Over the course of four days at Natural Products Expo East (NPEE) in Philadelphia, the California Walnut Commission saw countless new products and listened to multiple educational sessions about trends in the natural foods industry. One thing stood out above all others.
“Over 60% of brands launched today are wellness brands.”
That’s quite the stat, shared during the event’s keynote presentation delivered by Carlotta Mast, New Hope Network’s Senior Vice President; Nick McCoy, Whipstitch Capital’s Managing Director; and Kathryn Peters, SPINS’ Chief of Staff.
The statistic speaks volumes about the future of the food industry. Amid constant uncertainty that has shifted consumer preferences back to comfort food buying, most food industry entrepreneurs and emerging brands are betting the house on wellness.
The wellness focus was clearly evident strolling up and down the aisles of the Pennsylvania Convention Center, with wellness brands promoting everything from mushroom jerky to kelp burgers to dairy-free ice creams. It was also clearly evident that walnuts have a bright future in the wellness category, as our favorite tree nut appeared in a variety of new products in diverse categories and across multiple eating occasions.
Walnuts are clearly having a moment straddling the desired product development place between wellness and indulgence. And they are pulling it off. Here’s how.
Walnuts are synonymous with indulgent bakery foods, whether it is walnut brownies or walnut chocolate chip cookies. Walnuts also are the only nut that offers an excellent source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) – the plant-based omega-3 fatty acid. One ounce of walnuts offers 18 grams of total fat, 2.5 grams of monounsaturated fat and 13 grams of polyunsaturated fat including 2.5 grams of ALA.
When formulating with walnuts, food brands and manufacturers can have the best of the wellness and indulgence worlds. This is playing out in the snacks and desserts categories, which have seen increased sales and an influx of new products focused on permissibly indulgent treats. We sampled many of these bakery foods and desserts at NPEE, and the best ones contained walnuts to provide flavor, texture and nutritional attributes.
Chocolate Walnut Brownie Frozen Dessert, Cosmic Bliss
This dairy-free frozen treat uses coconut milk to impart a creamy texture in a vegan ice cream. The chocolate flavor base is enhanced with chunks of walnut brownies, providing a complex bite with creamy, chewy and crunchy textures.
Chocolate Brownie Bar, Kize
You can never have too many brownies, right? This food bar takes the indulgent treat and repositions it as a better-for-you option with only eight ingredients. It wouldn’t be a brownie without walnuts, and the tree nut shines in this formula, providing the perfect bite.
Brownie Walnut Nut Butter Bites, Abby’s Better
Brownies clearly were on trend at NPEE, as this was our third brownie-themed snack in three different formats. The popular nut butter brand Abby’s Better breaks into the snack aisle with these chocolate walnut bites with only four ingredients: dates, walnuts, unsweetened cocoa and pink Himalayan salt.
Savory Fig & Thyme Crisps, Maine Crisp Company
These crispy, delightful and satisfying Savory Fig & Thyme Crisps are dappled with rich walnuts and sweet figs. Finished with a hint of thyme and pepper, this 2022 Expo East NEXTY Award Finalist is a unique, plant-based and grain-free crisp that perfectly executes the use of inclusions in a cracker-style product.
Walnut Snack Nuts, Nutty Gourmet
Nutty Gourmet brought its extensive line of seasoned walnuts to NPEE, giving attendees the perfect better-for-you snack in a variety of flavors. Our favorite was the Maple Cinnamon Walnuts that delivered the perfect taste of fall in every bite.
