Taste the Future: The Upcycled Foodie Experience Event to Showcase Innovative New Upcycled Products June 26, 11 am at Booth #5036
Denver, CO- June 20, 2023 - Upcycled Food Association, in partnership with the Specialty Food Association, is hosting the first-ever Upcycled Food Pavilion, sponsored by Planet PWD, at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City from June 25- 27. Exhibiting companies include Barnana, Confetti Snacks, Matriark Foods, Renewal Mill, The Spare Food Co., Still Good, and TBJ Gourmet. Show attendees will have the opportunity to hear inspiring stories and taste-test upcycled food products from all the upcycled food pavilion participants throughout the show and at “Taste the Future: The Upcycled Foodie Experience” as a part of the Pavilion Pop Up on Monday, June 26th, 11 a.m. ET, located at Level 1, Booth 5036.
Attendees are invited to the 'Taste the Future' showcase of upcycling innovation where they can hear from upcycling leaders and taste their newest Upcycled Certified® products:
- Barnana (Booth #5123) - Founder Caue Suplicy will introduce the brand’s new Upcycled Certified® Organic Plantain Scoops made with the peel, and discuss how this product innovation reflects the company’s commitment to fight waste at two levels: sourcing upcycled plantains and minimizing peel byproduct waste.
- Renewal Mill (Booth #5125) - CEO Claire Schlemme will showcase mini vegan vanilla cupcakes made with the brand’s newest Upcycled Certified® baking mix - a Vanilla Cake & Cupcake Mix. This easy-to-use vegan & gluten-free mix features upcycled okara flour, as well as Perfect Day’s animal-free egg replacer. So you can have your cake and eat it too!
- Matriark Foods (Booth #5127) - Founder|CEO Anna Hammond will feature Matriark’s new Upcycled Certified®, Carbon Neutral Certified Arrabbiata tomato sauce. This pantry staple is sourced from an ongoing supply of exquisite Virginia Roma tomatoes that are captured and processed within hours of being picked, highlighting the delicious opportunities for all consumers to cook with upcycled ingredients. Hammond will also discuss the Life Cycle Analyses that all Matriark products go through with Planet FWD.
- The Spare Food Co. (Booth #5030) - Co-Founder Adam Kaye (former Culinary Director of Blue Hill at Stone Barns) will discuss The Spare Food Co.’s mission to fix the broken food system which views overlooked ingredients as food waste, versus what they really are: wasted food. As part of that discussion, he will be showcasing their most recent Spare Tonic flavor release: Passion Fruit & Yuzu. The line of category-defining functional beverages are chef-crafted, climate-friendly and made with only four ingredients - upcycled whey (discarded from greek-yogurt style manufacturing), fruit, spice, and a touch of honey; delicious, nutrient-rich and chock full of probiotics, electrolytes, and B-vitamins.
- Confetti Snacks (Booth #5024) - CEO Betty Lu will showcase summer truffle veggies & green curry shitake mushroom chips. Confetti Snacks are a range of gourmet award-winning marvelous vegetable chips dressed in exotic, adventurous flavors inspired by the world. The Michelin featured scrumptious plant based gourmet snacks are crafted from ugly or imperfect veggies to reduce food waste, and celebrates colorful plants to feed the hungriest people in the world using a Robin Hood approach. Confetti has been awarded ‘Best Gourmet Snack of 2021’ by APAC Insiders, Finalist in Cartier’s Women Initiative, and ‘Tasty Singapore Brand Ambassador’.
- TBJ Gourmet (Booth #5026) - CEO Michael Oraschewsky will serve up some delicious whipped brie topped with TBJ Gourmet’s Upcycled Bacon Jam, made from bacon ends and pieces too big to fit in retail packages but too good to waste, while speaking about the founding of the Upcycled Food Association.
- Still Good Foods (Booth #5028) CEO Jonathan Rodrigue will introduce choco coffee cookies and discuss Still Good’s capacity to copack upcycled finished goods and ingredients for other brands willing to start the journey of upcycling.
