2022 Natural Products Expo East

Zygote Nation was there! … At the 2022 Natural Products Expo East on Sept. 29, 2022, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in downtown Philadelphia.

This marks the first time since 2019 that I attended Expo East, which is the largest yearly gathering of natural products vendors on the U.S. Atlantic Coast. This year’s show featured slightly more than 1,150 vendors, according to the organizers. There were many thousands of attendees.

I have found these expos to be quite worthwhile over the years, and this one was no different.

East Expo ran from Sept. 29, 2022, to Oct. 1, 2022. I attended only one day: the first day on which the exhibit hall was open.

One theme at the show was the emergence of food vendors highlighting their own or their suppliers’ adoption of regenerative agricultural practices. While there is no standard definition of regenerative agriculture yet in the United States, it generally means applying growing practices that restore the health of the soil (e.g., rotating crops on the same field from year to year; using cover crops to prevent soil erosion) while also holding carbon in the soil (e.g., no tilling). The vendors with whom I spoke associated their regenerative growing practices with organic farming, too, but this is not the mainstream, as of today. But regenerative organic farming is growing, and I think 2023 will be a year of notable expansion in this area.

I came across many interesting vendors and products. I winnowed my list to the ones that stood out the most to me. Here are my notables:

Wild Orchard Regenerative Teas

Wild Orchard Regenerative Teas of Mount Kisco, N.Y., in May 2022 became the first tea company in the world to offer teas that are regenerative organic certified. This is a new quality standard which the Regenerative Organic Alliance created; it builds upon the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) organic rules (e.g., no genetic engineering) with additional requirements for soil health (e.g., the aforementioned cover cropping), animal welfare, and social fairness. Wild Orchard's booth had three tea varieties on display: Everyday Green Tea, Everyday Black Tea, and Cinnamon Black Tea. Back at home after the expo, I had a cup of the green tea using a sample bag. It was delightful: It was quite flavorful, as green teas go, but nicely subtle at the same time. Wild Orchard achieved the regenerative organic milestone when its tea supplier, Mongjungsan Dawon Organic Green Tea Farm on the South Korean island of Jeju, obtained the certification. The tea grows in the island's wild ecosystem which has attributes like nutrient-rich soil, copious rainfall, constant circulating winds, and mild sea mist for optimal salinity, according to Wild Orchard's website. Although the certification came in 2022, a Wild Orchard representative noted that the farm actually has been utilizing the same practices already for some 20 years. Subsequent to the expo, I saw additional tea types at Wild Orchard's website, including blends like Desert Breeze (organic green tea, organic peppermint) and Morning Sun (organic green tea, organic ginger, organic lemon peels, natural flavor, organic marigold flowers).

KakaoZon

KakaoZon markets chocolate made with Arriba Nacional cacao beans from Ecuador. This cacao variety "is extremely rare and is known for its fruity and floral flavor tones, creating its reputation as the source of the world’s premier chocolate," states the company's website. The KakaoZon dark chocolate I sampled was excellent. I have been partial to Arriba Nacional cacao bean for years and seek out chocolate brands that contain it because I think it produces wonderfully full-flavored chocolate that also is nutritionally superior to chocolate made with mass-cultivated beans lacking the same historical ties to a country or region. (Please see my 2019 D.C. Chocolate Festival and 2018 Tampa Bay Veg Fest entries, respectively.) KakaoZon's line of chocolate bars are 2.82 ounces (80 grams) in size and come in multiple varieties, including dark chocolate (with varying levels of cacao content); dark chocolate with coconut sugar; dark chocolate with coffee beans, goldenberries, or pineapple; sugar-free dark chocolate (with isomalt as sweetener); milk chocolate; white chocolate; white chocolate with coffee beans or raspberries; sugar-free white chocolate; organic vegan coconut white chocolate; and organic vegan milk chocolate. The company also offers dark chocolate-covered coffee beans, goldenberries, and pineapple bits as well as chocolate chips (white, milk, and dark), organic cacao nibs, and organic cacao powder. KakaoZon officials say the beans they use are sustainably harvested and fairly traded. The company works with family-owned farming communities in order to conserve the biodiversity of cacao in Ecuador and preserve healthy agricultural practices there, they say.

