2022 NATURAL PRODUCTS EXPO WEST | Innovation & Inspiration

FoodLogiQ joined food industry professionals at this year's Natural Products Expo West conference, the leading trade show in the natural, organic and healthy products industry. The event was held  March 8-12, 2022, and in-person for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with attendees that spanned across the Retail, CPG, Distribution, and Foodservice spaces.

This year's expo featured a wide variety of agenda items, including innovative sessions and speakers, with daily opportunities to network with fellow attendees and even daily morning yoga sessions to get attendees centered and rejuvenated for the day ahead. There were central themes of innovation and inspiration, with many vital topics from keeping up with the ever-changing consumer, climate change, and sustainability.

Among the most notable agenda items at the 2022 Natural Products Expo West included the chance to network with the exhibiting brands and try some exciting products! It was evident that fresh and exciting trends would soon be at the forefront of the food and beverage industry.

• Consumers Crave Transparency: Brands such as One Degree Organics are not just labeling if it is gluten-free, vegan, organic, but are labeled with more specific traceability attributes like where were the products grown, process it was grown by the farmers - all available because of a QR code placed in both the front and back of the packaging.
• Throughout The Exhibit Hall: Some of the most compelling booths in terms of the presence of staff, excitement, attendee traffic, and highlighted new products were: Daiya (Grilling Cheeze blocks and flatbread), Tattooed Chef (brain fuel oat butter bar), Ozo (plant-based bacon), and Miyoko's Creamery (cultured plant milk cottage cheese), to name a few.
• Trends and Industry Growth: Emerging attributes in the organic food space include paleo-positioned, chicken, labeled vegan, contains superfoods, and the top categories in organic growth are frozen breakfast foods, shelf-stable soda, superfood, and whole food supplements. Brands are also listening to the consumer's demand to deal with stress, which has only become a bigger deal since COVID emerged in 2020; therefore, health and wellness (63% share of dollar growth) products are growing at about 45% more than conventional products (37% share of dollar growth).
• Plant-Based is Here to Stay: Large, well, known legacy brands like Cargill, Conagra, and Maple Leaf Foods all showcased a variety of vegan and plant-based products, along with their more traditional legacy products.
• Brand Ownership diversity: There were many discussions around supplier diversity by the major retailers and manufacturers throughout the conference on the same thread.
  • Women-owned companies increased 9%,
  • Minority-owned by 10%,
  • LBGTY-owned by 3%, and
  • Veteran-owned by 53%. 

Close to 3,000 exhibitors were live in person, with more than 50,000 attendees throughout the conference at the Anaheim convention center; this year's Natural Products Expo West was an energizing conference. It provided updates on industry trends, the chance to check out some trailblazing brands, and a host of networking opportunities filled with riveting discussions among fellow industry professionals.