Conscious CPG Voices, Part I
These articles were originally published on the New Hope Network website
All articles by Steven Hoffman
How are “Conscious CPG” companies positioning themselves in today’s fast-changing consumer market—and how are they turning to the Newtopia Now as a vital new resource to advance their brand among key buyers and decision makers?
We asked the founders and leaders of 10 emerging brands who are exhibiting their innovations—many of them for the very first time at Newtopia Now—what factors drive their decisions today. Coming from diverse backgrounds, these entrepreneurs share at least one thing in common: The belief that gathering with peers, contemporaries, buyers, influencers, mentors, business leaders and others in an intimate setting is critical to learning about the marketplace, building relationships and growing your business and brand.
Funky Mello turns aquafaba into plant-based indulgence
Delisa Harper and her husband, Zach, are co-founders of Funky Mello. The Austin, Texas-based company is seeking to carve out a niche in the refrigerated desserts category with its line of plant-based marshmallow cremes formulated from aquafaba, the starchy brine derived from cooked chickpeas. Funky Mello’s product offerings are vegan, gluten free, soy free and free of eight top food allergens. Mission-based, the company also supports organizations tackling youth food insecurity. Here is the brand's story in Delisa Harper's own words.
Delisa Harper
Rasa showcases high-performance adaptogen brews at Newtopia Now
Boulder, Colorado-based Rasa was founded in 2018 by Lopa van de Mersch and Ben Levine Nahar. Combining an interest in Ayurveda with herbs, adaptogens, mushrooms and other functional ingredients, Rasa and Ben created a “dark, rich, roasty” coffee alternative. In 2021, Rasa announced it had become a Public Benefit Corporation, and in 2022, the company raised $4.1 million in a crowdfunding campaign. Today, led by CEO Lenny Chase—who as a marketing executive helped build Halo Top into a national brand—Rasa is expanding to offer a full line of high-performance daily brews designed to provide energy from adaptogenic ingredients, plus functional coffee, cacao, matcha and other beverage products. Here is the brand's story in Lenny Chase's own words.
Lenny Chase
HeyBamboo brings sustainability and inspiration to Newtopia Now
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Joslyn Faust worked in tech marketing for 20 years, yet she always harbored the entrepreneurial spirit to launch a company. When the toilet paper shortage hit during the Covid pandemic, Faust began looking into the impact of toilet paper manufacturing, along with the bleach and chemicals often used in the process. Seeing an opportunity from what she found out, in 2023, Joslyn launched HeyBamboo to provide sustainable, unbleached toilet paper made from 100% bamboo. With the motto, “Sustainable to the Core,” no plastic is ever used in the packaging. Here is the brand’s story in Joslyn Faust’s own words.
Joslyn Faust
Oodaalolly’s chocolate fills store aisles—and Newtopia Now—with 'unfiltered joy'
Oodaalolly founder Hernan Lauber grew up in the Philippines, Switzerland and the U.S. When Hernan’s Swiss father opened a chocolate company in rural Pennsylvania in the early 1980s, Hernan spent his formative years working in his dad’s chocolate factory, “doing every horrible job no one wanted to do.” After studying engineering, working in manufacturing and life sciences, and living overseas for 10 years, Hernan and his family settled in the San Francisco Bay Area, where, inspired by his father’s business and his Filipino roots, Hernan founded Oodaalolly. From the packaging to the product, Oodaalolly chocolate reflects deep cultural roots and traditional Swiss chocolate making techniques, all made in the U.S. Read the brand’s story in Hernan Lauber’s own words.
Hernan Lauber
Innovation, experience help Nature's Sunshine understand consumers’ health needs
Established in 1972, Nature’s Sunshine takes pride in its claim as the first company ever to encapsulate herbs. Today, the dietary supplements leader offers more than 500 products and employs a global direct sales force of over 670,000 independent managers, distributors and customers in at least 40 countries. The company operates its own R&D and quality control group and manufactures its products in a 200,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art, 100% solar-powered facility in Spanish Fork, Utah. The company also supports health and wellness for children around the world through its partnership with the Sunshine Heroes Foundation. Learn more from Nature’s Sunshine President Kevin Herbert.
Kevin Herbert
What Natural and Organic Buyers Want at Newtopia Now
Retailers look to New Hope Network's new natural products program and trade show to guide conscious CPG innovation and growth. Find out more.
This article originally appeared on the New Hope Network website on June 26, 2024
By Steven Hoffman
As the natural, organic, regenerative and “conscious CPG” industry prepares to gather in Denver, Colorado, on August 25-28 for the inaugural Newtopia Now, a number of retailers attending and participating in the event shared their thoughts on what drives their purchasing and foraging decisions today.
They also shared perspectives on how they best like to work with partner brands to achieve their goals and serve their customers—and how Newtopia Now can provide value in helping match them with companies and brands in a more intimate, innovative and curated trade show and conference setting.
Numerous retail buyers, foragers and business owners across the country participated in this story, ranging from large chains such as Whole Foods Market and Sprouts Farmers Market; smaller chains such as Earth Fare and Bristol Farms; online retailer Thrive Market; and independent grocers St. Vrain Market and Mustard Seed Market & Café.
Here’s what these retailers shared about today’s marketplace, what drives their purchasing decisions and how they are turning to the upcoming Newtopia Now as a key new resource to help them in their work.
Casey Gaston, Executive Leader, Local and Emerging Brands, Center Store, Whole Foods Market
Founded in 1980 and based in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market operates more than 530 stores in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. Casey Gaston is a featured presenter at Newtopia Now as part of a panel discussion, How to Get Your Product into Whole Foods Market, at 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, August 27.
Casey Gaston
Things are always changing in business and we have to remain nimble. Today, Whole Foods Market is connecting with suppliers in a lot more ways than ever before. Getting the attention of our merchants and foragers hasn’t changed as much, however. Start by doing your homework: utilize the Whole Foods Market Supplier Portal and review our quality and product standards. New and emerging brands can connect through our keystone incubation program, LEAP (Local and Emerging Accelerator Program). The LEAP Early Growth cohort, which works with early growth brands, is now in its third year and applications have tripled. While a limited number of brands are selected for a given cohort, others still get on to our radar as a result of the application process. Our Local Producer Loan Program also remains a strong pillar for Whole Foods Market.
