Natural & Organic Products captures mood of industry determined to power ahead

Natural Products Europe 19 shrugged off the uncertain economic climate in a dazzling display of business confidence

PRESS RELEASE
Issued: 11 April 2019

organic lemonade 1 Pioneering trends, thought-provoking debates and ‘better-for-you’ innovations were served up at ExCeL London over 7-8 April, as thousands of buyers and retailers gathered at the Natural & Organic Products Europe trade show – checking out what’s new and next in the world of natural health, food, beauty, wellness and sustainable living.

With 700 exhibitors there to meet them – showcasing the best choice of natural, certified organic, vegan, Fairtrade and free-from food, drink, VMS, cosmetics, skincare, and eco living products to hit the market – Natural & Organic Products Europe enjoyed a healthy turnout, with a total attendance of 10,298 (up 3% on 2018’s figures).

“With each edition, every year, Natural & Organic Products Europe just keeps getting bigger and better,” said event director Carol Dunning.

“It’s always such an amazing two days, the ‘B word’ was very evident this year and it wasn’t Brexit, the show was buzzing with innovation. No sign of any trading concerns as the natural products industry grows and more new buyers from the UK and Europe came to source the latest product innovations to satisfy the consumer demand for natural, sustainable and eco-friendly products. There was plenty to choose, from flagship brands through to the fledglings that are getting their chance to launch to the market, and for the first time ever Holland & Barrett chose all six of the brands that were pitched to them LIVE at the show – unprecedented.

“From our visitors, associations and friends, whose incredible support makes the show so successful, NPE truly is the biggest and best platform for uniting this industry and is such an incredible highlight of the year for everyone involved.

organic lemonade 2 Thousands of independent stores, multiples, pharmacies, restaurants, cafés, contract caterers, hotels, salons and spas from 92 countries were packing the aisles. Plus senior buyers and decision makers from some of the UK and Europe’s biggest retailers, wholesalers and distributors were in attendance – including representatives from Amazon, Boots, Holland & Barrett, Aldi, Lidl, M&S, Waitrose, Ocado, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Debenhams, House of Fraser, Superdrug, TK Maxx, Whole Foods Market, Infinity Foods, Planet Organic, and more.

This year’s show features and pavilions included two New Product Showcases, an expanded Vegan World, The Organic Hub hosted by the Soil Association & Organic Trade Board, plus international pavilions hosted by Italy, Sicily, Greece, Spain (Galicia), Portugal, USA (Maine), Peru, Korea, Indonesia, and Thailand.

Lively debates in three theatres

Alongside the show’s bustling exhibition, the three theatres (Food, Beauty & Health) were a hive of activity throughout the two days. In the Natural Food Talks Theatre, the Soil Association, Organic Trade Board (OTB), The Fairtrade Foundation, Craig Sams, Health Sales Group, Patrick Holford, Beyond GM and many more draw in the crowds with topics covering organic farming and retailing, GMOs, ethical consumption, farmers living income, the continuing rise of conscious consumerism, and Brexit.

In the Natural Products Talks Theatre, big names including Dr Marilyn Glenville, HemPoland, Pukka Herbs, Natural Products Global’s editor Jim Manson, and The UMF Quality Trademark presented insights and research on a range of global trends and cutting-edge topics within natural health and wellbeing sector.

Over in the Natural Beauty Talks Theatre, industry leaders in ‘conscious beauty’ like Helen Yeardsley, Natrue, Weleda, Mooncup, Organic Monitor, My Green Pod, and the Soil Association covered thought-provoking sessions about plastics in cosmetics, CBD beauty, genderless beauty, feminine hygiene, beauty from within, skin microbiome, traceability, certification and more.

And the Natural & Organic Products Awards Europe winners are…

Show visitors were also among the first to hear the results of the Natural Beauty Retail Awards and the show’s much anticipated Natural & Organic Awards Europe 2019 – a record 26 winners all took home accolades. Hosted by Natural Products News and now in their 24th year, they have become renowned for recognising trend-setting new innovations across the food, health, eco-living and beauty categories.

Captain Kombucha, Eaten Alive, Qwrkee Foods, Willy’s ACV, Conscious Chocolate, Wasi Organics, Happy Cheeze, BetterYou, Living Planet Distribution, Opus Innovations, Pukka Herbs, Natural Wound Care (Suma Wholefoods), Motion Nutrition, Antipodes (distributed by Kinetic), Viridian Nutrition, Giovanni (distributed by Kinetic), Holy Llama, Natura Siberica, INIKA Organic, Natracare, Biona, and Dr Hauschka were among the ‘Best New’ product winners.

The Natural Products Special Contribution Award went to Soil Association’s Lee Holdstock, whilst The Natural Products Outstanding Achievement Award went to Suma Co-operative, and Better Food Co in Bristol was named Best Independent Retailer. The Natural Beauty Retail Award winners for 2019 included Waitrose, Neal’s Yard, Naturisimo, As Natural Intended, and Content Beauty/Wellbeing.

For further information about the awards, please visit: www.naturalproducts.co.uk/natural-organic-awards-europe-2019-the-results.

Save the date for 2020