BOULDER, Colo., May 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Natural Products Expo West Virtual Week, running May 24-27, is the leading event for discovering what products and changemakers are driving the natural products industry forward—and this event is free for retail buyers, distributors, investors and other industry members to attend. As the show opens, New Hope Network’s editorial team has announced its nine top trends coming to retailers in 2021. These trends and much more will be examined as the virtual event brings together the industry for four days of can’t miss education sessions and a virtual exhibit hall featuring thousands of product offerings in organic and natural foods, clean beauty and home products and supplements.
The nine innovation trends propelling the industry forward include:
- Organic Matters: Organic continues to be a gold standard in the fight for good food, reflecting a company’s commitment to industrywide criteria for growing, raising, and sourcing ingredients. Today, brands are going beyond certification, engaging in policy to strengthen standards, expanding acreage and educating on their ecological journey. Many organic companies are also making measurable climate commitments to truly protect the future of our planet and launching initiatives that support fair and equitable supply chains globally.
Exemplary products: Nature's Yoke Organic Free-Range Large Brown Eggs, Solspring® Biodynamic® Organic Spaghetti Durum Wheat Pasta, Organic Valley Low-Fat Chocolate Milk - Year-Round Immune Support: Shifting from reactive to preventative and from cold and flu season to year-round protection, the immune market is looks much different today. Brands are helping consumers meet their whole-health goals rooted in a strong immune system through a mix of traditional immune-boosting vitamins (C and D) and antioxidants, newer natural plant-derivatives (think mushrooms, elderberry, chlorophyll) and old-world wisdom (like ayurvedic herbs).
Exemplary products: Trace Minerals Liquid Immunity+, Flora Immune Essence, Nuun Immunity3 Super Berry, Source Naturals Wellness D-mmunity™ - Peak Brain Performance: Peak performance isn’t just about strength and endurance. Cognitive function is top of mind for consumers wanting to remaining smart and on point as they navigate life’s many hurdles and challenges. Brands promoting brain health are designing products that foster attention and focus, improve or maintain memory and other cognitive functions and regulate mood and behavior. While measures can be proactive or preventative, the overall objective is clear: to ensure that the brain functions optimally for as long as possible.
Exemplary products: Ergogenics 8 Mushroom Blend, Mason Natural Brain Power with Sage Extract, Freedom ETS Brain-Boost - A New Era for Fats: The sun has set on the fat-free era, and consumers are seeking healthy whole fats as part of a balanced lifestyle. At the forefront is full fat dairy like whole milk and ghee, plus coconut, avocado, nut and other plant fat. Other key players include natural vegetable fats and fats rich in Omega-3s. These top-shelf fats are especially of interest to those adhering to a ketogenic diet.
Exemplary products: Fatso Classic Almond+Seed Butter with plant-based fats, Healthy Crunch White Chocolate Coconut Chips, Truly Grass-Fed Ghee Clarified Butter - 20/20 Vision: With too much blue screen technology shoved in our faces, our eyes are becoming fatigued. Brands are innovating to address this with ingredients that help strengthen and repair eyes such as lutein and carotenoids, cope with screen time (lenses, filters and lights to reduce adverse effects) and stave off secondary effects of excess screen time such as difficulty sleeping.
Exemplary products: Dr. Mercola Lutein with Zeaxanthin, Wiley’s Finest Bold Benefits™ Vision, Sammann Company, Inc Simply Kids blue light glasses - Keep Eating More Plants: For years, consumers have been waking up to the value of a plant-forward diet and now there are more ways (and more delicious ways!) than ever to make it a reality. Brands are creatively catering to picky children avoiding spinach and broccoli, adventurous adults seeking the latest exotic plant superstar, and any consumer seeking meat and dairy alternatives. Plant-based dairy, meat replacements, and all-plant meal kits are some of the ways that companies are bringing tasty and convenient plant innovations to consumers.
Exemplary products: No Evil Foods Best Life - "No Beef" -Steak Strips Plant Meat, 10 oz, SOWN Organic Oat Creamers, Melatta V-GURT Passion Fruit & Turmeric - Digestive Health: Digestive health used to just be about regularity. As important as that is, modern consumers have greater expectations due to increased experience with food intolerances and digestive disorders like IBS and leaky gut, and because of an increased understanding of the microbiome and its potential to impact other body systems. Brands are developing products with digestive benefits like fiber, probiotics, prebiotics, and other microbiome support measures to help improve and maintain optimal digestive health for kids and adults.
