{"id":1415,"date":"2023-03-20T14:24:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-20T14:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allisonworldwide.com\/?p=1415"},"modified":"2023-09-20T15:25:47","modified_gmt":"2023-09-20T15:25:47","slug":"taste-the-future-of-food-expo-west-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.allisonworldwide.com\/taste-the-future-of-food-expo-west-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Taste The Future of Food: Expo West 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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By Annie Drury <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often dubbed the Super Bowl of the natural foods industry, Expo West 2023 brought thousands to Anaheim with high expectations about food brands\u2019 quality and performance. I attended on behalf of Allison+Partners\u2019 Consumer Food & Beverage team to see and taste what will hit our store shelves in coming years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From snacktivism <\/em>(snack activism) to Barbiecore, the future of food is here \u2013 and it is delicious.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve entered the snacktivism era <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Expo West made one thing quite clear: brands cannot afford not to prioritize transparency, sustainability and (most importantly) taste to scale and make an impact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But is massive scale the only way? This question was posed at a packed panel at Natural Products Expo West 2023, with speakers including plant-based industry veteran Miyoko Schinner and executives from Danone North America<\/a>, Rainfed Foods<\/a>, AgFunder and Food+Tech Connect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year marked a turning point in startup food culture with Miyoko’s Creamery’s separation from CEO\/founder and namesake Miyoko Schinner<\/a>. She said on the panel she sees a future focused on activism and education in the food world to empower people in their kitchens, with all speakers noting monoculture is a real problem.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With seemingly every new product making \u201cgood for you and the planet\u201d <\/em>claims, brands must go further and ensure their messaging and their values provoke change to get a gold star from consumers. From Olivia Castro-Sanchez at Danone North America\u2019s perspective, \u201cPurpose and performance need to co-exist.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flavors of the Tropics <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tropical flavors, especially guava, stole my palate at the show \u2014 tons of brands launched products with what is shaping up to be one of this year\u2019s most buzzworthy flavors.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Craize\u2019s<\/a> Guava Chips were hands down the most delicious item I tried. They were crisp and perfectly mixed tart and sweet. I even paired it with cream cheese and lox for a surprisingly winning combination. Other notable nibbles with tropical inspiration from the show included Better Booch<\/a>\u2019s new Guava Cooler with mango and makrut lime and Better Sour<\/a>\u2019s line of globally inspired sour gummy candy that nailed a better-for-you version of Sour Patch Kids. While guava was its most compelling flavor, calamansi<\/a> (Philippine lime) came in a close second.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether it\u2019s to tap into the nostalgic flavors of our childhood or bring our tastebuds on a tropical vacation, fruity flavors have made a major a comeback.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barbiecore and other beloved IP have entered the chat <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Barbie subtly stole the show with her brand deals. With Greta Gerwig\u2019s much-anticipated film hitting theatres in July, beloved brands and newcomers have seized the chance to get in on the action with products inspired by Mattel\u2019s top seller. Some standouts include Swoon\u2019s<\/a> Barbie-Pink Lemonade and Di Martino<\/a>\u2019s Barbie-branded pasta, which even came with a branded Di Martino pasta-cooking Barbie.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barbie wasn\u2019t the only beloved character with her time in the sun at Expo West. Smurf-branded vitamins had great visibility in the Nutraceuticals Hall and Shine Water<\/a> launched a Trolls-branded vitamin water timed to hit shelves with the release of Trolls 3 this year (cue Pharrell\u2019s \u201cHappy\u201d<\/em>).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We all know SpongeBob Easy Mac tastes better than the original, so I was excited to see brands tap into pop culture with their own takes on family-favorite characters.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transported across the globe with new flavors\u202f <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Newer brands showed up to Expo West to elevate new regions and landmark ingredients lesser-known to the American palate:\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n