polymorv x Expo West 2025 recap
my time in the future of food
I had the privilege of walking the hallowed halls of the Anaheim Convention Center for the Natural Products Expo West last week thanks to Comet Bio. Ben and I handed out samples of Mez Bars and got the chance to talk to many brands, lawyers, friends, and even a mime dropped by to freak me out!
Despite having been in consumer packaged goods (CPG) for this long, this was my first time making the pilgrimage to Expo West. I normally had FOMO seeing friends and other brands out there rubbing elbows and making connections. It was a great time and the 12 hours I slept for when I got back were well worth the aching feet and walking through the uncharacteristic rain of SoCal.
Since Expo West typically sets the stage for trends within CPG for the coming year or two, I want to round up what I noticed, what others in the space opined on, and the events Ben and I checked out while we were in LA.
Snax for LA
Ben and I popped over to Chain for Snax for LA, hosted by the wonderful Snaxshot writer, Andrea Hernández. The place was packed and we were lucky to have been able to drop off about 300 samples of Mez Chips for folks to try. There was jamón ibérico, too many beverages to count (or drink, though I tried my best) and protein ice cream to boot. All in all, we had a great time rubbing elbows with folks and getting an idea of what was to come on the show floor the following day.
We wrapped up by playing a Mario Kart 64 Grand Prix with the most intact N64 controllers I’ve ever laid my hands on. The joysticks made me feel like they were either brand new, or highly refurbed, but either way, I podiumed (barely) while Ben ate my dust.
takeaways from the Expo 2025
I went into the show pretty blind and open to what the snack gods had to offer. Other than making it a point to see some friends from other companies and a list of folks I wanted to talk about Mez with, I left the halls with a clear mind, a full heart, and a very empty stomach. For how much time I handed out samples at the booth, I don’t know that the last one was the best strategy, oddly enough.
I’ve already seen the Monday after crowd give their takes, like creative and design strategist Fred Hart, the Snax queen herself, VC Elly Truesdell, marketing whiz Shray Joshi, and writer Nate Rosen. While I think they all have hit the five stages of insights I took away from this, now that my Expo hangover has worn off this is what I have gathered for the State of Food 2025.
protein gets the people moving
Everything I saw and tasted flaunted their protein content, and much of it was plant-based. We’ve moved from this world where our plant-based protein has to be shaped into a hockey puck and ooze out soy blood and looked at it as a new fortification technique. I’ve had this thesis in the back of my mind that the protein alternative market solved a niche problem, but the bigger issue is just that folks aren’t eating enough of it in any form. Being able to enjoy a soda, granola bar, or anything that would otherwise be unhealthy with some added protein is where we’re headed and I’m glad that this is the new home that plant-based proteins have found. Here are some highlights for me:
Honey Mama’s - 8g of protein in a chocolate truffle bar
Vuum - a protein packed seltzer
Mooski - a delicious, refresh of the Chew Dipps my adolescent self craved
BTR Nation - I haven’t seen these in Chicago and have only been lucky enough to get them when I lived in NYC. Absolutely delicious!
Natty Ice Cream - I’m glad to have moved past the Halo Top era of ice cream
what supp blood sugar?
Oh my god, so many supplements and new ways to underconsume in the age of Ozempic. I saw countless banners touting the GLP-1 enabling ability of their products. I don’t know that I’m seeking them out, but they are here. I’ll just stick to my yerba though. Here were some fun ones I’m curious to continue learning more about though:
GOOD IDEA - using chromium picolinate to manage blood sugar levels in a soda…
Red Ginseng by Everytime - red ginseng has had some interesting studies come out regarding GLP-1 regulation.
seed oil’s demise
Despite reading all about the potential misattribution of poor health to seed oils, many brands are riding the RFK wave. It’s smart considering there are many consumers clamoring for these types of brands, and I personally like more options for snacks in the market. As long as the flavor is on point, I don’t scoff at the oil folks are using too much (but I don’t have an opinion on fat alternatives…) Not that I don’t want to showcase brands, there were just so many that I saw that had this as a call out, and my innie’s brain couldn’t retain all of them now that my outie is writing.
other products I was happy to have tried
I couldn’t stuff these into a larger trend, but I liked many of the following brands:
Bero - solid NA beer for my low-alc year
Joon - Verjus-soaked pistachios, get the dill pickle
Chunk Foods - very much still an alternative protein, but damn, I can’t wait til I have these at a retail store
HY.Q - yet to be launched but powered me through when I had no other water ❤️
While I still don’t recant the take that food innovation has stalled, I enjoyed the show immensely and had a great time hanging out with the Comet Bio who asked us to come along. This year will be one where many brands will have to go back to the basics and make great products continue to stick in the minds of consumers, rather than be wowed by the array of packaging on the shelf.