As a forager team, we’re excited that the format of Newtopia Now is different. While large brands can get much of the visibility at a show like Expo West, Newtopia Now allows emerging brands to be the stars. We can’t wait to experience a show dedicated to new and emerging brands. We are looking for innovation and trends, and are excited to see brands that have something to show us. We like the concept of matchmaking, and we’ll be hosting some of our own meetings at the event. We’re going to lean in on all the tools and programs New Hope is providing at Newtopia Now.
Darren Viscount, Senior Natural Living Category Manager, Bristol Farms
Founded in 1982, Bristol Farms operates 13 stores in Southern California. With 27 years’ experience in retail, Darren Viscount is a featured presenter as part of a panel discussion, Leading Natural Living Buyers Tell All: Thrive, PCC and Bristol Farms, at 1:30 p.m. Monday, August 26.
Darren Viscount
Shopping for natural foods is less of a destination now than when I first started in the industry. Today, natural products can also be found online, in mass market, in conventional— there is a lot more opportunity for people to purchase these products. In addition, when there is disruption in the economy like we’ve seen over the past few years, people want value.
That said, while ingredients and quality are certainly a factor, our customers are looking for value. So, when I work with brands, I make sure we have promotions, including long-term promotional agreements and/or quarterly promotions. We also put an emphasis on staff training, whether it’s in-store, online or team training sessions. We want to help our customers so that when they get home, they know they’ve made the right decision on product selection.
Today, social media drives a lot of our purchasing decisions. We monitor TikTok and Instagram to see what’s trending. Right now, for example, trends in supplements include magnesium, creatine, high protein products, electrolytes, gut biome and health, probiotics and more. There are a lot of influencers on social media that drive people to our stores, too.
Our goal at Newtopia Now is to foster closer relationships with brands we meet at the event. I like to attend events such as Newtopia Now because I get to talk directly with founders, CEOs, product developers and other brand leaders and speak with them about how they will support our stores, our teams and our customers. It is valuable to me in building community on a business and personal level. With Newtopia Now structured as a more intimate event, we hope to get more one-on-one time with the vendors and find brands to cultivate and nourish from the ground up.
Phillip Nabors, Co-Founder, Mustard Seed Market & Café
With two full service stores and a restaurant serving the Akron, Ohio, market, Mustard Seed Market & Café, established in 1981, is one of Ohio’s largest independently owned retailers of natural and organic products. Cofounded by Margaret and Phillip Nabors, their sons Gabe and Abraham now lead operations for the stores. Phillip served as president of the Retailer Division of the NPA (formerly NNFA) in 1993 and served for 10 years on the Natural Foods Committee of FMI—the Food Marketing Institute.
Phillip Nabors
From the early days, we were unique from the more “pill-driven” health food stores of the time. We made a conscious effort to bring in locally sourced food, whatever we could get from producers and distributors. By having as much food as possible, we enjoyed a large trade area—a 50-mile-plus radius.
Now, the trade area is much smaller and we have to compete with everyone. We have to really sharpen our pencil on price to be competitive. The early days were about education; the customers went on a learning journey with us. Now that you can find natural foods just about everywhere, it’s “What’s the price?”
However, there remains the mission, along with the opportunity to educate, and we’ve always been the trustworthy source of information. We’re actually sincere about the mission of propagating wellness. Some people get that and are willing to drive or pay a bit more to support us. For Newtopia Now, I’m the test pilot for our company. I’m intrigued about the Matchmaking program and have signed up for it.
If I look back at all the best times I’ve had at shows, it’s the deeper conversations. Not just about the attributes of the product, but also alignment on values. I’ve always learned a lot from interacting with suppliers and brands, and I enjoy meeting new people and running into peers and colleagues I’ve known for decades. Plus, I learn a lot from other retailers. I’m looking forward to interacting with all these constituents on a deeper level at Newtopia Now.
I’d like to add that I appreciate all that New Hope Network has done over the decades and what a critical role it has played in growing the natural products industry. Their trade shows in large part enabled the industry’s growth. They have delivered an amazing product over the years. The fact that the company is trying something new makes me want to support them all the more.
Scott Romano, Vice President, Forager, Sprouts Farmers Market
Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Sprouts Farmers Market operates more than 400 stores in 23 states. Scott Romano is a featured presenter as part of the panel discussion, How to Get Noticed by the Sprouts Forager Team, at 12:30 p.m. Monday, August 26.
Scott Romano
Sprouts Farmers Market operates more than 400 stores in 23 states, and is looking to grow the store base at 10% per year going forward. Innovation is our key, and differentiation is what Sprouts is seeking.
When you think of today’s retail landscape, anyone can carry these products. So, for us in making buying decisions, differentiation and innovation lead the first round, and then we look for taste, number one. We scorecard every brand we bring in—we look at attributes such as diversity/minority owned, sustainability, is the product on trend, for example, regenerative agriculture, mushroom adaptogens, probiotics, etc. Then, based on a point system, we will place products in one of three buckets: yes, we want to pursue further; hold and let’s keep it in the pipeline; or decline and thank you, we’ll pass.
While we are being a little more selective, we do have a foraging program for new brands that can help take some of the costs out of the system. The foraging program is a 90-day test period where select brands can receive sales data and general engagement insight. We’re also able to learn from that to prepare the brand for next steps, be it regional or national, and also continue to evolve the program to have a higher success rate with brands we launch. Currently, we are finding success with brands that have built some kind of online B2C presence before expanding into brick and mortar.
Sprouts is looking forward to going to Newtopia Now. There will be a team of folks foraging on the floor, and I will be participating in a Buyer Side Chat to help vendors learn how to get in front of the buyers at Sprouts. The first year is more exploratory for us, however, we’re excited to see the different neighborhoods Newtopia Now has planned, and experience a show in a different way. As a more intimate and focused event, it is a welcome bookend to Natural Products Expo West.
