As increasingly palpable climate
impacts
accelerate around the world, a dizzying array of new and novel plant-based food
offerings are coming to market — each vying for category leadership in a
consumer demand landscape that is arriving faster than many expected a year ago.
With plant-based shoppers spending more on average, and eating more often in
restaurants and cafes, who will win the race to capture emerging wallet share
amongst these new consumers?
The answer, or at least a few hints, could be found at the Plant-Based World
Expo last month at the Javits Center in
New York City.
The Expo is the official tradeshow of the Plant-Based Foods
Association and is North America’s only forum designed exclusively for plant-based food service and retail
professionals, distributors, investors and manufacturers. It was a celebration
and a showcase for the plant-based food industry’s rapid and ongoing evolution.
“The positive energy and excitement was palpable from the minute the show floor
opened,”
said
Ben Davis, the Expo’s Content Chair
and Strategic Advisor.
The event combined a conference with a massive exhibition showcasing innovative,
plant-based food products and brands from around the world. It also included
high-level networking and tasting opportunities, and numerous keynotes and
breakout sessions.
The ‘World’ aspect also lived up to its name — with companies from Brazil,
Denmark, Italy, Japan, Spain, Thailand and more showcasing
their culturally unique, plant-based products — highlighting the industry’s
shift toward healthier, plant-based snacks and prepared foods using sustainable
and regenerative ingredients such as hemp, jackfruit, acai,
algae
and
seaweed.
Plant-Based World Expo also served as a platform for businesses within the
global supply network to successfully develop, source and distribute plant-based
products. Attendees had the opportunity to try just-launched items, discuss
proven best-sellers with the people behind them (often founders or company
executives were present at the booths), and make invaluable industry
connections.
Another highlight was the keynote sessions — led by industry leaders and
pioneers who shared their hard-earned wisdom, insights and experiences in the
burgeoning field. One session was moderated by Nil
Zacharias — founder and CEO of
plant-based bodega snack brand Plantega, co-author
of Eat for the Planet
(2018) and host of the podcast of the same name — and
featured panelists Liron
Nimrodi, CEO and
co-founder of Zero Egg; Pete
Speranza, CEO of Wicked
Foods; and Minh
Tsai, CEO of Hodo
Foods. Each shared their lessons learned from
developing and marketing tasty, leading-edge, plant-based products while
navigating the ongoing
challenges
and new
opportunities
inherent in a constantly growing industry and crowded
marketplace.
In addition to these CEOs, the keynote sessions also featured speakers from the
Food Marketing Institute, JBH Advisory Group, Sodexo and Target
— who provided valuable insights into the retail and foodservice aspects of
their respective niches within the plant-based food industry.
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Jeremy Osborn is a NYC-based entrepreneur and senior consultant with a background in tech, marketing and communications, strategy, governance and sustainability.
Published Oct 6, 2023 11am EDT / 8am PDT / 4pm BST / 5pm CEST