Expo West, Anaheim, CA, USA :
The EXPO WEST Natural Products Trade Show was due to take place from March 3rd – 7th this year in Anaheim, California. Expo West showcases the most up to date innovations in the natural and organic food and lifestyle sectors.
As we have for several years, RTC Foods Innovation travelled to Anaheim to attend the trade show as well as the numerous exhibitor events including meetings, seminars, and networking events.
COVID-19 :
Unfortunately, this year things did not quite go as planned. The whole event was cancelled only a couple of days out from starting due to concerns around the spread of Covid-19. Although aware of the Corona Virus prior to travelling to the event, at that stage of late February/early March there were no indications it would develop at such a rate as to require cancelling the event. It seems strange to think back now to what we felt was an overreaction at the time. With no other cancellations or closing of businesses or travel of any kind in the USA. However, we can see now in hindsight that it was the right decision made by the event organisers. Although it was really disappointing to miss such an exciting event, the health of every exhibitor and attendee was always the most important factor for show organisers.
Innovation :
At RTC Foods Innovation our priority is ensuring we have the most up to date knowledge on emerging trends within the food industry. It is right in our title – we want to be the most innovative in this space in our market. To do this we must learn as much as we can and be exposed to as many different ideas as possible to import or develop what we believe will be the next great product for the Australian market.
Our team travel to meetings and trade shows around the world, including in the USA, Europe, and Asia. Meeting the producers of dynamic new brands, sampling products, and discussing new ideas are all invaluable resources to our team. We not only learn what are the new innovations emerging in markets ahead of our own, but it is also sparks ideas for new products we could develop ourselves here in Australia.
Expo West 2021 :
As for the Expo West Natural Food Show, all the exhibitors that would have been featured this year have their product information and details available online. Nothing beats being there in person though so hopefully we will be attending the show next March 2021 in Anaheim. In the meantime, we will continue with our own research and development on the future trends in natural food! Please keep an eye out for all our new products, including delicious cooked pork products from Europe and our very own cooked range of Australian beef and lamb from The Cookhouse.
