“The big brands in the industry often think the consumer doesn’t know any better—they bet against the consumer,” Becker said. “We believe they do know better.”
Food as medicine
At its core, Expo West is about snacking, and companies continue to pack their products with more protein and fiber, fewer carbohydrates and calories—in short, offering the grazing public something other than junk food.
But what happens when snacking itself is under pressure? This year’s convention was coincidentally timed at the height of the GLP-1 craze, with retail giants like Walmart having already pointed the finger at drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy as the cause of a marked slowdown in food sales.
“The Ozempic effect is real, and it’s causing a bit of an identity crisis in the snacking category,” said Jennifer Stojkovic, founder of the influential Vegan Women Summit. “There was a lot of talk at the show about complex, healthy fibers and satiation—because Americans are fiber-starved—and brands were promoting themselves as ‘nature’s Ozempic.’”
Gut health was one of the major themes at the event, with brands battling against GLP-1 drugs with a “food instead of pharma” message, Spier said.
BelliWelli was hyping its new dietary fiber and probiotics powder, debuting next month nationally at Walmart and online, while fast-growing beverage line Olipop was one of seemingly dozens of drinks touting its prebiotics and functional benefits.
Eric Greenspan ahoy!
Amid a sea of products that eschewed any and all animal products, celebrity chef and restauranteur Eric Greenspan was on hand to tout his premium American cheese made with aged cheddar, real cream and real butter.
Greenspan was stationed at the 4th & Heart booth, where workers were handing out samples of his New School artisanal grilled cheese sandwiches made with the brand’s ghee. Indulgent, bordering on sinful? Yes, please.
The entrepreneur, who beat Bobby Flay on Iron Chef and pioneered the ghost kitchen concept, spent six years on the recipe, aiming to disrupt a commodified category best known for mass-produced, plastic-wrapped slices.
But along with fine-tuning the product, Greenspan and partner Alan Leavitt have kept their eye on the business end, knowing that competition is inevitable.
“We have to make sure we’ve built a brand that’s as defensible as our product,” Greenspan told ADWEEK. “When somebody else goes, ‘Oh, that’s super smart to do a premium American cheese, we can do that too, and we have more money and more reach,’ if we’ve solidified our brand, we can protect our position.”