Trend report from Expo West 📈

Expo West is a massive convention in Anaheim California where brands and buyers decide whats going to be on your supermarket’s shelves.

Peak into the future, here’s what’s coming at you this year:

Vibe shifts

Comparing notes w/ a seasoned vet who’s gone for the past 10 years:

• Less plant based meat, several weird meat/plant synthetic hybrids

• More single-ingredient snacks (dried fruit, etc)

• More stress on ingredients and sourcing (basic Oatly, etc)

• Less kombucha (still a lot)

• More regenerative labels

• More kefir

• More non-alcoholic beverages

• Zero CBD

Our favorites

A scout must be on high-alert at a packaged food conference. Most of our favorites were basically gussied-up snacks made from whole fruits or fermented dairy products with great sourcing.

Rock it apples: A new apple hybrid from New Zealand, potentially my favorite apple experience to date.

Soap Standle: A stand and a handle for bars of soap. No more slime, never drop the soap again! (I’ve been using it I’m a believer)

Date Better: Organic dates, injected with hazelnut and coated in dark chocolate, a scout favorite snack.

Small, high end dairy brands: Alexandre farms, Raw farms, Zeal Creamery, etc. People care about where their food is coming from!

We are in talks with Raw Farms to add their store finder to the SOS map. Stay tuned!

The Coconut Cult: Some of SOS’s earliest supporters, I love this brand but I don’t buy it as it is far too tasty and caloric, I can’t help but eat the whole jar. Worth a try, but very pricey.

The weird

Plant-based meat enhanced with animal parts:

Meat hybrid burgers: No seed oils at least

Extra virgin seed oils: I tasted extra virgin high oleic sunflower oil and various nut oils. They are all tasty, and allegedly 85% oleic acid which is comparable to many olive oils, however they have a strong nutty flavor and are not cheap. I don’t think we’ll be seeing them at restaurants anytime soon.

Takeaways

A few brands were vocal against seed oils, and I’d say seed oils were rarer than you might expect. It appears the world of packaged foods is moving in a favorable direction, with the number of single-ingredient freeze dried fruit type options increasing.

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