Ultra-Processing & What Comes Next: Reshaping Trust, Health, & the Future of Natural Food

As concern about ultra-processed foods intensifies, leaders across the natural products industry are grappling with the same question: what comes next? Moving beyond ingredients alone, this session examines how processing itself is shaping health outcomes, consumer trust, and the future of food.

Bringing together a physician, a leading natural brand executive, a market researcher, and certification leadership, the panel connects emerging health research with national consumer insights and on-the-ground brand experience. The conversation explores how shoppers are interpreting ultra-processing, how expectations are shifting for brands and retailers, and what practical pathways exist for reformulation, transparency, and credible verification.

Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of the science, the market signals, and the real-world decisions facing brands and retailers — along with insight into how collaborative, non-UPF approaches can support innovation, rebuild trust, and help the natural products industry lead what comes next.