By blog team member, Kiran. To learn more about Kiran, check out our team page!
I recently attended a huge food trade show in L.A. called Natural Products Expo West. It first started in 1981 and attracts over 2,700 companies in the “natural” industry space along with over 70,000 attendees. Over 113 countries are represented at the show, and for most companies, it’s a time to unveil their new products and offerings that will be hitting store shelves soon.
I love this expo for so many reasons, and I always walk away seeing various trends. This year I saw cold brew coffee, cricket protein powder (yep, you read that right), probiotics in everything, and turmeric, turmeric, turmeric. And today I want to share with you some cool new products, including real food snacks, that will be coming to a store near you soon. Please note it may take some time for these products to be readily available, but be on the lookout in the upcoming months.
LÄRABAR Organic Bars
If you’ve spent any time around here, you know we love our LÄRABARs. They’re one of our go-to unprocessed bars (without any unnecessary additives) that are perfect for travel snacks, on-the-go hunger, or even as a supplement to school lunches. So we were pretty stoked to see they’re adding organic bars to their line! Can we get a woop-woop?! There will be 3 versions – one with kale, coconut, and cacao, another with hazelnut, hemp, and cacao, and the last with turmeric, ginger, and beet. Find them in April (and thereafter) at a store near you.
Wallaby Organic Purely Unsweetened Greek Yogurt
How many times have you yearned for an organic yogurt with fruit but without the added, refined sweeteners? We hear ya! And apparently the folks at Wallaby Organic did, too. New on shelves soon will be a Purely Unsweetened Whole Milk Greek Yogurt made with local milk and either unsweetened blueberries, mixed berries, peaches, or strawberries. Bonus: It’s certified organic and certified gluten-free.
Stonyfield 100% Grassfed Yogurt
Speaking of yogurt, an organic version that’s PCO 100% certified grassfed (meaning that cows eat only grass and nothing else, more on this topic in the months to come) is new from our friends at Stonyfield. Even though it comes in a few different flavors, plain is, of course, our flavor of choice.
Simple Mills Almond Flour Crackers
Got a hankering for a salty snack but sick of the refined grains and unnecessary additives? Well, look no further. The gals at Simple Mills have cracked the nut on this one with their simply deeelicious crackers (um, I had my fair share of these, and then some) made with almond flour. Eight simple (pardon the pun – again) ingredients round out the list on these snacks that come in 4 flavors: Farmhouse Cheddar, Sea Salt, Rosemary & Sea Salt, and Sundried Tomato & Basil.
Sprout Organic Pouches
New packaging on these pouches shows a list of real food ingredients on the front that exactly mirrors the ingredient list on the back! As many of us can be super sensitive about what we feed our little ones, knowing a pouch that touts organic blueberry, banana, and oatmeal will contain just that – blueberry, banana, and oatmeal – is music to our ears. Try one of the four new flavors that are just debuting: Apple Sweet Potato, Blueberry Banana Oatmeal, Mango, or Mango Apple Yogurt.
Applegate Dinner Sausages
It’s no secret we’re big fans of our long-time sponsor, Applegate, and their organic deli meats, hot dogs, and bacon (just to name a few). Their meat products are free of antibiotics, gluten, and casein, and they have no chemical nitrates or nitrites, fillers, or artificial ingredients. And although they did not have a booth at the expo this year, we are always excited to hear what new items they have in store for us. Coming soon is a new line of dinner sausages, which will marry simple, delicious ingredients with real natural meat that’s raised humanely without antibiotics for a match made in sausage heaven. Be on the lookout for these flavors: Natural Peach Jerk Sausage, Natural Chicken & Cheddar Sausage, and Natural Beer Bratwurst.
A Rule Breaker: Surf Sweets Organic Candies
Not necessarily new, but new to the Wholesome Sweet product line (after a recent acquisition) are treats that we’re pretty sweet on, occasionally that is! Organic jellybeans, jelly rings, fruity (think gummy) bears, and fruity hearts that are made with organic fruit juice, contain no artificial colors or flavors, are free of the 10 most common allergens, and are made in the USA. Now that’s helpful to have when a craving (or special holiday) strikes!
Which of these products are you most excited about? Please share with us in the comments!
