The Industry’s Largest Event on the East Coast will be Packed with Thousands of New Products from Companies Shaping the Future of Health and Wellness

BALTIMORE, Sept. 11, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 34^th annual Natural Products Expo East opened today with the announcement of 15 trends industry watchers will spot across all categories at the show including: organic and natural foods; clean beauty and home products; and supplements and ingredients. Hosted by New Hope Network, the east coast’s largest event dedicated to the natural products industry is expected to attract more than 29,000 attendees and will run through Saturday, September 14, at the Baltimore Convention Center.

With more than 1,550 exhibiting companies showcasing products, including 537 brands making their Expo East debut, the 2019 show highlights the companies driving the future of food and wellness. This year New Hope Network’s content and research team will be monitoring the following innovation trends and macro forces shaping the natural products industry. To dive deeper into these trends and view product images, visit the online gallery at newhope.com.

Macro Force: Material Optimization
Brands are adopting reduce, reuse, recycle principles in their business models, resulting in crafty solutions to eke out the most value from ingredients and materials.

• Trend 1: Responsible Packaging. Loving Earth (booth 8013) wraps its regenerative chocolate bars in cardboard-like packaging suitable for recycling of composting.
  
  
• Trend 2: Waste Reduction: Uglies Potato Chips (booth 457) sends ugly produce higher up the value chain by using rejected potatoes. Look out for discarded coffee fruit turned tea or energy drink, too.
   
• Trend 3:  Efficient Materials. Bamboo is morphing into many innovative options. Woobamboo (booth 2734) features bamboo in its line of compostable toothbrushes.
  

Marco Force: Plant Wisdom
Social, environmental, health and animal welfare concerns have dogged animal-based agriculture. Now, brands are meeting consumer demand to replace or reduce consumption of meat and dairy with plants.

• Trend 4: Eat More Plants. Brands such as Path of Life (booth 8106) are creatively catering to health seekers craving new ways to “eat their veggies,” picky kids avoiding broccoli and snackers hungry for exotic plant superstars.
   
• Trend 5: Plant-Based Ethics. Brands like Caulipower (booth 8102) are forging ahead with plant-based options that either closely mimic the meat or dairy experience or that offer healthy, convenient alternatives that don’t try to be the real thing.
   
• Trend 6: Plants Elevated. Miyoko’s Kitchen (booth 644) and brands like it are not just meeting the need for alternatives to animal-based products; they’re winning over longtime vegans, new converts and flexitarians alike in their R&D approach and creating really good-tasting plant-based options that conjure a cult-like following.

Marco Force: Agricultural Communities
More and more brands are engaging in farm production and working to improve environmental practices in their supply systems.

• Trend 7: Organic. Organic brands build trust through reputable certifications for strict animal welfare and grass-fed standards like Maple Hill Creamery (booth 1213) does. Trust can come to life with the farmer story as well, like it does with the journey of the farmer-owned and led Organic Valley (booth 1329).
   
• Trend 8: Regenerative Agriculture. Whole food supplement brand MegaFood (booth 3107) recently developed the Healthy Farm Standard, a sourcing guide to implement standards and strengthen relationships with its suppliers on building soil health, conserving resources and supporting the livelihood of workers and farmers.
   
• Trend 9: Agricultural Improvements. Mondelez (booth 1605) sources through its Cocoa Life program to foster USDA Good Agricultural Practices, conservation and community empowerment.

Marco Force: A Life of Vitality
The pressure of modern life means we are feeling bogged down and our full selves are suppressed as we grapple with life’s demands. Consumers seek diets to help stave off and prevent disease, treat conditions and optimize how they feel today.

• Trend 10: Endocannabinoid System. HempFusion (booth 3446) is a hemp CBD pioneer that blends hemp with complementary herbs to address a handful of consumer concerns including stress, relaxation and daily balance.
   
• Trend 11: Optimized Diets. Dr. Mercola (booth 3211) is fully on board with this trend, starting with the good doctor’s book KetoFast. Beyond that, the brand has KetoFast Detox Essentials, keto bars and MCT oils, even enzymes targeting the keto lifestyle.
   
• Trend 12: Healthy Microbiome. Garden of Life (booth 3235) of course has a full range of probiotic products, but its Dr. Formulated Probiotics Mood Daily Care contains two strains in particular that have been shown in human clinical studies to benefit mood and psychological distress.

Macro Force: Modern Conditions
Twenty-first century living has ushered in new afflictions and consumers are learning how to cope with, prevent or cure modern ailments by reading the latest science-backed research or testing alternative products that will do the job.

• Trend 13: Brain Health. Himalaya Herbal Healthcare (booth 3127) is emblematic of addressing the new nootropic hack trend. Its MindCare – for mental sharpness and focus, supporting memory and cognitive wellness – uses only herbs mostly native to the Indian subcontinent.
   
• Trend 14: Digestive Health. Barlean’s (booth 3035) has old-timey packaging breathed into new SKUs including one for intestinal repair designed to promote probiotics and help repair and support the intestinal lining. Leaky gut is finally getting the recognition it deserves as an underlying cause of a range of downstream disease states.
   
• Trend 15: Eye Health. Quantum Health (booth 3749) uses macular carotenoids in its Macula 30+ line, and it uses doses at the highest level studies have shown to support eye health and comfort.

All Natural Products Expo East badge holders are invited to hear an overview of these trends and how each organic and natural product category and sales channel is performing at The State of Natural & Organic – Leading Perspectives on a Growing Industry session, from 8:45am to 10:00am Eastern Time on Thursday, September 12.  Those unable to attend may view the session for free via livestream and follow the #ExpoEastTrends conversation online.

“The rate of change kept pace in 2018 for the U.S. natural and organic products industry,” said Carlotta Mast, Senior Vice President of Content and Market Leader at New Hope Network. “With annual sales now totaling well over $219 billion across the industry, natural and organic has tipped into the mainstream and is now defining the future for food, nutrition and consumer products. Every show fills me with even more optimism that our industry, and the consumers that support it with their purchases, will bring about better health for people and the planet.”

Follow @NatProdExpo and #ExpoEast on Twitter and Instagram, and visit us on Facebook for ongoing conversations.

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 is made up of the top events, education, data and content brands across the global health and wellness industry. This powerful alliance serves a world-wide network of CPG brands, manufacturers, suppliers, retailers, distributors, investors and service providers.