Once again, thousands of Natural Product makers, suppliers, educators, and entrepreneurs met last week in Anaheim for the Natural Products Expo West. 

The Best in Nature team attended to meet with suppliers, see what the latest research is, as well as what customers are interested in. Here are 5 fast takeaways. 

Supplements as a Part of Your Health Plan?

There is a bill proposed to have FSA (flexible spending account) and HSA (health savings accounts) plans cover dietary supplements. 

Why is that? 75% of health plan dollars are spent on treating preventable illnesses while only 3% are used on prevention itself. Proposals have been raised that plans should cover supplements if they’re recommended by your physician; examples are Omega-3 fish oil for heart health , calcium in relation to osteoporosis, and certain vitamins in relation to macular degeneration. 

Growing Organic

The pandemic years forced us all to cook a lot more and gave us the time to read labels. The result? Organic is under more scrutiny. The term, enforced by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) has strict standards that are being raised further. These are to ensure that if you bought an organic cookie, for example, the ingredients could be traced and proven to be organic flour, organic sugar, organic eggs etc. 

Upcoming changes: 

• Strengthened enforcement has just started March 19th, 2024
• New enforcement on livestock standards will begin January 02, 2025
• Standards have been proposed for mushrooms and pet food

Combating Confusion About Food Labels

Natural, Organic, 100% Organic, Non-GMO, Certified Regenerative. These labels are all over the grocery store but as new standards are added, it becomes increasingly difficult to understand them and how they compare to each other. 

So food and supplement makers are discussing how to educate the public as well as whether there should be umbrella certifications, for example one label that would mean a product was grown both organically and regeneratively. 

Regenerative Farming

People are increasingly just as concerned with the health of the planet as they are their own personal health. Regenerative farming seeks to restore soil and ecosystem health, address inequity, and leave our land, waters, and climate in better shape for future generations. 

It’s encouraging to think of products that could help maintain the delicate balance of our ecosystem. 

Hot Products

So what are the health trends and concerns driving product development? 

Telomeres are the talk of the town: The 23 pairs of chromosomes in DNA have caps called telomeres that protect them from damage. They’ve been likened to the plastic tips of shoelaces. Over time, as cells divide, the telomeres get shorter leaving chromosomes vulnerable to damage and malfunction. 

Scientists are now looking at what nutrients or combinations of nutrients can help preserve telomeres allowing for better aging. 

Maximum mushrooms the world of mushrooms is vast with thousands of distinct types. And new mushrooms are being studied and added to formulations. Store shelves will increasingly see products with lion’s mane, reishi, chaga and cordyceps which may provide brain, heart, immune, metabolic, mood and sleep benefits.* 

Addressing premenopause, perimenopause and menopause there’s been historically some avoidance of the term menopause. But an increasing number of women are entering these phases in their lives and letting us know they’re not afraid to discuss their needs and want them met. 

Those are our 5 Top Takeaways from the Natural Products Expo 2024. Do these trends and products excite you? Let us know!