Wow. What a week! This year was a little different for me since I was scouting for brands looking to export to other markets which meant I was looking out with a more commercial lens - sure it’s delicious and it tastes good, but will people overseas buy it?!

I have never eaten so many snacks in a 3 day period. And I LOVE crisps so this is quite a statement! Let’s go….

Standout Snacks:

Rivalz - the cheesiest non-cheese puff ever! Their Mac and Cheese flavour blew my tiny mind.

Mid Day Squares - banging as always!

Stuffed pretzels with peanut butter (Quinn Snacks)

Confetti (Full disclosure - I missed this stand but the buzz was real and the most sustainable stand ever!)

Popcorn galore! Personally, I love popcorn so it was great to see this healthy and sustainable snack get coated in more and more imaginative flavours - jalepeno dill anyone?! As always, grass-fed “sustainable” butter can get in the bin.

Veggies - popped, fried, air fried, dried and puffed. Every which way you can imagine; you can now eat veg!

Winner: Hot Tempeh Chips by Mamame. Fiery goodness!

Disappointment - Vegan Rob is no longer vegan! What a sellout.

Sweet treats:

Skinny Dipped - I can see these taking off in a big way as people look to get nuts and seeds into themselves and their kids, what better way than coated with yummy candy flavours?

Cups - If you thought that Justin’s had cornered the market on Reece’s alternatives, you’d be wrong! So many brands with nut and seed butter cups but some hadn’t got the memo that if you are making healthier for you foods, coating them in dairy defeats the point somewhat.

Hot honey - Mellody honey offer a welcome option for those wanting to keep up with this spicy trend with their incredible, mind-bendingly similar plant-based honey.

Disappointments: The True Dates offering. The woman on the stand was rude and the candied dates were subpar quality dates. Need a rethink!

Delicious Drinks:

Nixie have a zero sugar soda that draws from natural flavours to recreate old-school faves. Cherry cola and Cream Soda took me back to riding my bike in the park as a child! Delightful.

La Croix launched a intriguing new SKU: sunflower flavour. I tried and its herbal savoury notes make it the perfect drink for a hot summer day. Genius!

Protein Overload:

Far fewer plant based meat options than in previous years with Beyond Meat, Impossible, and Chunk dominating the chatter. Steak was the order of the day and the competition was fierce! It was heartening to see dairy get trumped by the plant-based milks - SO MANY OAT MILKS! Begs the question, how many oat milk brands do we need?

The more exciting milks I tried were a corn based milk, Maizly - surprisingly creamy and neutral so definitely one to watch. And pistachio lattes from Tache were served from a beautifully-designed, pistache-coloured booth. My fave pistachio milk is Elmhurst’s Barista which provided a much needed pick-me-up after witnessing the MAHA booth - so very confusing for this Brit!

Superfoods:

Tahini! Who knew that the US was only just waking up to the magic of this superfood ingredient!

Blueberries, raspberries, cassava flour and chia seeds were making their way into everything and the latter even as a caviar offering. Super cool! I loved the gluten-free tortillas from family owned (and designed), Cayotas Tortillas.

Nuts are Trending:

Pistachio flavour - the little green nut was taking over snacks, protein bars, milks, ice creams and chocolate.

The National Peanut Board were showcasing Dixie’s Boiled Peanuts - where she is using the WHOLE nut, shell and all, to make a healthy protein and fibre-packed nutritious stew to eat on the go.

Macadamias are always popular but now they’re getting coated in sweet and savoury coatings to make them even more irresistible!

New kid on the block were both sweet and savoury versions of Omega-3 powerhouse, and ultimate brainfood - walnuts! Given a serious makeover by the gang at Unbound Snacks and so moorish… I couldn’t stop eating them as we chatted. Rude, especially as I then inhaled one which prompted a coughing fit! No self control!

🍳 Plant-based eggs: amid the Bird Flu crisis it was encouraging to see so many brands and b2b ingredients companies offering alternative products. Unable to resist the opportunity for a little advocacy, I took a tray of Crafty Counter's magnificent hard boiled Wundereggs over to a talk in the conference centre hosted by the American Egg Board on how to "navigate Bird Flu". Naturally, they were a hit with some folk proclaiming them to taste better than eggs!

🍄 Mushrooms: Mushies are having their long awaited moment in the sun (increases the Vitamin D!) and they were everywhere you looked at Expo - the food, the supplements and even the skincare products. Great to see their powerful properties are being discovered at large! My fave was hearing the murmurs of approval from the crowd at the MyFOREST Foods mushroom bacon stand. A hit!

💧 Water, water, everywhere - the overnight success of Liquid Death has not gone unnoticed or unrivalled with BORED & THIRSTY INC. winning the title of most talked about at this year's show due to their ultra-slick branding! Alkaline, electrolytes, flavoured, sparkling, enriched; the choices are overwhelming now but I wondered that few brands pitched themselves as a mixer. Do people still drink alcohol in US these days?

Scrap that - I saw the answer for myself at the parties I went to! My favourite was the tempeh party we had in the Airbnb where we had a blast thanks to great guests and delicious food. Thanks Seth for putting on such a fab evening!

An exhausting week but one filled with yummy moments, heart-warming connections and excitement for the possibilities for these brands in overseas markets where sustainability credentials, plant-based ingredients and health benefits are championed.