This year at the Natural Products Expo West 2025, it’s all about keeping people calm, healthy and happy. This annual event was held on March 4 – 7, revealing some of the newest food, drink, skin and beauty products. The best and brightest in the field gathered to enlighten and educate buyers and consumers about their creations.

Photo Jill Weinlein

Each year at the NEXTY Awards Ceremony several award-winning food trends emerge, reflecting the industry’s focus on health, sustainability, and innovation. Here are 13 notable trends observed at the event:

HEALTHIER BREAKFAST

A 5th generation family business, OLYRA is dedicated to milling grains traditionally. They combine ancient grains and natural ingredients in their OLYRA Breakfast Biscuits. These biscuits offer nutritional balance for busy families, providing protein, fiber, and fewer sugars than competing brands. Just grab a bar, and go.

Photos by Jill Weinlein

OLYRA was one of the celebrated finalists in natural products industry. Their best seller bundle variety pack comes with 16 different flavored bars for $22.

Photo by Jill Weinlein

GLUTEN-FREE 

LUCKY FOODS offers wholesome crafted gluten-free Asian foods made with non-gmo. Their top sellers are Veggie Spring Rolls, Seoul Original Kimchi and Bulgogi Spring Rolls. The company began as a small restaurant in the heart of Oregon, committed to serving delicious and wholesome meals crafted from fresh, local ingredients. Each item is made with good ingredients, good flavors and good vibes with the hope to bring customers a lucky day with their delicious food.

Photo by Jill Weinlein

FUNCTIONAL SOCIAL TONICS AND SELTZERS

The expo highlighted drinks infused with functional ingredients like adaptogens, nootropics, and probiotics, targeting benefits such as stress reduction and cognitive enhancement. hiyo is mindful social tonics crafted with organic adaptogens, natural nootropics, and functional botanicals to provide a “floating” sense of well being. Touted as a better-than-alcohol alternatives, this low calorie, mild flavor seltzer, offers gentle stress relieving ingredients, and a mind boosting effect for imbibers. Flavors include passion fruit tangerine, blackberry lemon, peach mango, strawberry guava, and watermelon lime.

Photo by Jill Weinlein

PROTEIN-ENRICHED SNACKS

Many brands showcased colorful snacks that are fortified with plant-based and meat proteins, for on-the-go protein-rich options. Archer offers savory and tender 100% grass-fed beef jerky. This snack is Paleo and gluten-free certified.

Photo Jill Weinlein

CHOCOLATES WITH A KICK

AWAKE Chocolates were handed to attendees to try. This functional 
snack delivers a physical and emotional component because they put taste first. The gluten-free, non-GMO bites deliver 50 mg of caffeine. When I showed my daughter this brand, she said “Oh I know that brand, they are at my college.” Less than 70 calories, these are a favorite for nurses and doctors, pilots and flight attendants, students and teachers, late-shift bartenders and servers, construction workers, and parents in need of grown-up time.

Photo Jill Weinlein

PLANT-BASED FOOD, SNACKS AND TREATS

There was a significant emphasis on plant-based products, dairy-free options, that included Chee Hoo. This trend reflects the ongoing shift towards vegan and vegetarian diets. Chee Hoo is an Oahu-based company that uses healthy bananas, Kona coffee beans, mint and coconuts to create vegan frozen treats.

Photo by Jill Weinlein

Eclipse Plant-Based Ice Cream is another frozen treat plant-based brand. Founded in Berkeley, CA by a vegan entrepreneur and an award-winning chef from Chicago, who worked for and staged at restaurants totaling 16 Michelin Stars and two nominations for a James Beard Award. Together they churn corn, cassava, rapeseed and potato into the world’s creamiest non-dairy ice cream. Flavors include Peanut Butter Brownie, Cookie Butter Crumble, Mint Choco Chip, Vanilla, and Caramel Butter Pecan. They also make bite-sized Bonbons.