Mitch Orland, Senior Vice President of Merchandising and Marketing, Earth Fare
Earth Fare, founded in 1975 and based in Asheville, North Carolina, is a leading chain of natural and organic food supermarkets with 18 locations in seven states throughout the southeastern U.S. A new ownership group, comprising some of Earth Fare’s original founders, purchased Earth Fare out of bankruptcy in 2020 and has been re-establishing the company as a natural foods retail leader across the Southeast.
Mitch Orland
We opened four years ago during the COVID pandemic when new owners bought Earth Fare out bankruptcy. The group comprises some of the original founders. Since then, we learned we have to reinvent ourselves. We have to be first to market, customer service is key, our people are important, and value perception is super important. Our industry is known for prices higher than conventional, but Earth Fare has combatted this price perception by offering discounts, promotions, every day deals and a Healthy Rewards in-store loyalty program.
Also, we like to stay on top of the trends and are getting out in front on regenerative food and farming. We are closely aligned with the Plant Based Foods Association, the regenerative Land to Market program, Regenified and others. We continue to cultivate these relationships and often they’ll tell us about brands that we can explore.
In addition, one of the top trends we’re working on is ‘craft vegan.’ It’s a trend that was reported on in 2023 by New Hope Network, and in fact, I coined the term to describe the next generation of artisan-made vegan foods, including plant-based aged cheeses, dairy-free butters, deli meats made from mycelium-based Koji, and more. We are getting a handle on food waste, and our program Save & Stop Waste has diverted over half a million pounds of food from landfills over four years.
Personally, I like to forage at local farmers markets within driving distance of our stores. It’s a great way to find local producers and supports the communities. We can bring product to market faster than anyone else—from farmers market to shelf in as little as three weeks. I’m also a chef, so what lights me up about my job is supporting small emerging brands and see what they’re going to do next.
Earth Fare is bringing a full team to Newtopia Now, and we are planning to do something fun—however, it’s a secret for now! For us, it’s about connection, learning, team building and what’s on the horizon. I’m glad New Hope is doing more to directly link the buyers and brands with this first-time event.
Neil Sullivan, Co-Owner, St. Vrain Market
Located in Lyons, Colorado, the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, in a historic building that once served as a creamery in the 1800s, family owned and operated St. Vrain Market is well known in the area for its selection of natural, organic and specialty products, premium meats and fresh baked goods. Co-owner Neil Sullivan’s experience includes working at the former upscale Sutton Place Gourmet in Washington, DC.
Neil Sullivan
My wife and I have owned St. Vrain Market for 16 years. It had been a grocery store for many years and has a 100-plus year history. The store was run down when we bought it, so we traveled around to visit independently owned, single-store retailers in northern California. We modeled a lot of what we do today on some of the things we saw coming out of these stores, including local sourcing. We also modeled the store as a European style market—you can shop here for the day’s or a few days’ needs.
We created a tagline when we launched St. Vrain Market: ‘Local and Fresh.’ We asked ourselves, how do you meet the needs of a local community by also supporting that local community? We source many products from fresh and local producers. We give the town something they can be proud of and the community has responded.
People know us best for our bakery—it comprises 20% of our revenue and we employ five full-time bakers—plus an all-natural deli and a very nice meat case. The produce we offer is almost all organic; we have a great dairy selection and we feature local and national brands.
We are far from a commodity player. When we look for supplier partners, we have a specific set of criteria. We’re looking for brands that share both beliefs and practices and can be a great partner for us. Clean ingredients, sustainable-focused packaging, conscious, mission-based businesses—we and other independent retailers are prioritizing these attributes over commodity pricing.
But, we also need entities such as New Hope Network to help us find those partners and sift through all that is out there in the broader industry. For us, Newtopia Now is helping to find the best ways to bring meaningful partnerships together and identify the brands that best align with our criteria. It will help cut through a lot of time and noise and not spin our wheels.
One of the trends we’re moving with is sustainable packaging in our foodservice and food preparation. We use compostable supplies almost exclusively. That’s the criteria I’m including in my Newtopia Now ‘dating profile.’ With Newtopia Now in the matchmaking business, it’s going to help me find suppliers that meet my dating profile.
Also, the event offers me an opportunity to get away from my business long enough as an owner-operator to get information outside of my store walls that I may not get otherwise. I’m also excited to engage at Newtopia Now with suppliers and partners that support minority owned businesses. Our mission statement at St. Vrain Market has nothing about food in it—it’s simply to build community. Our mission is to do well by doing good.
Kirstin Ratcliffe, Senior Category Manager, Beauty and Personal Care, Thrive Market
Thrive Market, based in Los Angeles, California, and founded in 2014, is the leading member-based online retailer offering natural, organic and regenerative products to healthy lifestyle consumers. Kirstin Ratcliffe is a featured presenter at Newtopia Now as part of a panel discussion, Leading Natural Living Buyers Tell All: Thrive, PCC and Bristol Farms, at 1:30 p.m. Monday, August 26.
Kirstin Ratcliffe
Our mission at Thrive Market is to make healthy and sustainable living easy and affordable and for everyone. We work with the biggest companies in the natural space to up and coming independent brands. Providing our members value is true to the core of our mission—we want to give people access everywhere. So, when we are looking for brand partners, value and price are a part of it; it’s one of the first conversations we have.
Being a fully online business, a huge focus for us is to meet our members where they are and to provide convenience. Convenience is a big factor, and we keep that in mind when we are curating. We have a tight pulse on what our members are looking for, and always strive to bring the products they know and love directly to them via Thrive Market. We take the guesswork out of finding healthy products for their entire home, and aim to be that healthy and sustainable destination where they can buy their groceries, as well as their shampoo, body wash, vitamins, toothpaste, cleaning products, etc.
Another key area we hone in on is our standards. We restrict 1,000+ ingredients, including phthalates, parabens, petroleum-derived ingredients and others, which you can learn more about on our website. Certified organic is a first choice when we can; non-GMO is nonnegotiable. We are always seeking more sustainable alternatives, including packaging. With beauty and personal care products, we closely follow standards put forward by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), and we require testing (i.e. for heavy metals) for certain ingredients of concern. We will require certain testing, if needed. We also carry cruelty free brands and prioritize Fair Trade Certified, as well as those brands that support regenerative sourcing and farming.
We’ve always had a strong relationship with New Hope Network. We view its shows as a great way to connect with existing partners, discover new brands, create relationships with private label and third-party partners, and learn about what’s new and trending. We’re excited about the new experience that Newtopia Now offers, coming on the back of participant surveys to understand what they wanted from a show. The marketplaces, or neighborhoods, they’ve teased out is interesting and will provide an opportunity to see how products stand out against each other on the shelf. It’s also particularly important for us that a brand can stand out in an online environment. That’s what we’ll be looking for, as well as partners whose mission(s) aligns with our own.
Newtopia Now, New Hope Network's new trade show, is set for Aug. 25-28 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado. For more information and to register, click here.
Edward & Sons® Organic Rice Crackers Leads List of Gluten Free Products with Zero Detectable Levels of Glyphosate
Consumer advocacy group Moms Across America had 46 gluten free food products tested for glyphosate residues; Edward & Sons® Organic Brown Rice Snaps® was one of only two products that had zero detectable levels of the toxic, synthetic herbicide.
CARPINTERIA, Calif. (July 9, 2024) – According to a new report by Moms Across America, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group, 46 samples of organic and non-organic gluten free foods were tested for glyphosate – the most widely used herbicide in the world and one linked to a variety of health issues. The results showed that 44 out of 46 samples contained glyphosate residues. Moreover, the tests revealed that not all organic, gluten free products were free of glyphosate.
However, one organic product line, Edward & Sons Organic Brown Rice Snaps®, had no detectable levels of glyphosate, according to Moms Across America’s test results.
For a summary of the results, visit here.
In the U.S., 12% of men and 9% of women report eating gluten free diets. Globally, approximately 660 million people avoid gluten. It also is estimated that 1 in 100 people worldwide are affected by celiac disease.
"Moms Across America was thrilled to find that Edward & Sons' rice crackers, a staple in many of our homes, had no detectable level of glyphosate. Only two gluten free products out of the 46 samples tested achieved this status,” said Zen Honeycutt, Founder and Executive Director of Moms Across America.
“In an increasingly toxic environment, for a product not to be contaminated with glyphosate is no small feat. It takes integrity and commitment to source clean ingredients, and we are thrilled to celebrate companies that are producing safe, nontoxic, quality foods. We hope many brands are inspired by the results and urge their suppliers to discontinue glyphosate and all toxic agrochemical use and transition to regenerative and organic farming for a thriving future. Thank you, Edward & Sons!" Honeycutt added.
“It has become increasingly challenging for all of us to avoid contaminants in our food, water and air,” explained Joel Dee, Founder and Director of leading organic and plant-based foods pioneer Edward & Sons Trading Company, Inc. “At Edward & Sons, we take the challenge seriously. We are proud of the recognition received by our organic baked Brown Rice Snaps. It validates the selection and practices of our farmer-partners. Their commitment to organic agriculture nurtures their local ecology, protects farmers and consumers, and makes possible the most delicious and nutritious foods we can offer.”
Glyphosate, a synthetic herbicide originally patented in 1974 by the Monsanto Company, is known as the active ingredient in Roundup®-branded herbicides. According to watchdog group U.S. Right to Know, Monsanto reportedly removed glyphosate-based herbicides from the U.S. consumer market in 2023, but it is still widely used in commercial agriculture. In 2022, researchers at the National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detected glyphosate in the urine of 81% of Americans over six years of age.
“We believe that gluten-free manufacturers are challenged to find clean ingredients for their products because the U.S. government allows so many harmful agrochemicals to be used,” Honeycutt said in the report. Testing for the Moms Across America investigation was conducted by an accredited laboratory, Health Research Institute Laboratories. For the full glyphosate laboratory test results visit here.
About Edward & Sons
Offering a unique portfolio of plant-based, natural, sustainable and organic grocery brands since 1978, including Native Forest®, Edward & Sons, Let’s Do Organic® and more, Edward & Sons Trading Company, Inc. is known for its convenient and nourishing foods that support local economies and the environment. An independently owned business based in Carpinteria, California, Edward & Sons is committed to providing health-conscious consumers “Convenience Without Compromise®.” For more information,visit www.EdwardandSons.com and follow us on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.
Media Contact
Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, steve@compassnatural.com, tel 303.807.1042
Harvard Researchers: ‘Planet-Friendly’ Diet Promotes Human Longevity, Cuts GHG Emissions
By Steven Hoffman
Was Frances Moore Lappé ahead of her time when she wrote the bestseller Diet for a Small Planet? The book, which has sold more than three million copies since it was first published in 1971, argued that industrial food production has a negative impact on the environment. Presenting a basic guide for a healthy diet along with recipes, Lappé’s groundbreaking book advocated for “environmental vegetarianism.”
Now, in time for the Northern Hemisphere’s extreme summer heat, researchers at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health suggest that a “Planetary Health Diet” (PHD) that emphasizes fruits, vegetables and whole grains, while allowing for modest consumption of meat and dairy products, reduces the risk of premature death in humans by nearly one third – while also reducing the release of greenhouse gases that are linked to global warming and climate change.
The study, published on June 10, 2024, in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that the risk of premature death was 30% lower in the top 10% of participants most closely adhering to the Planetary Health Diet compared to those in the lowest 10%. Every major cause of death, including cancer, heart disease and lung disease, was lower with greater adherence to this dietary pattern, said the study’s authors.
“For every major cause of death we looked at, there was a lower risk in people with better adherence to the Planetary Health Diet,” Walter Willett, M.D., professor of epidemiology and nutrition and co-author of the study, said in a statement.
In addition, the researchers found that those with the highest adherence to the PHD had a substantially lower environmental impact than those with the lowest adherence, including 29% lower greenhouse gas emissions, 21% lower fertilizer needs and 51% lower cropland use.
“Climate change has our planet on track for ecological disaster, and our food system plays a major role. Shifting how we eat can help slow the process of climate change. And what’s healthiest for the planet is also healthiest for humans,” Dr. Willet said.
The Harvard researchers noted that their work is the first large-scale study to directly evaluate the impacts of adherence to recommendations in the landmark EAT-Lancet report. Published in 2019, the report was the first full scientific review that brought together 37 world-leading scientists to ask the question, “Can we feed a future population of 10 billion people a healthy diet within planetary boundaries?”
While other studies have found that diets emphasizing plant-based foods over animal-sourced foods could have benefits for human and planetary health, most have used one-time dietary assessments, which produce weaker results than looking at diets over a long period of time, the authors noted.
As such, the researchers used health data from more than 200,000 women and men enrolled in Harvard’s Nurses’ Health Study I and II and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Participants were free of major chronic diseases at the start of the study and completed dietary questionnaires every four years for up to 34 years. Participants’ diets were scored based on intake of 15 food groups — including whole grains, vegetables, poultry and nuts — to quantify adherence to the PHD.
“Eating more whole plant foods, less animal foods and less highly processed foods is better for people and planet alike,” David Katz, M.D., told CNN in a recent interview about the study. “In this paper, we see that same message amplified: Adhering to a dietary pattern conducive to the health of the planet and sustainability is associated with meaningful reductions in all-cause mortality.” Katz is the founder of the nonprofit True Health Initiative, a global coalition of experts dedicated to evidence-based lifestyle medicine.
“Our study is noteworthy given that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has refused to consider the environmental impacts of dietary choices, and any reference to the environmental effects of diet will not be allowed in the upcoming revision of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines,” said Dr. Willett. “The findings show just how linked human and planetary health are. Eating healthfully boosts environmental sustainability — which in turn is essential for the health and well-being of every person on Earth.”
In 2021, for the 50th anniversary of the publication of Diet for a Small Planet, Frances Moore Lappé wrote: “In 1970, I never imagined the impact of our diet on the looming life-and-death climate crisis. Nor that 40 years later my own daughter, Anna, would tackle this threat in Diet for a Hot Planet, enabling me to learn so much about the climate-food connection. If we achieve a societal shift toward plant-based diets, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from farming by as much as 70% by 2050.”
Lappé added: “Worldwide, if those eating meat-centered diets simply moved to popular low-meat or no-meat fare – such as traditional Mediterranean or vegetarian cuisine – emissions could be reduced by an amount equal to the current greenhouse gas emissions of all cars, trucks, planes, trains and ships. … More heartening news is that changes to farming and eating that benefit our Earth also enhance our health.”
Learn more:
Evaluating Population Diets and Planetary Health—Shining New Light
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, June 10, 2024
Diet for a Hot Planet, by Anna Lappé, originally published in 2010
Diet for a Small Planet, by Francis Moore Lappé, originally published in 1971
JAMBAR Organic Artisan Energy Bars Now Available in Select California and Hawaii Whole Foods Market Stores
In keeping with Whole Foods Market’s mission of giving back to the community, JAMBAR donates 50% of after-tax profits to local music and active-living organizations
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (June 19, 2024) – JAMBAR®, the artisan-made organic energy bar company launched in 2021 by PowerBar® co-founder Jennifer Maxwell, continues to expand its nationwide retail footprint. JAMBARs will now be carried in select Whole Foods Market stores in Northern California, Southern California and Hawaii.
“JAMBAR is excited to be a part of the Whole Foods Market family. These organic energy bars not only meet Whole Foods Market’s high-quality standards, but they’re also delicious,” said JAMBAR founder and CEO Jennifer Maxwell. “Our company’s dedication to organic food and farming, along with its commitment to giving back, makes JAMBAR a natural addition to Whole Foods Market shelves,” she added.
Maxwell and her late husband, Brian, essentially created the energy bar category when they launched the original PowerBar in 1985. More than three decades later, Maxwell had a new vision. She put the KitchenAid mixer she used for the first PowerBars back to work, blending the highest-quality, most innovative organic ingredients into a new type of whole food energy bar.
The result is JAMBAR. Whole Foods Market will offer four flavors of JAMBAR – Malt Nut Melody, Musical Mango, Chocolate Cha Cha and Jammin’ Jazzleberry. JAMBARs are made with organic, gluten-free ancient grains, berries, fruit, nuts, fair-trade chocolate, proteins from sunflowers and organic dairy, and pure syrup, juices and honey as sweeteners. The Musical Mango and Jammin’ Jazzleberry varieties are 100% vegan and suitable for plant-based diets. All JAMBARs contain 10g of premium quality protein.
JAMBARs are made in the U.S. and crafted in small batches in the company’s own state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Northern California. A woman-owned business and a mission-based “conscious CPG brand,” JAMBAR donates 50% of after-tax profits to organizations that support music and active living. Runner’s World named JAMBAR the Best Protein Bar for runners in 2022 and also recognized JAMBAR with its 2023 Fitness Nutrition Award.
JAMBAR is distributed by leading natural and specialty foods distributors, including UNFI and KEHE. For wholesale inquiries, contact jammin@jambar.com, 877-JAMBARZ.
About JAMBAR
In 2021, Jennifer Maxwell founded JAMBAR with the goal of helping people feel good not only about the ingredients they put in their bodies, but also about the positive impact they can have on their local communities. A mission-based brand, JAMBAR donates 50% of after-tax profits to organizations that support music and active living. Runner’s World named JAMBAR the Best Protein Bar for runners in 2022 and also recognized JAMBAR with its 2023 Fitness Nutrition Award.
Learn more at www.jambar.com and follow JAMBAR on Facebook and Instagram.
Media Contact
Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, steve@compassnatural.com, tel: 303.807.1042
U.S. Organic Product Sales Near $70B; All-Organic Trade Show Set for 2025
By Steven Hoffman
Is it true that the growth rate in sales of certified organic bananas is now outpacing that of conventional bananas? According to the Organic Trade Association (OTA), the answer is yes.
In fact, among an ever-expanding sea of certification seals in the retail sector, and despite inflation, the “Certified Organic” label continues to stand out for consumers who prioritize health, sustainability and clean-label products. So much so that U.S. sales of certified organic products grew 3.4% in 2023 to $69.7 billion, marking a new record for sales in the organic products industry.
According to the OTA, which conducted the 2024 Organic Industry Survey in collaboration with Nutrition Business Journal, organic food sales in 2023 totaled $63.8 billion, and sales of organic non-food products reached $5.9 billion, with organic personal care products reporting the strongest increase in that category, with growth of 7% in 2023.
On the food side, fresh organic produce continues to dominate as the primary entry point for consumers, who are increasingly knowledgeable about the “Dirty Dozen” — those fruits and vegetables the Environmental Working Group has determined to contain the most synthetic pesticide residues. In 2023, sales of organic produce grew 2.6% to $20.5 billion. Top sellers included avocados, berries, apples, carrots and packaged salads. OTA also noted that, indeed, in 2023, organic bananas recorded greater sales growth than non-organic bananas.
Organic Baby Food Drives Growth in Grocery
The second biggest selling category in the organic sector in 2023 was grocery, comprising breads and grains, condiments, and packaged and prepared foods. Among a diverse group of sub-categories in grocery, three stood out as top performers: in-store bakery and fresh breads, with sales of $3.1 billion and growth of 3%; dry breakfast products, which were up 8% to $1.8 billion in sales; and organic baby food and formula, up an impressive 11% to record $1.5 billion in sales in 2023.
According to the OTA survey, 2023 also saw a surge in functional and non-alcoholic beverages, which helped drive beverages as the third largest category in organics, posting growth of 3.9% and sales of $9.4 billion. In addition to the emergence of organic “mocktails,” organic wine sales were up 2.5% to $377 million, and organic liquor and cocktails showed strength as an emerging category with growth of 13% and sales of $59 million in 2023.
Organic dairy and eggs, the fourth-largest category in the organic food market, based on OTA’s survey, is another entry point for consumers who want clean, ethical sources of protein with lower environmental impacts. In 2023, organic dairy and egg sales were up 5.5%, totaling $8.2 billion. According to OTA, organic dairy and eggs now account for more than 8% of all dairy and egg sales. Milk and cream sales were up nearly 5% to $4.2 billion. Also, the organic dairy alternative category grew almost 14% in 2023 to approximately $700 million.
Leading among organic non-food items were organic supplements, tracking 4% growth and sales of $2.1 billion in 2023. Organic fiber remains the largest segment of U.S. organic non-food product sales, representing 40%, or $2.4 billion, of non-food category sales. According to OTA, growth in organic fiber sales was essentially flat year over year, due to restricted supply chain issues more than lack of buyer interest.
Price Gap Is Narrowing Between Conventional and Organic
According to OTA Co-CEOs Matthew Dillon and Tom Chapman, the increase in overall dollar sales in the organic market in 2023 was driven more by price increases than unit sales as the organic industry recalibrated its supply chain and dealt with retail price increases as necessary. However, they pointed out, consumers increased their purchases of many organic products, and unit sales were up for nearly 40% of the products tracked in this year’s survey.
In addition, the survey indicated that prices for many non-organic products climbed at a faster rate than organic products, meaning that the price gap is narrowing between conventional and organic, which, says OTA, should fuel growth for organic products in the coming year.
“It is encouraging to see that organic is growing at basically the same rate as the total market. In the face of inflation and considering organic is already seen as a premium category, the current growth shows that consumers continue to choose organic amidst economic challenges and price increases. Although organic is now a maturing sector in the marketplace, we still have plenty of room to grow,” said Tom Chapman.
Matthew Dillon added that to achieve this growth, “It is essential to educate consumers that choosing organic is a straightforward way to tackle some of the greatest challenges we face. Whether it's accessing healthy foods, improving transparency in supply chains, mitigating climate change, supporting rural economic resilience, protecting natural resources, or realizing the multitude of other benefits, effectively communicating and delivering on these promises is the key to expanding organic’s share of our dinner plate.”
The future for organic is not without its challenges. However, Chapman and Dillon assert that more consumers are aware of the potential health benefits associated with organic foods. Many consumers, too, especially the Millennial and Gen Z generations, they point out, are increasingly conscious of the ethical implications of their food choices. They are looking for products that align with their values, such as animal welfare, fair trade, and support for organic farmers. That means seeking out products with the USDA certified organic seal on the label.
OTA Members can download the full report here. A summary is available here.
Dedicated All-Organic U.S. Trade Show Announced
Since 1991, people from all over the world have attended, BioFach, the world’s only dedicated, all-organic trade show, held each year in Nuremberg, Germany. Now, targeting the world’s largest market for organic products, the producer of BioFach has announced it will host its first standalone, all-organic trade show in the U.S.
Dubbed BioFach America, the event will take place on June 2-4, 2025, in Atlanta.
“With BioFach America, we will host a purely organic trade show in the US. The whole organic value chain will be covered: from organic farming to retail,” said NürnbergMesse, producer of the event. According to the producer, every product presented at BioFach America must be USDA certified organic or carry an organic certification from an IFOAM Organics International accredited organization. For cosmetics, certifications such as COSMOS or Ecocert, are accepted.
In an interview with Organic Insider, Bill Ingwersen, CEO of NürnbergMesse North America, said, “BioFach America always had a presence, or section, at Natural Products Expo East, and last year in Philadelphia, we brought in 47 companies from around the world. With that show being canceled, it forced us to really ask the question: are people getting what they need at other shows or is there a true need for an organic one? We concluded that there was, in fact, a real need for a dedicated, all-organic platform in the U.S.”
When asked why Atlanta was chosen as the location for the inaugural event, Ingwersen told Organic Insider, “Since this is a U.S. show and not a regional one, people will have to travel, regardless of which city we chose. After many conversations with industry executives, it became clear that we had to make it an affordable show for everyone, including farmers. Atlanta has the world’s largest airport, has an ample supply of low-cost hotel rooms and is a very energetic, accessible city that has great infrastructure. In addition, it can support our growth as we move forward. Also, being able to serve an organic lunch to our attendees was a real hot button topic. All the catering coming out of the Atlanta Convention Center will be organic for the show, and if a city could not guarantee this, that was an immediate disqualification.”
Learn more about BioFach America here.
Newtopia Now Unveils Programming Lineup for August
Featuring Dan Buettner, Carla Hall and Top Execs from Ulta, Sprouts, The Vitamin Shoppe & More
DENVER (May 21, 2024) – Newtopia Now, presented by New Hope Network, is proud to announce a sneak peek of its programming for the highly anticipated launch event, Aug. 25-28, 2024, at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. Newtopia Now will revolutionize the landscape of conscious consumer packaged goods (CPG), offering attendees a curated experience focused on product discovery, insightful programming and intentional connections.
On-site programming will offer a wide range of sessions covering topics such as sustainability, diversity, retail practices and holistic wellness. Newtopia Now's content aims to educate and empower CPG professionals to navigate the evolving marketplace, drive positive change, and source the connections and resources needed to accelerate business needs.
This unique event introduces a "neighborhood" concept and distinctive marketplace, redefining the traditional trade show format and providing brands with innovative formats in which to showcase the latest initiatives and product offerings. Education will be organized across dedicated stages in each respective neighborhood.
Thrive, the ultimate destination for conscious health and vitality, will welcome keynote speaker Dan Buettner, American National Geographic Fellow and New York Times-bestselling author, to discuss Blue Zones insights and what it means for the CPG industry. Additional panels include nutrition and retail predictions with The Vitamin Shoppe CEO Lee Wright, a Buyerside Chat featuring leaders from across Whole Foods Market divisions and CPG Unwrapped with 10 innovative brands.
Represent, celebrating diversity and multiculturalism in CPG, will host Insights for Retailers Why Supporting Diverse-Owned brands Is Critical to Retail Success. Plus, during Your Roadmap to Success with Target, emerging and diverse-owned brands will learn what it takes to make it in the retail giant, which is increasingly focused on bringing direct-to-consumer brands into retail. From Legacy to Leadership: Black Culinary History and the Future of CPG will engage Adrian Miller, the James Beard winning cookbook author known as the "Soul Food Scholar," about how the CPG industry can preserve and advance the plant-based traditions rooted in Black food culture.
Regenerate, which will champion sustainability and environmental impact, hosts Cultivating Change: Retail Practices for Supporting Sustainable Brands and Agriculture, engaging the industry to learn best practices for partnering with environmentally friendly brands all the way down to the agriculture component, and How to Get Noticed by the Sprouts Forager Team, a conversation with one of the most innovation-forward accelerator groups in retail. Plus, the neighborhood will celebrate the culinary visionaries leveraging regenerative agriculture as a source of flavor and nutrition.
Glow, embracing the future of conscious beauty and holistic wellness, will invite chef and television personality Carla Hall to the stage to discuss the intersection of healthy aging, wellness and culinary excellence. One of the neighborhood's Buyerside Chats, Achieving Retail Success as a Conscious Beauty Brand: A Conversation With Ulta Beauty, brings Rick Burian, senior manager of supplier diversity from Ulta Beauty, to retailers. Additional sessions include Conscious Beauty's Glow Up: Merchandising for Values & Results-Driven Shoppers and the Glow Conscious Beauty Pitch Event, highlighting the top beauty and wellness innovators who will pitch their products and initiatives to a panel of CPG experts for a chance to win a brand-building prize package.
Additional leading retail establishments that will be featured in Newtopia Now programming include Fresh Thyme, Bristol Farms, PCC Community Markets, Thrive Market, Pop Up Grocer and more.
Registration for Newtopia Now, Aug. 25-28, is now open, but space is limited. To secure your spot and to learn more about the event, please visit www.newtopianow.com.
About New Hope Network
New Hope Network is a leading authority in the healthy lifestyle products industry, offering solutions for the complete supply chain from manufacturers, retailers/distributors, service providers and ingredient suppliers. Through its comprehensive portfolio of content, events, data, research and consultative services, New Hope Network is dedicated to fostering a prosperous, high-integrity CPG and retail ecosystem that promotes health, joy and justice for all people while regenerating the planet. For more information, visit www.newhope.com.
About Informa Markets
Informa Markets, a subsidiary of Informa plc (LON:INF), creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. With a global reach and a diverse portfolio of verticals, including Pharmaceuticals, Food, Medical Technology and Infrastructure, Informa Markets connects buyers and sellers worldwide through face-to-face exhibitions, targeted digital services and actionable data solutions. For more information, visit www.informamarkets.com.
Media Contact
pr@newhope.com
Retail Buyers and Brands to Chart the Future of Conscious CPG at Inaugural Newtopia Now Event
Featuring “Buyerside Chats,” thematic neighborhoods, cutting-edge content, relationship-building events and more, Newtopia Now complements Expo West and is designed to deepen relationships between buyers and brands in the $300B market for natural, nutritional, organic, regenerative and related healthy lifestyle products.
This promotion first appeared in New Hope Network
Consumers from Gen Z on up are becoming more and more aware of the concept of “health span” over “life span.” They are asking themselves not just “how long am I living,” but also “how long am I living well?”
As such, demand for healthful, conscious products continues to surge. From a market estimated at $97 billion in 2007, consumer sales of natural, organic and better-for-you products have tripled to more than $300 billion in 2023, according to market research data published in March 2024 by New Hope Network.
The challenge for retailers and brands is how to continually innovate to meet the growing demands of health-minded and environmentally conscious consumers.
For retail buyers, discovering innovative, commercially appealing products and building lasting relationships with their customers and brands are paramount for success. For conscious companies, finding meaningful, authentic ways to connect and foster relationships with buyers and consumers is key to the growth of their brands.
Enter Newtopia Now, set for Aug. 25-28, 2024, in Denver.
Presented by New Hope Network, producer of Natural Products Expo West, the world’s largest natural products industry trade show, Newtopia Now is a decidedly different experience designed to directly connect buyers and brands in a more intimate, interactive and future-forward setting.
Newtopia Now, August Launch Event from New Hope Network, Unveils First Reveal of Neighborhood Concept
Focus on curated brand-to-buyer experience and enhanced matchmaking offers opportunities for deep relationship building, connecting brands to key retailers, press and investors.
DENVER (April 25, 2024) – Newtopia Now, an entirely reimagined event from New Hope Network, centered around conscious consumer packaged goods (CPG), is launching August 25-28, 2024, at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. Colorado is widely recognized as the burgeoning hub for health and wellness and sets the stage for the latest leading influence in conscious CPG discovery and connection. Newtopia Now focuses on curated product discovery, insightful content and deepened connections that evolve the buying experience from transactional to relational. Its "neighborhood" concept creates a new format for exploration of products, brand activations and content, offering greater access to the emerging brands and ideas defining the future of CPG.
The dynamic event will highlight influential industry trends key to retail buying decisions, including innovations in food, nutrition, agriculture, sustainability, multicultural products, and conscious beauty. The programming will feature sessions such as Buyerside Chats — which provide an opportunity for exhibiting brands and leading retailers to discuss product innovations and trends for the year — Retail Insights Workshops, inspiring Newtopia Now Ambassador Talks and a keynote from The Blue Zones' Dan Buettner Plus. In addition, offsite events at top restaurants, Red Rocks, Meow Wolf and more, provide truly one-of-a-kind networking opportunities.
The Market at Newtopia Now is a next-generation trade show product showcase and will be merchandised as a consumer-style marketplace featuring future bestsellers and vital consumer insights where attendees can browse as if shopping in a retail store. Newtopia Now will also offer the most advanced matchmaking platform ever available at any New Hope Network event. Conscious Connections, the matchmaking experience at Newtopia Now, will ensure productive, fruitful and authentic connections through a data-driven process fueled by detailed metrics and product attributes from Beacon Discovery™, the only discovery and engagement platform for natural products brands and retailers.
“In launching Newtopia Now, we are building the exclusive platform where relationships will flourish, time is honored and the experience is designed with purpose,” shares Carlotta Mast, Senior Vice President of New Hope Network. “By leveraging rich technology in discovery platforms that is not accessible anywhere else, partnered with award-winning proprietary consumer insights driving the content, this brand-new event will offer unparalleled perspective and connection to the leaders and key voices in the industry that everyone is trying to reach to expand, grow, and create business. Newtopia Now champions conscious health and the future of CPG in a way that has never been done before, forging pathways that unite passion, purpose and progress.”
“Newtopia Now offers a unique experience for our team of buyers to become even more connected and interactive with leading brands. We are excited to go to an event that helps us maximize our productivity with our customers and allows us to get new and exciting first-to-market products for our stores,” says Darren Viscount, Senior Category Manager at Bristol Farms.
The brand-new "Neighborhood" format will host natural, organic and purpose-driven products in four unique mission-driven locations: Thrive, Represent, Regenerate and Glow.
Thrive serves as the ultimate destination for the latest in conscious CPG health and vitality in food, beverage and nutrition. From the next generation of supplements to a wide assortment of plant-based, organic and better-for-you foods, Thrive embodies the future of human health and nutrition.
Represent spotlights diversity through a vibrant array of multicultural products, founders and ideas worthy of celebration. Represent will feature vibrant multicultural offerings and CPG brands across all categories from underrepresented communities, supporting development of meaningful relationships with mission-driven brand leaders from women-, LGBTQ- and minority-owned companies.
Regenerate presents a plethora of sustainable and regenerative products and business models making a positive environmental impact, enabling exploration of the best new thinking in environmentally friendly CPG. Brands committed to regenerative agriculture, sustainability and social impact will be featured in Newtopia Now's Regenerate Neighborhood.
Glow captures the future of conscious beauty, women's health and holistic wellness, highlighting a range of companies that support the evolving generation of conscious shoppers. Brands in Glow will feature the latest cosmetics, skin care, hair care, nutricosmetics and wellness products.
Brands confirmed to participate include Trace Minerals Research, Food For Life Baking Company, Liquid I.V., Harmless Harvest, Dr. Bronner's, Lily of the Desert, Ancient Nutrition and Flax4Life among many others. Visit www.newtopianow.com to view additional exhibitors.
Registration is open for Newtopia Now, August 25-28 at the Denver Convention Center. Space is limited. For more information and to register, visit www.newtopianow.com.
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 all its actions, New Hope Network aims to cultivate a prosperous high-integrity CPG and retail ecosystem that creates health, joy and justice for all people while regenerating the planet. For more information visit www.newhope.com.
About Informa Markets
Informa Markets creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. We provide marketplace participants around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, targeted digital services and actionable data solutions. We connect buyers and sellers across more than a dozen global verticals, including Pharmaceuticals, Food, Medical Technology and Infrastructure. As the world's leading market-making company, we bring a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com.
Media Contact
pr@newhope.com
FreshPure Waters Continues to Make a Splash in the High-Quality Water Refill Market by Acquiring Its Second Company in Five Months
SANTA FE, N.M. (April 16, 2024) – FreshPure Waters, which provides superior bulk water refill options for consumers across the United States, is enlarging its national footprint through the strategic acquisition of Aqua Solutions, a longtime vendor of high-end water-refill machines in grocery stores.
Aqua Solutions is the second bulk-water provider FreshPure has procured in the last five months. In October 2023, FreshPure completed a strategic acquisition of Salt Lake City-based Arctic Mountain, marking a significant step in FreshPure’s journey toward sustained growth. FreshPure products are now available in 43 states. The acquisition of Aqua Solutions significantly strengthens FreshPure’s service capabilities and network in the Western U.S.
“We are excited to welcome Aqua Solutions into the FreshPure Waters family. Aqua Solutions’ talented team and quality offerings align perfectly with our mission to provide pure, refreshing water solutions that customers can trust. By combining our companies, we can leverage complementary strengths to deliver an unmatched customer experience,” said FreshPure President Chris Donnelly.
Both FreshPure Waters and Aqua Solutions are at the forefront of providing the cleanest drinking water solutions while reducing environmental waste. FreshPure’s state-of-the-art, purified bulk water vending machines can be found in natural, specialty and conventional grocery retailers coast to coast.
About FreshPure Waters
FreshPure Waters was established in 1991 and is headquartered in New Mexico. It distinguishes itself by offering a comprehensive range of water types, including Reverse Osmosis, Deionized, and Alkaline options. Learn more at www.freshpure.com and follow FreshPure Waters on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
Media Contact
Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, steve@compassnatural.com, tel: 303.807.1042