Top Five Trends We Spotted at Expo West 2022

We're fresh off of our first Expo West in two years and buzzing with excitement to share our highlights from the show. We asked our 10 attending team members what stood out to them most, then consolidated their feedback into these top five trends.

Plant Based Everything?

Playing Chicken – the plant-based chicken nugget/tender onslaught continues with even more entrants showing up at Expo West. We counted over 25 companies on the floor trying to perfect this offering, which is interesting given that most chicken consumption is not in the format of breaded pieces but wings, thighs, breasts, etc. “We may have more plant-based chicken innovation now than we had Kombucha innovation in 2018!”?our team quipped.

Non-Dairy Dairy – we also saw a lot of products emerging in the plant-based dairy space. From milk and cheese to flavored spreads, we saw (and tasted) it all. Many of our team were pleasantly surprised by their preference for the taste of these dairy alternatives over their dairy competitors.?

What to watch for next:?

• Plant based bacon like Ozo?
• Plant based seafood

Salty Snacks Surge?

We witnessed a steady stream of alternative salty snacks?coming out. Whether using different base flours to introduce more plant diversity to the?category (like sweet potato, cassava, chickpea) in chips, or taking dehydrated veggies, pulses/beans and turning them into snacks (think mushrooms, peas) - we saw it all! ?

Flavor Town: Population, Everybody?

With?emphasis on bold and unique flavors, we saw many?new foods with regional or ethnic underpinning and storytelling. Some of our favorites were items that included?Asian spices and tang (think kimchi), Mexican tepache, and tempura fried seaweed – yum!?

Water...Really?

There are still?many water brands?with presence at Expo West. This year, most of them were either focused on functional (i.e., alkaline) or sustainable (i.e., using ocean plastic to make their bottles). Two highlights that stood out to us:?

• The use of aluminum. In 2019 there were two water brands using Aluminum. This year we saw at least 20!?
• Jason Momoa was on site promoting Mananalu bottled water. What an investment!?

Packaging Color Pop?

Long gone are the days of deep green, beige, and wood grain being used to telegraph "natural" products. This year we saw colorful packaging with big, bright color blocks and stripes. This was particularly true in beverage where we saw brands using less "traditional" colors like pinks, greens, yellows, purple, pastels, etc.?

Did you attend Expo West or follow the conversation online? Let us know what stood out to you in the comments below!