ANAHEIM, Calif. – This week, Natural Products Expo West 2025 kicked off, bringing together nearly 70,000 food and beverage industry stakeholders to experience the latest developments impacting the natural and organic sectors.
Roughly 3,200 exhibitors showcasing F&B offerings, packaging solutions, and more, presented their industry-leading assortments during the event taking place in the Anaheim Convention Center.
The natural and organic products industry continues to outpace their traditional counterparts, according to the Wednesday keynote session titled “The State of Natural & Organic,” highlighting the value proposition that these shoppers offer to the grocery and foodservice sectors. Moreover, Whipstitch Capital’s Nick McCoy noted that, by demographic, non-white shoppers represent a faster-growing natural and organic shopper than white shoppers.
“We’re all benefitting from that growth. We’re all here to grow our brands and our companies,” said McCoy. “The diversity of thought to be able to tap into both customer bases… is critical for the optimal performance of your company.”
Kathryn Peters, head of industry relations, SPINS, added that this diversity continues to have a positive impact on innovation, because it brings together unique experiences and flavors, and helps facilitate community engagement.
On the show floor, the diversity of offerings meant every consumer was represented. The following are some show floor insights that show where brands are focusing their efforts.
GLP-1 Drugs Are Top of Mind
The GLP-1 craze continued to develop across categories. Supplements, beverages, and macronutrient-rich snacks are some of the drivers that marketed either a “GLP-1 friendly” product, which complements the diets of those using the weight management drugs, or natural alternative solutions that can give consumers another option to naturally boost one’s GLP-1 levels.
For the latter case, Supergut recently debuted GLP-1 Boosters in a variety of flavors. The brand noted that, in the last year, it achieved 172% growth while launching in retail and expanding to more than 5,000 storefronts.
Much of this acceleration is likely a result of the persistent interest in these drugs and their effects. A poll from last year found that 6% are currently taking a GLP-1 agonist.
During a show session about the $126 billion snacking market, research commissioned by CHOMPS found that these medications are changing snacking habits: users are shifting towards protein snacks like meat and nutrition bars. Overall, this is playing into a protein-forward snacking experience. The research found that, as a result, protein snacks continue to gain value and volume share.
Despite the enduring presence of these drugs and their impact. Luba Safran, venture capital lead at Mondelēz International, explained that its true impact is still to come. In a session on snacking, she explained that real change will not occur until the drug can be taken orally, approved for use for obesity, and the distribution and availability keep up with the demand.
“GLP-1s are a very hot topic where the story is yet to be written,” she noted.
Scott Collier, VP of business development at Whole Foods Market, conversely commended the snacking category as a powerful tool to deliver nutrients to these consumers while in a diet-repressed state. He mused that snacking meets the portion control need implicitly.
Leading With a Purpose Forges Lasting Relationships
In a show session titled “Turn Sustainability Into Your Competitive Edge,” Goodpop founder Daniel Goetz said that a brand’s social mission is never what gets consumers into one’s brands, as flavor and price are much more effective drivers; however, these shared values tend to drive consumers to stick with the product once they’ve already fallen in love.
In a separate conversation, Mondelēz Futures VP and global head Richie Gray, agreed with this notion, adding that research found that “consumers won’t sacrifice taste or cost but would prefer if a product was made in a more sustainable way.”
This philosophy found purchase throughout myriad brands, where businesses championed environment, social, and governance (ESG) strategies that offset carbon emissions, removed plastic from the ocean, improved soil health, and more. In particular, the regenerative organic claim expanded its influence, being found on dairy and non-dairy milk packages, olive companies, and even non-alcoholic beverages such as the tea-derived spritzer brand Sarilla.
On the other end of the spectrum, however, are as small but mighty group of social vanguards who valiantly stand at the edge of social change and take an active role in their social and environmental impact by “voting with their food dollars.” Across conversations relating to sustainability, natural and organic claims, and plant-based lifestyles, key industry stakeholders underscored the value that these consumers bring to the industry.
Children’s Nutrition – Squeaky Clean Labels
No added sugar, real fruits and vegetables, macro- and micro-nutrient considerations. All these come together to form the next generation of children’s nutrition, a category that has long since stagnated but has since began innovating over the last few years, domestically.
One such brand with SKUs for both adult and children’s products develops better-for-you fruit rolls. The Turkey-based brand does not yet distribute these offerings in the U.S., yet sales executive Irem Atalay told The Food Institute that she’s excited by the opportunity for children-focused brands in the U.S., adding that its fruit rolls for children have been very popular across Europe for the past few years. She said an overall global shift towards children’s health is driving much of this growth.
Within this market, better-for-you natural and organic brands are tapping pop culture to connect with its shoppers. Plant-based, allergen-free ready-bake cookie brand Sweet Lauren’s recently collaborated with Mattel’s Barbie on an ad campaign and heart-shaped product. Additionally, Shine Water, a zero-sugar flavored water brand, leverages children’s show characters to make its offerings equally as appealing as its less healthy alternatives.
A related micro-trend spotted on the show floor also included traditionally adult-oriented products geared toward children. Tim Tam Tummy, for example, introduced a line of kid’s kombucha packed with probiotics, vitamins, and minerals.
The Wednesday keynote session also considered the domestic impact of how children’s product assortments are transforming the industry.
“We are increasingly seeing kid-positioned products, which is amazing because it creates conversations that look at why everything we do is important,” said Jessica Rubino, VP of content & Summits for New Hope Network.
The children’s nutrition space is important, too, because it is a key inflection point where consumers are susceptible to changing their relatively inelastic purchase routines. By adding nutrition considerations, it creates room for the adult consumer to also consider their health and wellness journey.
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