Photo Jill Weinlein

HAWAIIAN FLAVOR PROFILES

Exhibitors introduced products featuring diverse flavors in protein bars. ALOHA Protein Bars makes delicious plant-based protein products that are good for you and the planet. They use From sweet red raspberries, decadent dark chocolate, and other natural ingredients to make delicious, organic, ethically-sourced, plant-based bars, drinks and powders. The company partners with sustainable farms across Hawai’i to source the unique ingredients for their Special Edition bars. These farms include Terviva, Greenwell Farms and Hamakua Macadamia Nut Company. For every Special Edition sold, they donate 10% of proceeds to Kupu, to help support youth programs across Hawai’i and the Pacific.

Photo Jill Weinlein

PET FRIENDLY PRODUCTS

One of the best pet products at the Expo this year was the colorful Ready Pet Go! supplement display. This company knows pet parents want uncompromising high quality healthy products for their furry pals. Their unique formula to make a variety of supplemental chews that are ‘drool worthy.’ They make chews to help keep skin and fur healthy, help to calm and relax your four-legged buddy during scary and stressful times, help keep joints and bones healthy and even reduce symptoms for seasonal allergies.

Non-alcoholic GUINNESS 0. Photo Jill Weinlein

NO-ALCOHOL BEVERAGES

Guinness offered blind taste test samples of their Guinness Draught’s uniquely flavorful and dark in color beer and their newly brewed non-alcoholic Guinness 0. I thought the Guinness 0 was their original beer, because of its distinctive flavor profile and taste characteristics. I was wrong and learned that the St James’s Gate brewers, start brewing Guinness 0 exactly as they always have, using the same natural ingredients; water, barley, hops, and yeast; before gently removing the alcohol through a cold filtration method. The cold filtration process allows the alcohol to be filtered out without presenting thermal stress to the beer, protecting the integrity of its taste and character. The brewers then carefully blend and balance the flavors to ensure that distinctive flavor profile that Guinness fans enjoy. Guinness O is inspired by the same dark, ruby red liquid and creamy head, hints of chocolate and coffee, smoothly balanced with bitter, sweet and roasted notes.

Photo Jill Weinlein

NATURAL CAFFEINATED BEVERAGES 

The trend for drinks with no sugar or lower sugar content continue to rise, utilizing natural sweeteners and caffeine like Yerba Mate, monk fruit and dates, were prevalent at the Expo. Beverage companies are addressing the growing health consciousness among consumers. MACHU PICCHU is a flavorful organic drink, providing natural caffeine, and no artificial flavors. It’s made with 120 mg of natural caffeine derived from the Yerba Mate plant and green coffee beans. It’s balanced with a small amount of Peruvian Maca. Their Zero Sugar line comes in the flavors of Alpine Mint, Ocean Citrus and Wild Berry.

Photo Jill Weinlein

IT’S ALL ABOUT HONEY

Functional natural ingredients such as honey, vitamins, minerals are trending towards foods that offer health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Honey Droplet is crafted to bring the unique benefits of New Zealand Manuka honey to calm your throat. This world’s first solid honey lozenge is specially formulated for fast absorption. Mānuka honey has over 2,000 natural bioactive compouns and is renowned for its healing properties, capable of healing burns, cuts, wounds, soothing a sore throat and is effective against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The antibacterial properties of Manuka honey, attributed to its high MGO content, may assist in reducing the presence of bacteria that can cause throat infections. Additionally, the anti-inflammatory qualities of Manuka honey could help in easing the discomfort and irritation associated with sore throats.

Photo Jill Weinlein

TASTY TEA INNOVATIONS

Ya Ya Hawaii was part of the tea segment at the show featured brands offering unique flavor combinations, vibrant packaging, and a blend of traditional and modern brewing methods. It’s been a dream of the founder to provide a better life for her family. Named after her two daughters, Yaru and Yaqi, all the ingredients are locally sourced and made in Hawaii. Ya Ya wants to share the flavors of tea made in Hawaii with Love, Care and Aloha.

Photo Jill Weinlein

FOOD DONATION PROGRAM

Best of all, Natural Product Expo West gives back to the community. All leftover material from food and booth supplies are donated to local non-profits, such as Habitat for Humanity and Second Harvest Food Bank. These organizations help the most vulnerable populations that include children, working families, college students and seniors.