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.