In addition, the Upcycled Food Association with The Spare Food Co. and Rodeo CPG are hosting an upcycled pizza and ice cream social at Brooklyn Brewery Monday, June 26th from 5- 9 PM EST, featuring Fornino's wood-fired upcycled pizza, upcycled ice cream flavors from Salt & Straw, alongside cocktails and mocktails using The Spare Food Co.'s upcycled, whey-based, chef-crafted, probiotic sparkling tonic, Spare Tonic.
These exciting events showcasing multiple upcycled food products come on the heels of the 21st anniversary of National Upcycling Day, which takes place Saturday, June 24th. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of upcycling, with a recent study revealing that 61% of natural channel shoppers now recognize the concept. The market for upcycled food products is projected to exceed $80 billion within the next decade, signaling its immense potential and growth, according to Future Markets Insight.
The Upcycled Food Association launched the Upcycled Certified® program in May 2021, and to date there are 448 products and ingredients that are Upcycled Certified®.
"We are excited to partner with the Specialty Food Association to bring the first-ever Upcycled Food Pavilion to the Summer Fancy Food Show. The upcycled food industry is booming, and the Upcycled Food Pavilion is a great place to see and taste innovative products that are delicious, nutritious and sustainable,” said UFA’s CEO, Angie Crone.
"The Specialty Food Association is thrilled to partner with the Upcycled Food Association on the creation of an Upcycled Food Pavilion at the 2023 Summer Fancy Food Show," said SFA president Bill Lynch. "The SFA has long championed efforts to minimize food waste at the Fancy Food Shows through food rescue efforts with local nonprofits, but this collaboration with UFA will help us highlight how upcycled foods can be used to create high-quality, artisan products that fit seamlessly into the specialty market."
This coming National Upcycling Day, show your support for the upcycled food movement by visiting www.upcycledfood.org/upcyclingday and sign the pledge to upcycle to prevent food from being wasted.
Media, please RSVP to the 'Taste the Future' event by emailing [email protected] .
About the Specialty Food Association
The not-for-profit Specialty Food Association (SFA) is the leading membership trade association and source of information about the $175 billion specialty food industry. Founded in 1952 in New York City, the SFA prides itself on being an organization by the members and for the members, representing thousands of specialty food makers and manufacturers, importers, retailers, buyers, distributors, brokers, and others in the trade. The SFA owns and operates the Fancy Food Shows—which are the largest specialty food industry events in North America—as well as the sofi™ Awards—which have honored excellence in specialty food and beverage annually since 1972. The SFA produces the Trendspotter Panel annual predictions, the State of the Specialty Food Industry Report, Today's Specialty Food Consumer research, the Spill & Dish podcast, year-round educational programming for professionals at every stage in their business journey, and SFA Feed, the industry's go-to daily source for news, trends and new product information. Find out more online and connect with SFA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
About the Upcycled Food Association
The Upcycled Food Association (UFA) is the only nonprofit food industry association dedicated to catalyzing the upcycled economy to prevent food loss and waste across the entire supply chain. UFA fosters a vibrant community, delivers cutting-edge research and drives critical investment capital into the industry. As the hub of the upcycled industry, UFA propels innovation by connecting surplus ingredients and byproducts to upcycled manufacturers. With a flagship third-party verified program, Upcycled Certified®, companies demonstrate how their products prevent food waste, and showcase their positive impact to their buyers and consumers. UFA comprises pioneering consumer goods companies, retailers, ingredients suppliers and food system change makers from around the world. The Upcycled Food Foundation, UFA’s nonprofit subsidiary, is dedicated to growing consumer awareness and adoption of upcycled products and ingredients.
About Upcycled Certified®
Upcycled Certified® is administered by a third party certification body, Where Food Comes From, which ensures that every Upcycled Certified® product and ingredient meets the rigorous Upcycled Certified® Standard. To learn more about the Upcycled Certified™ program, visit www.upcycledfood.org or contact [email protected].