Neptune

Neptune of Seattle sells a line of fish jerky featuring wild-caught Alaska pollack and Pacific rockfish. I have long been a fan of good salmon jerky and Neptune’s jerky had a similar appealing taste. I recommend it. The company offers four varieties: Cracked Pepper, Sea Salt & Juniper, Spicy Cajun, and Sweet Citrus Ginger. Both the Cracked Pepper and Sweet Citrus Ginger feature the pollack while the Sea Salt & Juniper and Spicy Cajun are made with the rockfish. As an example of the additional ingredients in the jerky, the Cracked Pepper jerky contains: liquid aminos (vegetable protein from non-genetically modified soybeans, purified water), coconut sugar, natural liquid smoke (hickory smoke flavor, vinegar, molasses), black pepper, fennel seed, sunflower oil, and black pepper extract. Company officials say they source the pollack and rockfish from well-managed, sustainable small-scale U.S. fishing operations on the U.S. West Coast. (Sustainable in the sense of not irreversibly depleting the fish populations.) Neptune's website has a "Find My Fish" page where customers can enter the batch number on the jerky packaging to trace the fish's origin. That way "you know you’re supporting ethical, responsible fishing communities with your purchase," states the website.

Asarasi

Asarasi of Katonah, N.Y. (northeast of New York City near the Empire State's border with Connecticut), markets sparkling water harvested from the sap of maple trees. This water is U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic-certified. The company describes it as "one of the purest forms of water on Earth" and "free from impurities" since the trees naturally filter it. The sparkling water comes in nine flavors: Andean Tonic (including quinine flavor), Lisbon Lemon, Manila Mango, Natural Plain, Persica Peach, Peruvian Lime, Pink Grapefruit, Valencia Orange, and Wild Cherry Lime. It is available in 12-ounce bottles and cans. Asarasi utilizes the water leftover in the production of maple syrup after maple sugar is filtered out of maple sap. (Maple sap is 97 percent water and three percent maple sugar, according to the company.) The company utilizes a proprietary process to collect the water, carbonate it to give it its effervescence, and add organic flavors and extracts, according to a handout. I sampled the Wild Cherry Lime and enjoyed it. I found it to taste clean and refreshing, just like the birch water I have drunk. One of Asarasi's marketing pitches is that it is utilizing a valuable source of pure water that traditionally has been discarded in the production of maple syrup, thereby helping to alleviate stress on groundwater resources.

Millennia Tea

Millennia Tea of Saint John in New Brunswick, Canada, is breaking into the U.S. market by offering its organic tea in what company officials say is a novel way: undried and frozen. The company also is encouraging us to regard tea not solely as a beverage but rather just as much as a valuable addition to foods like smoothies, soups, and pasta sauces—just as we would use spinach or kale in them. Millenia Tea is a green tea sold frozen in two forms: pre-portioned cubes and chopped leaves. Company officials say their tea is "the freshest and most antioxidant-rich tea anywhere." Unlike the norm of teas on the market that feature dried tea leaves—the drying reduces nutrient levels—Millennia Tea's tea leaves are picked, washed, and flash-frozen, according to the company's website. "The result: a cup of tea as powerful as five cups of green tea," it states. For example, company officials note that the anti-oxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is found at its highest levels in fresh tea leaves compared to dried ones. A company representative at the show described one scenario for using the tea: using it first as a beverage, steeping it twice to make two cups. By the tea leaves' third steep, only traces of caffeine would remain, but the leaves would still contain plenty of anti-oxidants for use in foods, said this rep. That's not to say one would have to use the tea leaves first in a beverage. Indeed, the company's website has video clips of people popping a frozen cube right into a smoothie and soup. Millennia Tea sources its tea in Sri Lanka. It is USDA organic-certified (and also certified organic in Canada), according to the company's website. I enjoyed a sample cup of Millennia Tea at the company's table and look forward to when this tea hits the frozen grocery shelves in my part of the United States.

