By Bryce Clark
After a six‑year hiatus, I returned to Anaheim for Natural Products Expo – the flagship gathering for natural, organic, and better‑for‑you brands – (aka “The Superbowl of CPG”). The show has long been the epicenter of emerging trends across food, beverage, supplements and beyond. Historically, a walk through the halls offered a first glimpse at what consumers would be buying 12–24 months later.
But now the landscape felt different.
Not because innovation has slowed but because how and where innovation now emerges has shifted. Direct‑to‑consumer ecosystems, TikTok‑fuelled micro‑trends, and the ease of fast‑following have dramatically reshaped the rhythm of discovery. Expo West in 2026 wasn’t about shocking “newness” – it was about finding clarity amid the sea of sameness.
Here are four of the key things I observed on the floor – and what they mean for brands navigating today’s CPG marketplace.
01 / Copycat Culture: when everything looks the same
Whether due to AI, Pinterest‑perfect aesthetics, or social‑inspired homogenization, brand distinctiveness has eroded. Walking the Expo floor felt like being stuck in a loop: Same color palettes. Same claims. Same booth design. Same tone of voice. Same products.
In some cases, it was genuinely hard to tell whether I was looking at a rebrand… or a knockoff.
Strategic takeaway for brands: Standing out in 2026 requires more than a delicious product or beautiful packaging. Brands must anchor themselves in a defendable positioning rooted in human motivations, not just category convention. Distinctiveness will win when sameness is now the default.
This is where research‑led brand strategy becomes non‑negotiable.
02 / Peak Poop: Gut health gets blunt (and public)
Fiber and gut‑health were omnipresent, no one is surprised there. But what was surprising was how boldly some brands were leaning in.
From a booth featuring a toilet to brands like BelliWelli publicly tracking “how many hot girls have pooped today,” digestive wellness has officially moved from whispered bathroom humor to mainstream wellness vernacular. With GLP‑1 usage reshaping the wellness conversation, it seems that one way to stand out is to respond with blunt, functional, benefit‑first messaging.
Strategic takeaway for brands: There is enormous opportunity at the intersection of gut health, GLP‑1 needs, and lifestyle wellness, but getting it right is also important.
The winners will be those who can balance honesty with dignity while truly understanding the consumer needs.
03 / Protein Overload: When the battle of more goes too far
Protein was pasted on everything – snacks, desserts, sauces, candy. Some innovations felt smart. Others… felt like protein for protein’s sake.
This proliferation signals that brands risk sliding into benefit fatigue and many of them have forgotten what is most important when it comes down to food and drink – the taste experience. Protein spaghetti sauce? Sure. Protein candy? Why? Eventually the question becomes: Is this actually better, or just there because everyone else is doing it?
Strategic takeaway for brands: Functional claims should enhance, not replace, product purpose. The real competitive edge lies in understanding which functional benefits consumers actually value in specific consumption moments, and designing innovations accordingly.
04 / Tallow Time: the next frontier ingredient
Move over avocado oil and ghee – the new “it” fat is tallow. It appeared everywhere: in chips, skincare, snacks, even booth aesthetics (cowboy hats and denim for the win).
While some see this as a fad revival, it taps into deeper macro‑drivers:
- Regenerative and nose‑to‑tail sourcing
- Ancestral nutrition
- Paleo‑adjacent consumer tribes
- The search for “real food” alternatives to seed oils
Strategic takeaway for brands: Heritage and real cues continue to be meaningful signals in the natural products landscape. Brands experimenting here must articulate the why, not just the what.
So… What does all this mean for CPG leaders?
Expo West 2026 wasn’t about shiny novelty. It was about seeing the marketplace as it truly is:
- Crowded
- Fast‑moving
- Algorithm‑shaped
- And more strategically demanding than ever
Entrepreneurship in the natural space is no longer led by passion or a big consumer need that hadn’t been met. Trends and money now seem to be leading brands.
To win in this environment, companies need:
- Sharper, insight‑driven positioning
- Category‑specific functional benefit mapping
- Segmentation that reflects shifting health and wellness psychographics
- Clear differentiation in a world of copycats
- A deeper pulse on emerging cultural and nutritional beliefs
- Faster, more agile innovation frameworks
At STRAT7 Incite, we help CPG brands make sense of the chaos—turning consumer and cultural signals into strategies that create real, measurable growth.
If you’d like a deeper dive into Expo West themes, a category‑specific implications workshop, or help pressure‑testing your innovation roadmap, we’d love to talk.
