Lots of Fun & Finds at Expo East ’22

As you may have seen on my Instagram stories, I had the opportunity to go to Expo East again this year. Expo East is the fall natural products show from New Hope Network (and the “kid sister” to Expo West.) After a smaller number of brands and events last year, Expo East was back with over 1200 vendors and lots of fun events.

The show was in Philadelphia for the second year in a row. The Philadelphia Convention Center is large and centrally located (and closer to NJ so I had the opportunity to visit friends and family, too!)

[Check out my Instagram reel and Instagram story highlights “Expo East ’22.”]

5 Trends I Saw at Expo East ’22

  • Sustainability and upcycling of ingredients are IN. A new-to-me term that was being used a lot is “regenerative” ingredients.
  • There’s a focus on functional wellness. Many products are capitalizing on ingredients like lion’s mane mushrooms and turmeric which increase energy and focus.
  • Plant based foods are here to stay. Plant based milks/frozen desserts are alive and well. Oat seems to be winning the day but new comers like pecan and sunflower milks are also interesting!
  • There were SO many beverages again. I love my seltzer, but I was surprised at the sheer number of options. Some had functional ingredients – especially probiotics this year. In general, there were a TON of beverages.
  • Some biggies from last year like CBD and Keto were much less prominent. Caffeine, collagen and cauliflower were also less prevalent than past years.

Day 1 – Wednesday

I arrived in Philadelphia on Wednesday for the Harvest Festival. The Harvest Festival is “a tabletop event with a festival-style atmosphere.” In previous years, it’s been outside. At Expo East, it opens the day before the full exhibit hall.

At the Harvest Festival, I tried a mix of old and new products. There were a ton of beverages including two faves, Sound and Olipop. I met the folks from Maya Kaimal and Afar bars. We love Maya Kaimals convenient Indian inspired rices and shelf stable dishes. They gave me some hot sauces to try. Afar makes globally inspired savory protein bars. All four flavors are delish! I also enjoyed meeting the founder of Paktli and learning about her Mexican inspired snacks made with puffed amaranth and chocolate. Another find I’m excited to check out is now Epsom-it Muscle Recovery Lotion. I tried some new lozenges from my friends at Gaia Herbs, too.

Harvest Festival Haul

Harvest Festival and Show Bag Haul

Expo East – Day 1

I started with a group run at 7:30 AM. Marissa and I met up with other Expo attendees for a City Running Tours 5K. It was a similar route to last year but it was a good time again.

After breakfast and a shower, I headed over to the Exhibit Hall and started with Supplements and Hot Products.

Press Room Haul

I stopped by the Press Room first. Some of the sponsors were brands I know and love like Prevail Jerky, A Dozen Cousins, Flow Water and Yoga Pops. There were some new finds like Afar Bars (tried at Harvest Fest), Up Root Tea, Gen Z water (plain water in a reusable metal bottle and marketing geared to Gen Z), Fat Badger Bakery Vegan Cookies and more!

Day 1 – New Finds from my Faves

It’s always fun to catch up with brands I love and to see what’s new. Among my favorite new additions are:

Day 1 – New Finds

  • Instant bone broths in amazing flavors from Bone Brewhouse
  • (New to the blog) Amazing paleo for you brownies in amazing flavors from Dulci
  • Magnesium infused lotion and deodorant from N’fuse
  • Pasta Straws from Pasta Life! Biodegradable and better than paper – whoo hoo!
  • Amazing all natural cleaners and detergents from The Art of Green
  • Sunflower seed milks in plain, vanilla and chocolate from Lattini
  • Spiked sparking coconut water drinks from Sunboy
  • (New to the blog) Delicious rich coconut yogurt from Culina
  • Shelf stable Walking Tamales from Fillo’s – can’t wait to try these!

Day 1 Haul

Day 1 Haul!

Marissa and I went to Happy Hour in the Press Room and then the VFC Foods (Vegan Fried “Chicken”) launch at Monster Vegan. It was fun chatting with some company founders and Expo staff. The VFC chicken was delish! It was one of the best vegan chicken products I’ve ever had. I can’t wait to go back to try Monster Vegan again, too.

Day 2

I started the day with another run and Core Power Yoga with my friends from Nuun. Marissa had to head back to NYC so I hit the show solo and got through most of the rest of everything. I started out catching up with my friends from SOW Good and then went to meet Abby from Abby’s Better nut butters before wandering and looking for finds.

Day 2 – New Finds from my Faves

  • Shaker friendly smoothie packs coming soon from SOW Good
  • All of Hail Merry’s yummy products have a new look and the same great taste!
  • New fave Carrot Cake truffle bar from Honey Mama’s
  • Yummy smoked “salmon” vegan sunflower cream cheese and new Pepita Egg alternative from Spero
  • New cauliflower rice blends from Fullgreen
  • Delish Black Edamame snacks and heat and eat side dishes from The Good Bean
  • New (shelf stable) three bean salad from Poshi

Day 2 – New Finds

  • New nut butter bites in three flavors from Abby’s Better and (new to the blog) French Toast Pecan Butter (YUM!)
  • (New to the blog) protein powders and bars from Truvani
  • (New to the blog) Pistachio snack packs in Cocoa Cookie, Garlic Garden Herb and Jalapeno Lime from Nichols Farm. I’m obsessed with the Cocoa Cookie!
  • Vitamin D infused flavored water from Shine Water – it tastes great and comes in 8 flavors
  • Delicious honey infused chocolate from St Louis based Honeymoon Chocolate
  • Vegan cookies from Fat Badger Bakery
  • Plant-based butter and cream cheese from Wild Creamery
  • Propolis and honey based skincare and supplements from Bee & You

Day 2 Haul:

Friday night I had the opportunity to go to The Upcycled Food Association Happy Hour and Panel. It was very informative and amazing to hear that using food that would previously go to waste could help to solve world hunger AND battle climate change. The panel included speakers from Barnana, Imperfect Foods and Sunrise Fresh. Amazing to think that when Barnana started ten years ago, no one ever heard of “upcycling” food. We’ve come a long way and there’s a long way to go. It was cool to see the progress being made especially in the last few years.

Want to learn more about the upcycling movement? You can watch the discussion via this link.

I’ll be back with features and giveaways soon!

Which products or trends do you want to see in more detail on the blog?

Please note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you use these links, I’ll receive a small commission. Check out many of these and previous finds on my Amazon list!