Expo West, the enormous consumer packaged goods show at the Anaheim Convention Center, is a chance to see, in real-time, the future of food and drink. Bubbly functional beverages, dear reader, ones loaded with L-theanine and cordyceps, are in your future. And perhaps some coconut yogurt with black sesame or a soft-boiled egg, drippy yolk and all, made from soy and chickpea protein.
Except for the fatigue of standing all day, it’s a nice way to spend a work week, dropping into educational seminars (patented akkermansia and breast milk, anyone?) and meet up with industry friends for coffee talk. For today’s post, a few of the most interesting things I saw at the show this year. If my data set is accurate, these are packaged food trends that maybe, just maybe, you’ll see on a store shelf near you “soon.”
Eggs of All Kinds
We’ve all been considering the egg and its price point. At the show, eggs are showing up as themselves and on the vegan spectrum in fascinating ways.
I loved these egg dips and yogurts from Oolie. It made me rethink where an egg can show up as protein. Crack’d, the no egg egg, made fluffy scrambled “eggs” which, I was told, will not stick to the pan. They tasted good. Made with soy and chickpea proteins, Yo Egg visually, looked like a sunny side up egg and they also had a poached egg with a runny yolk. And Eggscellent’s puffy snacks made with egg white protein are a whole new way to enjoy the protein and fat benefits of eggs.
Bubbly Functional Beverages Are Evolving
What is this and would you buy it?
Because water is so boring, we need more of these, I guess? These beverages boost the nutrition of bubbly water in different ways. Oomee adds red algae (but please, won’t you remove the erythritol and monk fruit? Just yuck.) Bear Maple juiced up its slightly sweet maple water with yuzu juice and the zing of ginseng and ginger. Going for the GLP-1 crowd are SuperBelly with “gut-building hydration,” Good Idea which seeks to balance your blood sugar with its bubbles, while Melting Forest is doing “d-stress” adaptogenic drinks and adaptogenic coffee.
Which brings me to coffee…
Coffee Gets Colorful
Everyday Dose is functional coffee. It’s boosted with collagen, lion’s mane and chaga extracts, L-theanine and 45 grams of caffeine (about the same as a cup of tea). For optimal performance, of course. So much L-theanine this year….
I loved Café Mexicano’s packaging, bursting with bright flowers that are so expressive of the Mexico-grown coffee beans within. Crafting regional flavors – Oaxaca, Chiapas and Vera Cruz – in addition to Mexican Blend and Espresso, adds definition to the product and reminds drinkers of Mexico’s unique terroirs. Little Green Cyclo introduced a portion-sized can of Vietnamese coffee softened with coconut milk. Sang is doing the same but with oat milk. And Beekeeper Coffee is infusing their cold brew with honey as its only sweetener.
Banish the Plastic
I liked seeing Local Weather’s sports drink packaged in aluminum bottles. Any move away from plastic is a good move.
Next Gen Middle Eastern Flavors
Will black sesame be the next Middle Eastern flavor? How about rose? Or pistachio? I trialed Táche pistachio milks and lattes, pistachio sauce from Scyavuru, pistachio coffee from Peppertux Farms. (Carbonate and AF&Co called pistachio the Flavor of the Year in its 2025 Hospitality Trends Report.
Coconut yogurt with black sesame, and black sesame spread for toast. Those last two were made by Korean and Taiwan-based companies. It’s not mainstream yet but on the rise. Is this a cross-over moment between Asian and Middle Eastern flavors?
So.Much.Protein.
Sprayed onto chips, whipped into grain blends and sauces, protein additions were in products at literally every brand’s booth. Do we really need this much protein? This trend is not new – it’s been going since at least 2017 when I last attended Expo.
Here’s how I know this trend has peaked: I brought home a package of Natural Endurance Plant-based Protein Chips in Nacho flavor and asked my Gen Z son to try them. He took one look at the package and said: “Mom, that’s gross,” and walked away. I’ll try again tomorrow. This trend remains an important part of sports marketing, though.
Alcohol-Free Vanilla Extract
While there were plenty of alcohol-free beverages splurging into the market, I will instead call out Nielsen-Massey. The folks known for vanilla products launched an alcohol-free version made with glycerin. This feels like a game-changer.
Oats, Oats, Oats
Oats were everywhere. In days gone past, I’d argue oats were mostly a breakfast thing, limited to cereal and milk. If this show is a leading indicator, the dairy-intolerant and vegan among us will be thrilled to know that oat butter will soon be inside peanut butter cups, chilled oat bars from Lexington Bakes and Mooski are getting in on the higher protein (but naturally) breakfast and snack bar game. And, crossing over from the coffee space, Oatbedient’s oat milk tasted fine but I have my eyes on the portion-size matcha and latte pouches.
Gluten-Free is Now Delicious
Delicious gluten-free foods made my eyes pop out at the show. For real. The excellent texture of pretzel nuggets and a bagel from The Greater Knead blew me away. I tried dried pretzels from Gratify (a Nestlé brand) which did not stick to my teeth (hooray!) and a bagel from Queen Street Bakery with the right amount of chew. Noted food trend watcher and friend, Kara Nielsen, liked Caulipower’s Dill Pizza, noting its excellent use of a trendy flavor. “So, no, dill flavor is not breaking news,” Nielsen says, “but putting it on a gluten-free pizza was pretty brilliant. Way to go, Caulipower, for I’m Kind of a Big Dill cauliflower-crust pizza.” Oggi gluten-free premium pizzas were legit, some made with cauliflower crust, others with a flour blend. Yum. Fruit and seeds enrich buckwheat crackers from Maine Crisp. And Promise’s gluten-free white bread was fluffy. Fluffy!
Mind.Blown.
There were tons of other interesting packaged food trends to be found – umami chocolate shoyu, vegan caviar made with chia, flavored mirin syrups, koji oat granola, extra-virgin olive oil grown in Georgia (the state, not the country), ube-flavored mushroom milk tea with oat milk, Mexican chocolate horchata, mayonnaise made with almond oil, real fruit juice cherry cola, and churros in all sorts of ways. I hope to see more of these at next year’s Expo.
Three days is not quite enough to experience all of Expo West. I did my best. Were you at the show? What stood out? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
