uglies® Kettle Chips are crafted from upcycled potatoes with slight imperfections—potatoes that are too large or too small; have varied colors or the wrong sugar content. Some of the potatoes are slightly blemished, and some are farmer surplus. Uglies Kettle Chips have saved 18 million pounds of potatoes since 2017.
Those who visit the UFA booth will have the opportunity to win upcycled prizes by participating in an Instagram selfie giveaway throughout the duration of the expo, and join an Upcycled Happy Hour on Thursday, Sept.21, 4pm EDT.
UFA CEO, Angie Crone, and Misfits Market CEO, Abhi Ramesh will share insights during a Sustainable Solutions Quickfire Chat on Friday, Sept. 22, 3:13-4pm EDT in partnership with New Hope Network, and will include speakers from Daily Crunch Snacks, Matriark Foods, Meati, Perfect Day, and Root and Splendor.
Angie Crone will also present at the Fireside Chat on Saturday, Sept. 23, 1-1:10pm EDT in the Innovation Experience Lounge, where she will discuss UFA’s mission and how its innovation caters to the sustainably-minded consumer.
The Upcycled Food Association launched the Upcycled Certified® program in May 2021, and to date has diverted over 1 billion pounds of food from being wasted. In the past year, there has been a 129% increase in the number of products that have become Upcycled Certified®, and 224 products and ingredients have become Upcycled Certified® since January 2023.
