For over twenty years, Natural & Organic Products Europe has been bringing the world’s natural, organic and sustainable businesses together to promote and facilitate trade.
No other European natural and organic event annually attracts so many leading innovators, influencers, trailblazers and decision-makers from across the industry together in one place.
Thousands of visitors attend the event to see the product innovations and trends of today and tomorrow, and discover what’s next for the year ahead.
The previous edition attracted more than 10,000 attendees from 91 countries.
This year's edition of Natural & Organic Products Europe will be held in ExCeL in London from 7 to 8 April.
The event will welcome more than 700 exhibitors showcasing their best eco and clean-label products from around the world, including supplements, superfoods, personal care and beauty, natural living, and food and drink.
Special focus will also be given to plant-based innovations, CBD products, digestive aids, and plastic-free options.
For more information, and to register for a free trade ticket, please visit www.naturalproducts.co.uk and quote the priority code NPEPR, or click here.
Trends for 2019
Natural & Organic Products Europe attendees have shared their insights on the key trends that they think will be shaping natural and organic health-food retailing in 2019.
Here are excerpts from what they had to say:
Jim Manson, editor-in-chief of NaturalProductsGlobal.com:
"In food, the vegan/plant-based juggernaut shows no signs of slowing, with the UK last year emerging as the world leader in vegan NPD, overtaking Germany, but expect to see more of a distinction being made between vegan and plant-based value systems.
"Organic sales growth slowed slightly last year, but a raft of innovative new-product launches has helped get 2019 off to a good start. The increasing organic offer from the leading discounters is also a very striking trend. More generally, I think we will see growth in simpler, more ‘honest’ food products – hello, wholefoods? – a reaction to what has been called the 'nutritional cacophony'!"
Richard Anderton, buyer, the Health Store:
"One major area we are seeing growth in – and expect this to continue as a trend in 2019 – is consumers seeking alternative to plastics in the home, natural cleaning aids for the kitchen, such as coconut-based and loofah-based scrubbers/scourers that remove the need to use plastic-based products that release microplastic into the ecosystem every time we use them.
"Also, within this home-care category, demand will continue to grow for non-plastic straws, with stainless steel, wheat, bamboo, and avocado-based products already available to our customers. The move towards fully compostable food and doggy-poo bags continues to grow as well. Consumers are looking to be sure the products they buy are fully compostable, down to molecule level, and not just biodegradable."
Fiona Klonarides, founder, the Beauty Shortlist:
"CBD oil and hemp look like the big story of 2019. Hemp is an extremely fast-growing crop with a multitude of uses, not just for beauty and wellness, but also fashion, paper, packaging, bags and more. CBD's flexible delivery methods – e.g. drops, tinctures, gummies, salves – and the increasingly relaxed legislation surrounding it could make it this year's most in-demand stress, sleep and pain solution.
"There's still a lot of confusion between CBD and THC, though – THC being the substance with mind-altering effects – but as we all start reading more about it, and with more online and bricks-and-mortar CBD stores opening up, it'll be better understood."
Bettina Campolucci Bordi, plant-based chef and blogger, Bettina’s Kitchen:
"Plant-based, also known as veganism, is going mainstream and is definitely here to stay. This year, many big retailers and chains have added vegan options to their product lines. Meat replacements also seem to be a steadily growing industry, [with] Beyond Burger paving the way, along with new trends, such as jackfruit, that started last year, but [are] only now catching on properly.
"CBD oil has been another rising star, alongside adaptogens that have also made it to the mainstream market. I think the biggest focus this year will be gut health and products that aid digestion or encourage our bacteria flora. This will be a step forward from your usual kombucha."
Rick Hay, health and fitness expert, and Healthista’s nutritional director:
"Plant-based options will continue to expand, as people seek both more ethical and sustainable products. I think there will also be more interest in both the vitamin and botanical sectors in therapeutic phytonutrients, like berberine, in barberry, and safranal, from saffron, for example.
"Newer superfoods will also come to the forefront, with algae being one of them. The interest in spices for health benefits is another area that will most likely see growth."
Shona Wilkinson, director, Shona Wilkinson Nutrition:
"[The year] 2019 equals ethics, ethics, ethics! It's not enough to just have a good product nowadays – our consumers are demanding so much more and have huge environmental expectations. They are also willing to pay more for products which show environmental responsibility.
"Products will be examined, and questions asked about the ethics around the ingredients, the packaging, and the company. This may mean questions about whether the product comes in any form of plastic, whether it is recyclable or of recycled material – e.g. sourced from recovered plastics from the ocean – are the ingredients ethically sourced, are they sustainable, etc.? Transparency and traceability will be incredibly important."
Joe Jackson, director, Apothecary 27, winner of Best Independent Retailer at Natural & Organic Awards Europe 2018:
"I think that the zero-waste and refill movement will have a great impact on the health and wellness industry this year. Not only are people becoming more conscious about the food they’re eating, but they’re also questioning what their food is being packaged in, and whether it's necessary.
"This is driving people into their local health shops and zero-waste stores to not only reduce their waste, but to also learn how to do it effectively. Veganism is another one that is still on the rise in 2019, whether it’s for health reasons or because of animal welfare. The vegan products that are being launched today are far better than they were even two years ago."
To read the full version, click here.
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