This year in March, the Natural Products Expo West comes back to Anaheim, California for their prestigious natural and organics products event. Showcasing over thousands of natural and organic brands as well as B2B marketing, the Natural Products Expo West along with New Hope Media and Engredea, welcomes companies from across the world to present and educate the public with their newest products.
I was happy to have the opportunity to attend the show again this year and while I noticed a few dramatic changes, the expo was still an exciting and impressive event. This year the security was definitely tighter as anticipated, as I’m sure there are those unregistered to attend will inevitably sneak into the show. There were more information booths which really helped and signage was clearer than last year’s. But what really impressed me this year was the extra events at both the Marriott Hotel and Hilton Hotel. This year a new section called “Hot Products” showcased brand new companies who introduced their newest products, some not yet out in stores. It was nice to see new companies who brought innovative and useful products to the natural products industry, such as design your own reusable glass water bottles and chocolate hot sauce.
Of course I had to bring my son to the show and it seems that each year companies are involving kids more with their interactive booths and games tailored only to kids. There were companies who also gave out unique toys and trinkets to kids that visited their booths. With so many companies to visit and sample their products, I still had to stop by my usual contacts which included Stonyfield Organic (www.stonyfield.com) who my rep had kindly demonstrated their newest interactive organic sourcing map which was pretty cool. Stonyfield also came out with a couple of new types of yogurt last year and early this year including, Stonyfield Organic Protein, Oh My Yogi!, Greek & Chia, and a few new flavors of their traditional varieties. I will be writing a review of their newest products in a later post. I also visited Amy’s which is coming out with some new Asian-inspired dishes and pasta dishes. They were so delicious it took a bit of willpower to leave their booth instead of staying there all night sampling their new dishes.
Other companies including Nordic Naturals were celebrating their 25 years in the business and they had some fun interactive games for kids and adults. Yummy Bears had new products as well and I had a nice greet and meet with the founders of Veri Organic Soda, which I will have a giveaway very soon.
There were so many companies this year and so much walking as well! But the good thing was that every few steps there was something you can sample or interact with and so we were able to take a breather now and then. And as offered every year, there were seminars upon seminars educating everyone on the world of organic and natural products and food. This year’s show broke last year’s attendance record by about 7%. Here are some highlights of the show:
New Hope’s team of editors and analysts identified the five macro trends influencing the marketplace. They include:
- Transparency advancements: Consumers are increasingly demanding to know what is in their food, and brands are responding by using technology and other innovations to provide greater transparency and traceability for their products.
- Ancient Wisdom Gets Wiser: Brands continue to innovate by producing simple, delicious products that take minimally processing to new levels and contain short lists of nutrient-dense ingredients.
- Paleo 2.0: Paleo-positioned products were even more prevalent. The newest Paleo offerings are popping up in every product category, from English muffins to chocolate.
- Packaging Innovated: From edible cups to packages featuring famous cookbook authors, the packaging innovations made advancements in sustainability, consumer education and shelf stability.
- Protein Invasion: Responding to consumers’ insatiable hunger for protein,natural and organic brands are packing new offerings with protein in every conceivable form.
Thursday before the start of the show, there was the Fresh Ideas Marketplace where companies showcased some of their newest and most innovative products yet to be out in the market. This year Organic Valley did something really fun by bringing their Save the Bro campaign with their Organic Fuel milkshake to the event. The milkshake is really delicious and has high amounts of protein so it’s great as a post workout drink or a mid day healthy snack. Pictured above you see several muscle men wearing the Save the Bro t-shirts and challenging anyone to show off their strength with the carnival-like test your strength game. The “bros” were cute and funny and definitely drew in a lot of crowds as they flexed their muscles and handed out prizes to the winners.
Overall, this year’s Natural Products Expo West had a lot more going on than last year. With the additional hotel sites hosting new products and special events and the evening parties on the promenade, there were more to see than anyone could take in a 4-day event. For more info about the Natural Products Expo please visit their website: www.expowest.com.
Disclaimer: The product(s)were sent to the author for review by the manufacturer/PR. All reviews on “Happymomblogger” remain unbiased and unpaid and are the sole decision of the author. The opinions of these product(s) were not influenced in any way, shape, or form. As always, please read the ingredients carefully when trying new products.
Please read the labels and ingredients carefully and follow all manufacturer’s instructions (if any). The products selected for the giveaway were generously donated by the companies/PR to help readers learn more about their products. The winner’s choice in using/consuming these products are entirely up to the winner and will not hold the author and her family liable nor the companies/PR liable. These products are made with non-toxic ingredients but always be safe with what you use and consume.
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