(Niles, Illinois) April 3, 2019 – Imbibe, an industry-leading beverage development company focused on formulating and commercializing cutting-edge products, released a report on beverage trends at Expo West, which took place Mar. 6 to 9 in Anaheim, California. The report covers the most prevalent trends for non-alcoholic beverages by category, ingredients, and popular product claims. It can be requested by emailing thedrinktank@imbibeinc.com.  Here is an overview of the most popular trends at the tradeshow:

• Clean Label – Products with no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners or preservatives have become standard in the natural food and products industry. Many brands called out natural ingredients on labels by making bold claims like “clean eats” or “cleanest protein.” Products in the sports nutrition and energy category that have typically used ingredients not perceived as natural are transitioning to cleaner ingredients as well. Brands showcased organic and/or natural energy drinks using ingredients like green tea, green coffee, guayusa, and yerba maté. Examples include Inko’s Organic Energy, Zola Hydrating Energy Drink, and Runa. Additionally, several sports nutrition brands are transitioning to natural color, flavor and sweetener and incorporating plant-based ingredients that improve power and performance such as pea protein and MCTs. Examples include BodyLogix, Protein2O, and Aloha RTD plant-based protein beverage.
• Food as Medicine – The health and wellness movement has put a spotlight on how food and beverage affect overall wellness and has increased awareness about ingredients with benefits that address specific concerns. Products that fulfill individual needs like immune support, improved mood, increased energy, enhanced beauty, and heightened cognition were pervasive at the show. The most popular ingredients were probiotics, prebiotics, and apple cider vinegar for gut health, adaptogens for stress relief, collagen for beauty, and lion’s mane mushrooms and MCT oil for cognitive health. Examples of products include Kor Gut Check apple cider vinegar shot, Pop & Bottle oat milk latte with collagen, and Teaonic I Love My Brain herbal tea tonic.
• Cannabidiol (CBD) – CBD was one of the most prevalent ingredients at Expo West. It was found in food and beverage across categories and as a supplement. Water was a popular CBD delivery method for beverages, but it was also incorporated into lemonade, coconut water, and coffee products. Examples of products include Honey Drop Lemonade with CBD, Weller sparkling CBD water, and Karma CBD infused water.
• Plant-based Dairy Alternatives – Plant-based dairy alternative products were widespread throughout Expo and oat milk was the rising star. Califia, Mooala, Oatsome, Rise, HP Hood, Pacific, Quaker, and Silk were a handful of the brands showcasing oat milks. Other innovative nut-milks included Hope & Sesame milk, three trees pistachio milk, and Milkadamia macadamia milk.
• Diet-friendly – There were several diet-friendly products on the show floor, but keto was by far the most common. Products across categories highlighted keto on the label and called out ingredients that align with the diet like no sugar and healthy fats. Examples include Bonafide keto bone broth, Bulletproof FAT Water, Koia Keto plant powered protein drink, No Brainer keto creamer, and Orgain keto protein powder. Other diets represented on booth signage and product labels included paleo and Whole 30.

For a complimentary copy of the full trend report than covers non-alcoholic beverages, popular flavors and ingredients, and noteworthy product claims email thedrinktank@imbibeinc.com.