Delicious Happenings At 2024 Natural Products Expo West

Bigger and better than ever, the 2024 Natural Products Expo West gave attendees an opportunity to see innovations and underlying trends in natural products across a myriad of consumer categories. I spent most of my time looking at the Food & Beverage sector and here are some of my key takeaways: 

Clothing or food or both?
Lifestyle/fitness brands are entering the food & beverage space. Patagonia® featured Patagonia Provisions® at Expo West with the promise of delicious, sustainable foods and recipes. And while not all the offerings were built around the idea of outdoor cooking and eating, many of their products and recipes were. The socially responsible vibe of Patagonia was present, too—i.e., “let’s all eat like activists.” What other lifestyle brands might try their hand in the food & beverage space? Lululemon®? Nike®?

Good food or good medicine?
The boundaries between good eating and good medicine continue to blur. Mushrooms, with their adaptogenic benefits, featured across many different products—from the familiar (like-cold brew coffee) to more edgy offerings, like lifecykel®’s biohacking with mushroom elixirs. Products with functional health benefits—like Dole’s Digestive Bliss™—were plentiful and prominent across many companies and brands. Really pushing the boundaries, was GenoPalate®’s line of custom-formulated daily supplements, tailored to your specific DNA profile. Perhaps, soon, we’ll see actual foods tailored to your genetic make-up! Takes good for you(I mean really YOU) to a whole new level!

Do “mock” me.
Non-alcoholic beverages continue to be a hot topic in Expo West’s Hot Products area. From the non-alcoholic beers to mocktails and virgin wines to “non-alcoholic spirits” from Abstinence®, if you want it without alcohol… you can find it. And let’s not forget Liquid Death® waters—clearly positioned as a non-alcoholic alternative for those social situations where others are drinking but you choose not to.

No-animal-protein table “steaks” are not enough.
It used to be sufficient  to offer a meat-free alternative. But with an ever-increasing set of options for the plant-based consumer, you better taste good too. Impossible® revealed an exciting rework of their brand to significantly increase its taste appeal. Personally, I love the challenge they’ve embraced: “Delicious meat made from plants. For people who love meat.” With a new color palette, new scrumptious food photography on pack, and new bold flavor variants, my mouth is watering in anticipation of where they’re headed.

Want to hear more about these and other trends at the 2024 Natural Products Expo West?  Let’s explore how these ideas and innovations can fuel your innovation pipeline.

Reach out to me:
Steve Paljieg, VP of Innovation at Seed Strategy
spaljieg@seedstrategy.com

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