The Best of Natural Products Expo
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Over 3,000 companies attended the Natural Products Expo West earlier this month to show off their latest products. If you didn’t get a chance to go, here’s a look at the top trends from this year’s event:
Probiotic products.
At this year’s Natural Products Expo West, products were packed full of probiotics. Ganeden, a company that develops probiotics, partnered with over 60 brands this year alone to create new products. Ganeden believes that this is just the beginning for probiotics, citing a study that found 70% of consumers prefer to consume probiotics in their foods instead of taking a supplement. In fact, the President of the Natural Marketing Institute announced at the Expo that 42% of consumers want to add more probiotics to their diets. Wholesale distributors and retailers should expect an influx of items such as cold brew coffee, almond butter and cheeses with added probiotics.
Single-serve cups.
Millennials are always on the hunt for grab-and-go snacks or meals, and exhibitors at the Natural Products Expo West took note. One of the hottest trends at the Expo was the single-serve cup, where brands like Nona Lim debuted soups, broths and cold cereals. Convenience is one of the most important qualities in a product for Millennials, so a single-serve cup that fits their on-the-go lifestyle will appeal to this generation.
New sources of protein.
The high protein diet is here to stay, but one difference is the source of the protein. A number of different foods found at the Natural Products Expo West stepped away from traditional meats to use peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas to increase the protein content. This is most likely a result of consumers beginning to understand how many resources are wasted to create meat products. Wholesale distributors and retailers should be on the lookout for Peas Please, Skinny Dippers and Beanitos, three brands that all made a splash at the Expo this year.
Natural fats.
As consumers become more knowledgeable about healthy eating, they have started to realize that contrary to popular belief, not all fats are bad. Because of this, new natural products have started to openly use healthy fats such as avocados and coconut milk. At the Expo, products such as the avocado oil mayonnaise from Primal Kitchen and potato chips cooked in avocado oil from Kettle Foods marked a shift in the way that consumers will think about fats from now on.
Vegetables.
Vegetables were everywhere at the Natural Products Expo West, but they were almost unrecognizable since they were disguised as tasty snacks. Brands such as Wild Zora Foods and Terra introduced a wide variety of new vegetable snacks, from freeze-dried beets to jerky infused with vegetables. Thanks to these innovative brands, vegetables are not just a side dish, but a snack with tons of flavor.
Ready to launch your new natural product? Contact Mr. Checkout Distributors to talk to a team of experienced distributors that service over 35,000 grocery and convenience stores across the country.