naera Icelandic Snacks

Responsible Foods of Reykjavík, Iceland, is entering the U.S. market with its Naera shelf-stable, crunchy snacks featuring Icelandic cheese and skyr. (Skyr is akin to yogurt but is considered thicker and creamier.) The company showcased these flavors: Power Protein Crunch Sour Cream & Onion cheese snack, Strawberry Crunch skyr snack, and Very Gouda Crunch Jalapeno cheese snack. I sampled the latter variety which was a new flavor. I found this snack—I will call it "nuggets"—to be delicious. They had a pleasant consistency (i.e., not-too-hard and not-too-soft) and a full, lingering flavor. The Naera website states that the snacks are neither baked nor fried and are minimally processed. The ingredients for the gouda jalapeno variety I tried are: reduced fat Icelandic gouda cheese, jalapeno seasoning, and extra virgin olive oil. (Please see website for more ingredient details.) Naera snacks also come in these varieties: Cheesy Cheddar Crunch, Herb and Garlic Premium Estate Cheese Crunch, Premium Estate Cheese Crunch, Strawberry Banana Skyr Crunch, and Very Gouda Cheese Crunch. The website also shows a Salmon Wasabi Crunch Fish Snack, but it was not yet for sale at the time of publication. Responsible Foods produces Naera snacks using 100 percent renewable energy from volcanos and waterfalls, according to the website.

Three Dads

Three young fathers who are friends now living in the Chicago and Los Angeles areas created Three Dads Popcorn, as the name implies. This popcorn is organic and popped via hot air, not oil, according to the company. It comes in three varieties: Cheesy (organic popcorn, organic safflower oil, nutritional yeast, organic onion powder, pink Himalayan salt, organic garlic powder), Everything Bagel (organic popcorn, organic safflower oil, organic tapioca starch, sea salt, roasted garlic powder, organic onion powder, nutritional yeast, organic garlic powder, poppy seeds, natural flavor, yeast extract), and Nacho (organic popcorn, organic safflower oil, nutritional yeast, organic onion powder, pink Himalayan salt, Aleppo chili peppers, organic tomato powder, organic garlic powder). The Cheezy variety is available in 0.8-ounce bags and three-ounce bags while the Everything Bagel and Nacho options come in three-ounce bags. I sampled each variety and liked them much. I found the popcorn to taste light and fresh. Each variety was nicely flavorful, but the seasonings were not overpowering.

Tru Earth

Tru Earth of Port Moody in British Columbia, Canada, near Vancouver, has taken a different tack with laundry detergent. It sells an ultraconcentrated formula in tiny strips that are two inches by three-and-a-half inches. They contain no water like traditional powdered and liquid laundry detergents. One strip is meant for one load of laundry—just toss it in your machine, according to the company. Tru Earth officials say these strips obviate the need for plastic containers that take up cupboard space and ultimately end up in landfills. They also have dramatically reduced transportation costs. The detergent is hypoallergenic, and its low-sudsing makeup works in all types of washing machines, according to the company. It comes in six varieties: Fragrance-Free (packs of eight, 32, 64, and 384 strips), Baby (32, 64, and 384), Fresh Linen scent (eight, 32, 64, and 384), Lilac Breeze scent (eight, 32, 64, and 384), Platinum Fragrance-Free (32, 64, and 384) for heavy-duty cleaning such as workout gear, and Platinum Fresh Linen (32, 64, and 384) for heavy-duty cleaning. The company also sells strips of toilet bowl cleaner (packs of 24 and 48) and a multi-surface cleaner (Lemon Fresh scent in packs of eight and 16) as well as dishwater detergent tablets (packs of 30, 60, and 120). The company uses zero-waste compostable packaging, according to its website.

Oct 3 2022 Natural Products Expo East