Exemplary products: ChildLife Essentials LiveBiotics Immune & Digestive Support, Kevita Prebiotic Shot, Wakunaga of America Kyo-Dophilus Max E-Z Probiotic, Probulin Total Care Immune Probiotic - Healing Diets: Many consumers today are turning to specific diets, not for weight loss but rather to help resolve health issues, identify and eliminate intolerances, and reduce inflammation triggers. Viewing food as medicine, these self-aware consumers experiment with what they eat to identify what works for their very unique needs. Brands are designing products for this group’s commonly considered measures including keto, low-sugar, low-glycemic and FODMAP products free from dairy, gluten, and grains.
Exemplary products: V20 Sicilian Lemon Sparkling Balsamic Water, Ardent Mills Net Carb Flour Blend, Keto and Co Peanut Butter Soft-Baked Cookie Mix - Clean Label: Consumers want to feel empowered to take control of what they and their families put in and on their bodies. For brands, simplification can rebuild consumer trust. By stripping out unpopular ingredients, creating simple ingredient lists and addressing all the cleanup efforts behind their products, companies across categories are chipping away at consumer concerns that their products are tainted. Brands are making products free from dubious natural and artificial flavors, colors, thickeners, stabilizers, preservatives, preservatives and other offending additives.
Exemplary products: Dr. Bronner’s Honor Thy Label Book, Humble Brands Geranium & Vetiver Organic Formula Deodorant, Solely Whole Fruit Gummies, Elma Farms Poshi Asparagus Cuts, Lotus Foods, Willa’s Oat Milk
Registered attendees can hear a deep dive into these trends and much more at education sessions examining what’s happening in retail aisles today and what will drive sales in the future. These include the State of the Natural & Organic Industry session and a series of 30-minute discovery sessions exploring market manifestations and sales data across categories including snacks, meat and meat alternatives, supplements and more. Attendees can also tune in for the Pitch Slam and NEXTY Award winner announcements to discover emerging entrepreneurs and products that inspire a healthy and sustainable future for both people and planet.
Looking beyond the aisles, Natural Products Expo West Virtual Week will host a Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Keynote featuring Van Jones, CNN host and political commentator; a Climate Justice Keynote featuring Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. that will examine the link between climate change and social injustice; and a Changing Consumer Keynote from thought-leader Eve Turow-Paul examining social and environmental activism.
“We’ve seen a year of unpredictable challenges worldwide but so much that’s good about the natural products industry has grown even stronger,” said Carlotta Mast, Senior Vice President and Market Leader at New Hope Network. “The natural and organic industry has continued to bring new products to market that bring more health to more people and to find ever more sustainable business practices that support the health of the planet. This year also shone a long overdue light on the urgency to work together to make the natural and organic community more inclusive and ensure opportunities within our growing industry are open and accessible to everyone.”
Follow @NatProdExpo on Twitter and Instagram and find us on Facebook and LinkedIn for ongoing conversations. Visit Natural Products Expo Virtual online for more details about virtual events in 2021. Natural Products Expo East is scheduled for September 22-25, 2021, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia and will feature virtual programming for those unable to attend in person. Natural Products Expo West will return to the Anaheim Convention Center March 8-12, 2022.
About New Hope Network
New Hope Network is at the forefront of the healthy lifestyle products industry. With solutions for the complete supply chain from manufacturers, retailers/distributors, service providers and ingredient suppliers, the network offers a robust portfolio of content, events, data, research and consultative services. Through its mission of growing healthy markets to bring more health to more people, New Hope Network helps businesses identify the people, products, partnerships and trends that create better opportunities and connections. For more information visit www.newhope.com.
About Informa Markets
Informa Markets creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. We provide marketplace participants around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, targeted digital services and actionable data solutions. We connect buyers and sellers across more than a dozen global verticals, including Pharmaceuticals, Food, Medical Technology and Infrastructure. As the world's leading market-making company, we bring a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com.
Press Contact
Carrie Kocik
New Hope Network
pr@newhope.com