UPP and Betta Choc Named Runners-Up for Upcycled Food Tech

UPP and Betta Choc were named joint runners-up in the EMEA Global Food Tech Awards for their innovative approaches to transforming food waste into valuable ingredients. The awards were presented at Future Food-Tech London, spotlighting scalable solutions as consumer demand for upcycled products rises.

How UPP turns broccoli waste into value

UPP produces plant-based ingredients from broccoli sidestreams. The company developed a robotic harvesting system that gathers broccoli plant parts usually left in the ground to rot. This waste had no commercial use before UPP’s intervention. Founder Mark Evans says the system captures stranded value, creating new revenue streams for growers.

The company has constructed a pilot processing facility capable of handling up to 10 tons of broccoli sidestreams each day. The harvested material is turned into sustainable, functional, and nutritious fibre and protein ingredients. UPP’s approach has low regulatory and labelling risks, as its products are not lab-grown or genetically modified. Consumer acceptance is likely higher due to familiarity with broccoli.

Evans highlighted the company's scalable foundation. "The thing we’re most excited about is getting on to the supermarket shelves at scale," he said. UPP has an agreement with a very large farmer for 100,000 tons of feedstock, which is expected to deliver 40,000 tons of product. The company aims to deliver at scale with the quality required by tier-1 food producers.

Betta Choc’s cocoa alternative from date seeds

Betta Choc upcycles discarded date seeds into a cocoa alternative. Date seeds are a waste product of date production. The company uses proprietary fermentation technology, combining the seeds with an existing mycelium strain. The process harvests biomass that produces cocoa taste and theobromine.

Theobromine is an alkaloid with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties known for mood-boosting benefits. The final product mimics cocoa’s taste and functionality while reducing reliance on volatile cocoa supply chains. Founder Azhar Murtuza is pursuing a strategic path to scaling. "We are on the verge of a major collaboration, which would allow us to build an infrastructure to make it more scalable," Murtuza stated.

The company has been strategic about fundraising. Instead of raising money first, it is seeking strategic partners to enable a cost-efficient scale-up.

Judging criteria and market context for food waste innovation

GFTA judges evaluated applicants based on five criteria: scalability, sustainability, novelty, market fit, and star quality. This focus reflects a broader industry shift where upcycled food solutions are gaining traction. Food loss and waste cost the global economy approximately US$1 trillion annually. By 2030, the UNEP’s Food Waste Breakthrough initiative aims to halve food waste and cut up to 7% from methane emissions linked to food systems.

Consumer willingness is strong. Two in three consumers are prepared to pay more for products designed to tackle food waste. In the past year, 46% of consumers reported reducing waste and 39% reported recycling or upcycling items.

Major ingredient suppliers are embedding waste reduction into innovation strategies. Their approaches illustrate the technical pathways and business rationale for upcycling.

Industry leaders view waste reduction as both a sustainability duty and a driver of innovation. It can improve resource efficiency, lower write-offs, and increase distribution flexibility through extended shelf life. Smarter formulation looks across the whole product and production process to create value through higher yields and reduced waste. Predictive tools and advanced microbiology are seen as key future technologies for improving resource efficiency.

UPP aims to get its products onto supermarket shelves at scale, while Betta Choc is pursuing a major collaboration to build scalable infrastructure.