Expo West '25 updates, plant-based protein trends, $795M Simple Mills acquisition

The Natural List

Co-hosts Jessica Rubino and Adrienne Smith are back with a jam-packed episode exploring the key trends shaping the natural and organic products industry as we gear up for Natural Products Expo West 2025 in Anaheim.

Adrienne kicks things off with highlights from her recent trip to Spain, home to the world’s second-largest fish market, before offering a sneak peek at Expo West’s must-see sessions. Don’t miss the State of Natural and Organic keynote on March 5, featuring exclusive insights from Whipstitch Capital and SPINS, and AI Unleashed with Mitch Mitchem on March 6, diving into how AI is transforming the natural products industry.

Jessica and Adrienne also break down the latest trends and opportunities in alternative proteins, discussing Doug Brown’s column on plant-based meat’s clean-label comeback and alternative dairy’s shift to unsweetened mainstream options. Plus, they unpack major industry moves, like Flowers Foods’ $795M acquisition of Simple Mills, signaling robust growth in the CPG sector.

The episode wraps with a preview of next week’s Dry January non-alcoholic beverage taste test, spotlighting innovative flavor profiles and trends in the booming NA category. Tune in for a masterclass on what’s driving growth and innovation in 2025!

In this episode:

1:30 – Adrienne’s Spanish adventure and market insights

3:05 – The countdown to Expo West 2025

8:55 – Alternative meat’s clean-label evolution

13:10 – Alternative dairy goes unsweetened

15:35 – $795M Simple Mills acquisition

18:10 – UNFI’s big business split

20:15 – Dry January trends and taste test preview