For the last few days here in New York City, I was attending the Fancy Food Show, one of my absolute favorite trade shows of the year.

What makes this show different from many of the others that I attend is the number of international exhibitors. This gives me the rare opportunity to discover organic products from abroad that I otherwise would not get to see. And two of my picks below are produced from countries outside of the U.S.

(If you’d like to get my full recap and analysis of Fancy Food Show, be sure to sign up for a free trial of Organic Insider – no cost, no obligation, no credit card required – and I will send it right over.)

Here are my Top 5 Organic Food Products from Fancy Food Show 2017.

HAVEN’S KITCHEN KALE WALNUT PESTO

Nearly every time I go to the refrigerated section of the supermarket, I go looking for an organic pesto sauce, knowing full well that I probably won’t find one. For some inexplicable reason, they barely exist.

So, when I saw that Haven’s Kitchen had introduced a kale walnut pesto – and an amazing one at that – I was beyond thrilled. Not only is it flavored perfectly and has great texture, but this product fills a massive void in the market.

Alison Cayne, owner of New York City’s Haven’s Kitchen and author of The Haven’s Kitchen Cooking School, has also rolled out a few other fantastic sauces, including an herby chimichurri and a red pepper romesco. Read more »

One of the most unheralded but important aspects of Natural Products Expo West are the trade show booths themselves.

Some companies put a tremendous amount of thought and effort into their booths, and I like to acknowledge those brands that go above and beyond what is generally expected.

As such, after each Natural Products Expo West, I give awards to my the best trade show booths. For me, the themes of this year’s winners were originality, artistic creativity, and interactive experiences.

Here are my best trade show booths from Natural Products Expo West 2017.

KASHI

What might very well be the most unusual but arguably the most compelling trade show booth I have ever seen was from Kashi.

Not only was there no traditional booth, but the company wasn’t even passing out samples of its food! Literally, it had absolutely no samples to give out, which is unheard of at a food trade show. Read more »

As I do after each Natural Products Expo West, I name my top 5 organic food products of the show.

This year, it was especially difficult to choose just five. Not only did this year’s Expo West have nearly 2,800 vendors, but the quality of products from organic food companies has never been better.

To get my full recap of Expo West and to learn about the key trends at this year’s show, be sure to sign up for a FREE trial of Organic Insider (no cost, no obligation, no credit card required) and I’ll send it over to you.

Here are My Top 5 Organic Food Products from Natural Products Expo West 2017.

NUTIVA’S ORGANIC MCT OIL

If you are familiar with MCT oil, popularized by the Bulletproof coffee craze, and are an organic food person, you are also aware that there has been no organic MCT oil on the market. Until now.
Read more »

As I do at the end of each Expo East and Expo West, I list my top 5 organic food products of the show.

Some of the criteria that I use to judge the best products include originality, taste, and innovation. Also, I try as hard as I can to include products that most people have never seen before.

At last week’s show in Baltimore, there were many great organic products to choose from but here are the ones that I found to be the most compelling. These are My Top 5 Organic Products from Natural Products Expo East 2016.

FORAGER PROJECT’S DAIRY-FREE STRAWBERRY CASHEW YOGURT

Having watched this company for several years now, I give major kudos to the folks at Forager Project.

Despite being one of the country’s leading pressed organic juice brands, Forager has not been sitting still. Instead, it has pushed very hard to expand into food, with a complete emphasis on plant-based ingredients. Read more »

(Jillian Wright on the far left, Founder of Indie Beauty Expo)

Last week in New York City, I attended Indie Beauty Expo, a showcase for independent organic and natural personal care products. This was the second year of Indie Beauty Expo, and I was incredibly impressed by both the show itself and the quality of the companies that presented.

While Living Maxwell mainly deals with organic food, body care products will be an area of focus going forward. This is because 60% of whatever we put on our skin gets into our bodies. So, that means the personal care products that we use are of utmost importance.

Here were 12 of the most interesting finds at Indie Beauty Expo. Some are USDA certified organic, while others contain both organic and natural ingredients. Read more »

Last week in Monterey, CA, the very first Organic Produce Summit was held, and given the importance of produce within the organic industry, it was no surprise that this event was so successful and so well-received.

At the larger trade shows that I go to – Natural Products Expo West, Natural Products Expo East and Fancy Food Show – there is little to no presence of organic fruit and vegetable vendors. So, to have a dedicated event for organic produce makes a tremendous amount of sense.

And maybe that explained why the Organic Produce Summit was sold out, and featured 600 attendees and 70 trade show booths. Read more »

(To follow my day-to-day organic food adventures, please be sure to add me on Snapchat: maxorganic)

Last week in New York City, I attended the Fancy Food Show 2016, one of the best food shows of the year.

While it is not an organic food show per se, there is an increasing amount of organic vendors and I would estimate that about 15-20% of the booths there do offer some type of organic product.  Read more »