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For as long as I have been covering the organic food industry and giving out Natural Products Expo West awards, it has always been a Top 5 list.

However, due to the incredible number of fantastic products that I saw at the 2024 show and at the urging of my good friend Liana Werner-Gray, I have expanded the list to a Top 10.

On the last few days of my trip to Costa Rica, I was in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica.

Populated by many European and American ex-pats, Puerto Viejo is a really cool surfing town on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.

Yesterday at Natural Products Expo West, the biggest organic trade show of the year, Whole Foods made a HUGE announcement.

The company said that by 2018, all products in its U.S. and Canadian stores must be labeled to indicate whether they contain genetically-modified organisms (GMOs).

The importance of this announcement cannot be underestimated. Why?

* Iconic cereal brand Nature’s Path has quit the Organic Trade Association (OTA) as a protest to save organic.

* The company says the OTA “is not working in step with organic advocates to protect and strengthen the original principles of the organic movement” and is not acting with sincerity when it comes to hydroponics, the most divisive issue in organic.

* BASF and Cargill have been granted membership in the OTA, even though their GMO and chemical products “are actively harming” organic farmers.

* The OTA defends its governance, transparency and organic agenda.

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For some people, having BASF — one of the world’s most powerful chemical and GMO companies — as a member of the Organic Trade Association (OTA) is not a problem.

For Arran Stephens, CEO and Co-Founder of the fiercely independent, family-owned Nature’s Path, this was something that he could no longer tolerate.

As a result of living in NYC but having grown up in Boston, I am quite aware of the difference between the two cities, in terms of the organic food and pressed juice offerings.

NYC has a ton and Boston has very little.

But with the recent opening of Cocobeet, ironically located between a Subway and Dunkin’ Donuts, it is an understatement to say that Bostonians are thrilled to have them there.

“On our second day of business, we sold 270 bottles of juice and had to close our doors because there was nothing left to sell,” Co-Founder Onur Ozkoc told me.

Last week in New York City, the two biggest trade shows of the summer took place — the 2023 Summer Fancy Food Show and Good Food Mercantile.

Impressive innovation was on display everywhere, and narrowing down the best of what I saw was no easy feat.

Here are my Top 5 Organic Products of the 2023 Summer Fancy Food Show and Good Food Mercantile.

What is Ocean’s Halo and what are its sustainability goals?

Ocean’s Halo is a sustainability-driven food brand featuring over 50 organic, Asian-inspired products, including seaweeds, noodles & rice, noodle soups, condiments, and frozen rolls. All products are organic and vegetarian-friendly.

As a member of 1% for the Planet, the brand donates at least 1% of annual revenue to environmental causes focused on ocean conservation, equal access to nature, food education, and mitigating hunger.

How does Ocean’s Halo reduce plastic waste in food packaging?

Ocean’s Halo became the first brand in the U.S. to remove the plastic tray from seaweed snacks in September 2021.