Upcycled Food Association
At a Glance
Industry
Nonprofit
Project Types
Data Analysis, Food and Agriculture
Summary
Grace Lihn provided strategic recommendations for Upcycled Food Association's inaugural Upcycled Food Month and co-designed a startup solution for scaling the upcycled food economy.Goals
In June 2024, Upcycled Food Association (UFA) launched a month-long consumer awareness campaign called Upcycled Food Month. The campaign consisted of a social media toolkit to support members in educating consumers and retailers about upcycled food, a series of public webinars, and engagement with prospective members at industry events. The goals of this project were to 1) understand the impact of this year's campaign and 2) identify ways to address the industry's most pressing challenges.Solutions
To analyze the impact of Upcycled Food Month, Grace utilized a mix of qualitative and quantitative methodologies. She tracked utilization of the social media toolkit, gathered member feedback through online questionnaires, created and analyzed post-webinar surveys, and conducted a literature review of market trends. She also engaged with current and prospective members at two in-person conferences for a broader understanding of the upcycling ecosystem. From these various data points, Grace identified short- and long-term organizational strategies for UFA to reach, engage, and retain association members.Potential Impact
With global market growth projected to be $97 billion by 2031, the upcycled food economy has a material impact on food supply, hunger alleviation, and emissions reductions. By leveraging the insights from Grace's research, UFA can empower businesses to achieve this growth and mobilize consumers to take action in mitigating climate change. In researching industry challenges, Grace uncovered that a critical barrier to growth is the lack of actionable data on surplus food generation. She collaborated with John Lancione of +Circularity to co-design a solution to assess the highest value potential for any byproduct or wasted food. This solution will enable businesses to minimize the risk of the capital investments needed for upcycling, accurately forecast supply (of lost/wasted food), and capitalize on the highest-value use of that material.
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