Upcycling food is an ancient tradition based on the philosophy of using all of what you have. It’s about doing less with more, and elevating all food to its highest and best use. Most of all, upcycled food is about reducing food waste, by creating high quality, nutritious food products out of the nutrients that slip through the cracks of our food system. But what is ‘upcycled food’ technically?
The definition above was created in 2020 after a task force of professionals from across industry, government, nonprofit and academia came together to provide a definition of upcycled food for use in policy, research, and more. The task force also produced a summary paper, which explains the following definition elements: