NPEW 2025 review: Organics take center stage amid policy shifts, weight loss and public health concerns

Last week, over 70,000 people attended Natural Products Expo West (NPEW) in Anaheim, California, where over 3,300 F&B industry companies exhibited their latest products and R&D. We spoke with numerous experts and industry representatives at the show and overwhelmingly heard concerns over public dietary health in the US, as well as proposals to limit processed foods and alter industrial agricultural practices. 

Specifically, organics advocates stressed the importance of strong policy measures to support the expansion of organic production, better consumer education, and a scaling back of the agrochemical industry. Other major themes at the show centered around weight loss management and functional ingredients for medications like GLP-1. 

Disputes over policy shifts under the new US administration were rife, as Trump’s trade war came into effect the day before with tariffs raised against Canada and Mexico — something significantly impacting international organic trade. 

The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement was present, emphasizing the new government’s commitment to enforcing “radical transparency” in the F&B industry and a return to natural, whole foods. 

However, Matthew Dillon, co-CEO of the Organic Trade Association (OTA), tells Food Ingredients First that the Trump administration’s levies on foreign trade and funding freezes for the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) “leaves the food industry with a lot of unknowns.”

“In the organic sector, 45% of our imports come from either Mexico or Canada. A lot of fresh produce from Mexico, a lot of grains from Canada, but also US firms co-manufacture in Canada and then re-import back into the US. Similarly, 75% of our exports go to Canada or Mexico,” he says. 

“Big trading partners in organic and already organic brands are feeling the impact because Canadian retailers have started to drop the placement for US-made products on their shelves. And that has an impact on your business and your margins. So it’s very uncertain times, especially for emerging brands in the consumer goods space that are dependent on cross-border trade with our two biggest trading partners.”

Organics brands on display 

Before the show opened, thousands attended the Fresh Ideas Organic MarketPlace, an outdoor exhibition of some of the latest brand product releases. Local Californian almonds, Thai coconuts, natural snack bars, and drinks were on display, all being sold under established and emerging brand names. 

Samples handed out at NPEW’s Fresh Ideas Organic MarketPlace.Tradin Organic, an ingredients business based in the Netherlands, spoke at the show about the importance of consumer awareness and the challenges misinformation poses to the industry. Sandra Pesszer, the company’s market intelligence coordinator, tells us that defining organics in the public conversation is essential. 

“Organic is almost a dangerous word to use. Here in the US, there’s no clear differentiation between natural and organic; it’s just become a buzzword and a trend. Companies know that they have to be natural because this is something consumers are looking for, but they cannot really define it,” she says. 

“What’s very interesting, maybe it’s part of the American culture, is that if you ask about the trends, where the market is going, it’s all seems great. But if you start asking how sustainability turns into your unique selling point, you lose that. And I think until we don’t have the answers, these questions ready at these shows, we cannot really move forward.” 

“Many businesses don’t understand that organic ingredients aren’t only for strictly organic companies. Organic ingredients can be a great hook for a marketing story to sell your products with — but even industry people don’t really understand what it really means, its definition,” Pesszer continues. 

Organic certification schemes generally ensure that a product is produced according to guidelines that prohibit synthetic pesticides, GMOs, artificial fertilizers, and certain processing additives. It indicates adherence to sustainable farming practices, soil health management, and humane animal treatment.

Profiting amid tariff restrictions 

Thomas van Hasselt, business development manager at Tradin Organic, also emphasizes the need for diversification in light of the introduction of trade levies. 

“The duties are, of course, an enormous topic at this moment. Because we source a lot from Mexico and other countries that are targeted by potential tariffs, on the other hand, we source from 300 different suppliers in more than 60 countries,” he says.Matthew Dillon, co-CEO of the Organic Trade Association.

“So, we as a company are pretty resilient as to where we source from. Ideally, we source from our own projects. In the case of high duties, Tradin usually has an outlet or a backup plan ready.” 

Hasselt says international levies will stimulate local production. “For the organic, local-to-local market, this actually might also be an opportunity. However, for the organic industry as a whole, it's going to be a challenge. For example, there are no cashew nuts, ginger, or organic avocados in the US. So it’s going to have a major impact.” 

OTA’s Dillon also says organics companies should see these challenges, where possible, as opportunities — particularly to onshore their operations domestically. “In the US, we’re still very dependent upon organic imports, some of which we’ll remain dependent upon — cacao, coffee, bananas, etc. We also depend heavily on soybeans for animal feed, corn for feed, and beef production.” 

“For the organic sector globally, we’re working really well together to try to create better trade relationships and harmonization between countries,” he continues. “We must keep working together and see ourselves as a singular sector trying to transform agriculture.”

“Domestically, and really across the globe, when it comes to organic, things will be a little chaotic for a while. And we just have to stay persistent in telling our value proposition to those with influence and believing it will move through. We’re in the earliest stages of administration that is very chaotic. Eventually, we’ll see some stabilization.” 

Railing against agrochemicals 

Sandra Pesszer, market intelligence coordinator for Tradin Organic, who spoke at NPEW about the need for consumer education.Robert Kennedy Jr., who led the MAHA campaign on behalf of US President Trump and is now secretary of Health and Human Services, has been an outspoken advocate of organic produce. In the past, he railed against agrochemical producers like Bayer and against the use of pesticides. 

Under Trump’s previous administration, safeguards against pesticides were weakened. Bans on certain harmful chemicals were also reversed after industry lobbying and organic animal welfare standards were repealed. These measures were enforced under Sonny Perdue, Trump’s former USDA leader, who has business and family ties to agricultural corporations. 

Now that Kennedy Jr. is in government, his apparent opposition to the weakening of organics certification standards could mean a difference to the previous Trump government. Brigid Rossmusun, former chief of staff to the MAHA movement, tells us agrochemical companies should expect change. 

“My message to these companies is now that Bobby is running our regulatory agencies, expect some accountability. Expect to be fully transparent. We’re not going to wipe away fast food and pharma, but we will enforce radical transparency and research and ingredients,” she says. 

“So start thinking about how you can help our national health. There’s no greater threat to our national security than having 77% of our military-age kids too unhealthy to serve. This is not a right and left issue; it’s a matter of national well-being.” 

However, heavy criticism has been leveled against Kennedy Jr. for his claims about various public health issues, and questions raised about the impact of pesticide restriction on national food production and security. Also, because previous organics standards in the USDA were weakened, Tradin Organic’s Hasselt stresses that organics promotion has become polluted by pesticide lobbying. 

“Governments need to realize what is real and what is lobbying. You also now have Syngenta and Bayer playing advocates, spreading buzzwords like regenerative agriculture while they are actually spraying thousands of agrochemicals on the fields that cause a lot of harm. They should be more active in getting a little more transparency about what all those agrochemicals are doing with your body and your health.” 

“That’s what consumers want to hear. Consumers first want to take care of their own body before they take care of the world’s sustainable story.”