The Natural Products Expo West/Engredea tradeshow in Anaheim, California, is underway, with over 80,000 industry professionals and 3,100 exhibits to the Anaheim Convention Center.

Below is a news round up of a few certifications, ingredients, market data reports and booth happenings that can help finished products brands better navigate the show.

New Certifications

Bunge North America (booth N2136) is now offering Certified Transitional dry milled corn ingredients, a step designed to help meet the growing demand for organic products. While farmers are interested in serving the growing organic market, many don’t participate because the process to achieve organic certification takes three years and can be cost prohibitive. During this period, they have not been able to capture the premium for selling organically farmed corn.

All of Bunge’s Certified Transitional corn ingredients are made from U.S. grown transitional corn certified by Quality Assurance International (QAI), a USDA-accredited organic certification body known for its strong association with organic food. This product offering adds to its USDA Certified Organic corn, corn masa, rice, and soybean oil; as well as our Non-GMO Project Verified corn, stone ground ancient grains, rice, sunflower, canola, and soybean oils.

The Regenerative Organic Alliance announced the Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC), which will officially launch this year at Expo West.

ROC is a holistic agriculture certification structure that encompasses robust requirements that uphold three pillars: soil health and ecological land management, pasture-based animal welfare, and fairness for farmers and workers. It was created to model an ecological and ethical system for agricultural production that addresses the problems of factory farming, climate change, and economic injustice, locally and globally.

Only products that are certified under the USDA organic program are eligible to meet the Regenerative Organic Certified criteria. With the requirement that farms achieve organic certification as a baseline, the Regenerative Organic Certified standard addresses next-level soil health and adds requirements for animal welfare and farm labor. With ROC, consumers will know that they are buying a product that addresses the environmental impacts of agriculture, animal treatment and fair and safe working conditions for farmers and farm workers. Also, since regenerative farming practices will enhance carbon sequestration, they will also be supporting the fight to mitigate climate change.

Led by Rodale Institute, and spearheaded by Dr. Bronner’s (booth 2737) and Patagonia, other founding members of the certification include: Compassion in World Farming, Demeter, Fair World Project, Grain Place Foods, Maple Hill Creamery, and White Oak Pastures. This non-profit has been established to continuously review and update the certification guidelines. The Regenerative Organic Alliance is made up of experts in farming, ranching, soil health, animal welfare, and farmer and worker fairness, and will regularly reevaluate certification guidelines and update the certification, as necessary.

New Market Data

Kerry (booth 977) identified specific consumer segments and will release a deep dive report on Friday, March 9th at Expo West. Kerry surveyed over 700 consumers to understand their opinions on nutrition, ingredients and sustainability and how these factors influence their opinions of clean label. The consumers were behaviorally segmented into five specific groups, each with a unique outlook on clean label. The report details five segments and their respective demographics, adoption stage, relationship with clean label, their ingredient focus and avoidance patterns.

Kerry’s five identified clean label consumer segments are:

You can reserve your copy of the consumer segment report here.

Booth Happenings

Dr. Robert H. Lustig will give a lecture as part of an Exhibitor Hosted Event at the upcoming Natural Products Expo West / Engredea tradeshow. Dr. Lustig’s lecture, titled “The Three Myths of the Food Industry”, will be held on Saturday, March 10 at the Anaheim Marriott, Platinum Ballroom 2, from 9 to 10 a.m.. Dr. Lustig will then attend innoVactiv’s booth (3681) for further discussions and book signing from 10:30 to 11:30 AM. During his lecture, Dr. Lustig will discuss three myths promulgated by the food industry for their own purposes that tie into the current epidemic of non-communicable diseases (diabetes, heart disease, etc.). His presentation may well shatter how we see obesity, calories and our own willpower when it comes to choosing what food is best for our health.

Sabinsa Corp. (booth 3505) will hold events celebrating the company’s 30th anniversary at Expo West. Sabinsa president Shaheen Majeed will speak at an educational session discussing some of the complexities of the supply chain. The educational session featuring Majeed, Exploring Complex Biotech Issues in the Food & Nutrition Supply

Champagne and cupcakes will be served in the Sabinsa booth #on Friday and Saturday from noon until 2:00 p.m. to kick off the company’s 30th anniversary celebration.

New Ingredients

Deerland Enzymes & Probiotics (booth 3617) will introduce its newest branded product, Solarplast® at this year’s Engredea/Expo West. Solarplast is an extract of organic dark leafy greens, which is enzymatically enhanced by a proprietary manufacturing process.  It utilizes the power of the chloroplasts found in dark leafy greens to provide a rich source of molecular chaperones and antioxidants, all in a lipid protective coating.

Solarplast is designed to provide benefits for healthy aging, optimizing the body’s processes through natural energy and repair mechanisms.

The green powder can be delivered through traditional supplement capsules, powder blends such as protein or smoothie mixes, as well as finished food and beverage products.

HP Ingredients Inc. (booth 3668) will launch Quantum IQ™ extract, a patented extract of Polygonum minus standardized to 0.5 percent quercetin 3-glucoronide, 0.25 percent quercitrin, and 15 percent phenols, designed improve cognitive function and stimulate immune health. Quantum IQ™ is protected by US Patent #20150320821 A1 for cognition and cosmetic use.

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled, crossover trial published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2013;2013:238454. DOI: 10.1155/2013/238454),20 healthy individuals aged 35 to 65 were given 150 mg of Quantum IQ™ or placebo.  When compared to baseline, the Quantum IQ™ group demonstrated significant improvement in Cognitive function score in reaction time, working memory and sustained attention. Supplementation of Quantum IQ™ also demonstrated a significant reduction in tension, depression, and anger in profile of mood states (POMS) survey.

Another randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial published in Clinical Interventions in Aging (2015 Sep 22;10:1505-20. DOI: 10.2147/CIA.S86411) gave 35 healthy middle-aged women either 250 mg of Quantum IQ™ or placebo twice daily for 6 weeks. Subjects were assessed for neuropsychological test, psychosocial status, and anthropometric at baseline, week 3 and week 6. Quantum IQ™ showed significant improvement on digit span test and social functioning domain of SF36 among subjects with mood disturbance. Among subjects with normal mood, Quantum IQ™ significantly improved short term memory, Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI) for IQ verbal and full-scale IQ of WASI. Further, the supplement group also experienced improvements in anger, total mood disturbance, tension, lack of energy/fatigue and social functioning.

In a study published in the Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Disease (2014), immunomodulatory properties of Quantum IQ™ were evaluated using in-vivo carbon clearance assay in mice.  The phagocytic function of the reticuloendothelial system was significantly enhanced by the drug Levamisole and both doses of P. minus groups. Phagocytes play an integral role in the host immune defense and produces reactive oxygen species by macrophages’ reaction to foreign agents in the body.