By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
The Non-GMO Project, a nonprofit that introduced a non-GMO certification in 2007, has announced its latest project on ultra-processed food (UPF): a non-UPF label based on their verification standard.
Despite there being no legal definition of the term, ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are generally considered to be foods and beverages containing highly modified ingredients processed industrially as well as preservatives and additives such as bleaching agents and artificial colors.
The final report of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee does not include guidance on them. They believe there is “inconclusive evidence” on potential health impacts from their consumption.
By contrast, a recent review article of 43 studies concluded UPFs are associated with negative health outcomes – especially in children and adolescents – including obesity, cancer, type-2 diabetes, asthma, cardiovascular diseases, irritable bowel syndrome, and depression. In light of these associations, many people refer to UPFs as “unhealthy.”
According to a Non-GMO Project press release, over 50% of calories consumed in industrialized countries are from UPFs even though 85% of shoppers wish to avoid them. “Even the most informed consumers struggle to identify ultra-processed foods consistently,” Megan Westgate, Founder and CEO of the Non-GMO Project, commented.
An example of a UPF according to Westgate is white bread as compared to a whole grain bread. As Westgate stated in a Food Navigator interview, white bread consists of “a collection of foreign substances” unrecognizable to the body as natural food.
Pilot brands carrying the Non-UPF label was showcased at the March 2025 Natural Products Expo West tradeshow with more brand rollouts coming in Fall 2025.
NOVA in the Non-UPF Verification Standard
The ultimate goal of the Non-UPF Verification program is to provide guidance to consumers and to food companies manufacturing UPFs. The Non-GMO Project uses the NOVA classification scheme to accomplish these goals, encouraging food companies to use as little industrial processing as possible. Westgate noted: “Today’s ultra-processed foods represent an even deeper departure [from natural ingredients] – taking familiar ingredients and transforming them so fundamentally that our bodies no longer recognize them as food.”
In a Food Navigator article, Westgate indicated that they would allow a small percentage of microingredients (such as emulsifiers) similar to USDA Organic and Non-GMO Label standards in products carrying their Non-UPF label.
NOVA (a name, not an acronym) classifies four types of food processing based on the extent and type of industrial processing:
- Unprocessed or minimally processed foods (MPFs), including edible parts of plants, animals, or fungi or natural foods altered minimally and only to preserve them or make them more palatable; home cooking falls in this category
- Processed culinary ingredients (PCIs), such as fats, oils, sugars, and starches derived from MPFs or from nature (e.g., salt) used to season MPFs, but not intended for consumption on their own
- Processed foods (PFs), which are industrially produced by adding PCIs to MPFs (examples include canned vegetables in brine or fruit in syrup).
- UPFs are “formulations of ingredients, mostly of exclusive industrial use, that result from a series of industrial processes (ultra-processed), many requiring sophisticated equipment and technology.” Examples include sweet and savory snacks or deli meats. Ingredients commonly used in UPFs include sugar, protein and oil derivatives (high-fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, protein isolates, hydrogenated oil) and various additives (artificial colors, flavors, flavor enhancers, emulsifiers, thickeners, and artificial sweeteners).
The Non-GMO Project responds to the VRG
In January 2025, The Vegetarian Resource Group reached out to the Non-GMO Project to find out more details on the Non-UPF label. Here’s our exchange:
How are you defining UPF?
Ultraprocessing typically involves breaking foods down into isolated components, then recombining them with industrial ingredients to create highly profitable products engineered to trigger cravings and override natural satiety signals.
What does the standard look like?
Our new Non-UPF Verified program will build transparent standards through:
- A pilot program engaging brands, retailers, health and science practitioners
- Consideration of established frameworks like NOVA, retail buying policies, recommendations from advisory committees, and ongoing research.
- Periodic updates to the Standard supported by public and industry comments
- Clear requirements around banned ingredients and processes
This methodical, inclusive approach is how we’ve built our Non-GMO Verified Standard and signals our commitment to creating certifications that bring real value to people while being achievable for producers and helping to innovate systems change. This balanced process aims to help consumers make informed choices across the entire food spectrum.
Is tempeh, tofu, and/or soymilk classified as “ultraprocessed food”?
While we are orienting to NOVA, since that’s the basis for most current research, we are looking to add more nuance, especially to NOVA Group 4, and find a workable balance of meaningfulness and achievability that would not automatically exclude things like tempeh, tofu, and/or plant-based milks.
Note from the editor: The VRG recommends a whole foods diet full of a wide variety of vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and fruits. We applaud efforts for transparency and clear labeling. The VRG does not consider tofu, tempeh, soymilk, and other non-dairy beverages to be UPFs. There should be more nuance than in the NOVA standards. For example, The American Society for Preventive Cardiology has proposed a new category of “smartly processed” foods which includes fortified plant milks and plant protein-based meat and egg substitutes. They describe these foods as low in saturated fat, refined carbohydrates, and cholesterol and state that these foods can add nutrition value.
The contents of this posting, our website and our other publications, including Vegan Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.