March 27, 2022
![8 Foods for thought at Expo West 8 Foods for thought at Expo West](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt09e5e63517a16184/blt28fab9c8ba306e66/64ff18b6287411fae88de63d/expo-west-editors-picks-food.png?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Yessssss, a brand that puts veggies front and center! Actual Veggies, launched at Expo East, has impressed us with its crave-worthy product line that truly embraces the colors, flavors and health benefits of pure produce.
This awesome and stunningly beautiful vinegar brand that promotes “Gastronomy with Gut” has expanded its line in several directions, including a new selection of broth concentrates. Made with ultra-clean, flavorful ingredients, just add a spoonful of this concentrate to water and let your tastebuds rejoice.
Crafted in partnership with celebrated California chef Thomas Keller, this rich dark chocolate relies on sugars made from plant fibers. These sugars are the result of a patented method that upcycles agricultural side streams—namely fiber-rich plant discards such as stalks or corn cobs—and turns them into fiber-derived sugars the brand says are lower in calories and trigger a lower glycemic response.
This new Expo West exhibitor was impossible to ignore—nor did we want to! Its bright and appealing packaging and authentic Mexican recipes, with clean and delicious plant-based ingredients, are available in meal kits or in individual pouches, along with a line of must-have salsas.
There’s so much great chocolate to choose from but, this Dr. Bronner’s bar, sweetened with coconut sugar and made with regenerative practices, is absolutely divine. The brand is working toward having its MAGIC chocolate be regenerative organic certified, and the company now covers the full spectrum of pampering yourself from the bath-time suds, soaps and lotions to yummy dark chocolate.
This women-owned, mother-daughter brand offers high-quality, pourable miso bases in a range of flavors. The products are an excellent foundation for myriad savory and sweet vegetarian dishes. Plus, they’re certified organic. So good, so versatile.
Arriving at Current Foods’ booth felt like stumbling across a speakeasy: People crowded around, oohed and aahed, and carried themselves as if they were in on a special secret. Once we tried the company’s renditions of salmon and tuna, we let loose some oohs, too. Based on ingredients like algae, koji and radish, this plant-based fish is already swimming in excellence.
Meat alternatives have come a long way during the past few years. Many brands have tried their hand at bacon because, you know … bacon. But manufacturing pleasing simulacrums of bacon is no easy task. Many end up being more like jerky than the stuff of pancake partners. But Ozo Food’s bacon, which was unveiled at Expo, excited our taste buds, even after hours of inhaling a thousand other things. One of the keys? The bacon honored the fat part of bacon; it felt like bacon. Tasted great, too.
Meat alternatives have come a long way during the past few years. Many brands have tried their hand at bacon because, you know … bacon. But manufacturing pleasing simulacrums of bacon is no easy task. Many end up being more like jerky than the stuff of pancake partners. But Ozo Food’s bacon, which was unveiled at Expo, excited our taste buds, even after hours of inhaling a thousand other things. One of the keys? The bacon honored the fat part of bacon; it felt like bacon. Tasted great, too.
So. Much. Food.
From sauces to frozen dinners, pantry staples to sweets, snacks to plant-based alts, meats and dairy products and so much more, Expo West was nothing if not a veritable smorgasbord of new food products to discover and delight in. Some of the products that caught our attention included whole-food, plant-forward innovations, upcycled ingredients galore, global flavors steeped in authenticity, botanicals and other functional ingredients, transparent and responsible sourcing, regenerative and organic certifications and plenty other exciting attributes to celebrate.
About the Author(s)
You May Also Like