Inspirational talks, awards, endless meetings, new deals, discovering new trends in supplements, delicious food from around Europe, exclusive clean beauty products for the body and workshops by best-selling authors shaped the Natural and Organic Products Expo (NOPEX) 2024 in ExCel, London, for two days on the 14th and 15th April. The same as every year, the latest trends in the natural and organic industry flourish thanks to thousands of passionate people who believe in alternative remedies and non-conventional practices in the world of health, environment and in a better, honest and more sustainable system in the food universe.
NOPEX welcomed 6210 attendees across the two days, a drop of 16% from the previous year as 34% of registration attempts had been denied because the entry rules were more restrictive. Marketing Director of NOPEX , Jenni Sandells, stated that there had been a problem to “carry on letting anyone in based on trust, with both sellers and sample collectors”. That’s why a drastic screening was put in place with every single visitor.
However, despite the decrease in visiting public, the organisers feel positive with the outcome. “I’m delighted to say, although we did see a drop of 16% in total attendance, the number of legit buyers was up, the quality was better and our exhibitors had a much better show”, Sandells highlights.
Overall, attendees, exhibitors and organisers left the show with a good and positive taste, many of them have already confirmed the attendance next year. As I was one of the attendees, I enjoyed meeting new and old colleagues, discovering new brands and trying delicious foods or drinks. And also, putting face to so many people that I have been interacting with by email or phone over the years. Finally, I discovered who was behind the phone.
Highlights in the show
Of my three highlights for NOPEX 2024, two are extremely positive and one was a shock. I will start with good experiences first. I had the honour to meet Cheryl Thallon, founder of Viridian, and a part of her team. Thallon proudly explained to me the ethos behind her company and her mission when she launched her brand in 1999. “We are an independent family owned company, meaning no shareholders can tell us to put profit ahead of our ethical ethos. Our nutrients, stocklist, customers and environment come first”, Thallon stated.
The founder of Viridian started her company as she was looking for clean, natural, effective, pure and ethical supplements that she could give to her daughter. Back in 1999, Viridian launched 24 of the most popular supplements while simultaneously establishing new standards and new ways of understanding the supplementation world. Thallon’s passion for natural products goes back to 1983, when at the age of 21 she started to work for a health store.
Her passion and expertise continued to grow over the years by working in health magazines and as a marketing director for an American vitamin company until it was sold to a pharmaceutical giant. It was in that moment, 25 years ago, when Thallon decided to start her own brand. Since then, until now, Viridian has been loyal to its principles: forever independent, purity, environmentally ethical, no animal testing and charity.
Viridian, totally independent
Over the years, Thallon brand has expanded exponentially not only in the UK, but also in some European countries. The range grew from the 24 initial nourishing products to more than 200 ethical supplements, with more than 85 organic ones. Viridian is fully committed to independent health stores and over 1000 stores stock Viridian products. The brand has earned nearly 40 innovative and ethical practice awards and it has been certified as the first palm oil free company. Contribution to charity donation reaches £650.000.
During my chat with Thallon, I asked her if in the future Viridian would be selling products through some of the biggest high street retailers. She promptly said no, although she confirmed that a few big retailers had approached her in the past. “We are independent and we want to remain like that. We prioritize quality over quantity”, the founder of Viridian affirmed.
While at the Viridian stand, I had the chance to meet one of their nutritionists, Phil Beard, who extensively and passionately introduced me to the Viridian Brahmi Extract product. He explained how beneficial Brahmi extract was for the mental, focus and cognitive health. “Brahmi is a natural nootropic for active mind. It is very rich in antioxidants that protect our brain’s cells and tissues from free radicals and oxidation”, Beard stated. The nutritionist highlighted that many researches had showed improvement in cognition and memory enhancing effects within 4 to 8 weeks. Also, some studies showed great results for reducing anxiety, therefore it may also support a mild cognitive impartment and ADHD.
Beard also mentioned that, in order to help raise the awareness of the beneficial impact of Brahmi, Viridian was running a nutritional education programme via specialist independent health food stores. The Viridian team will share human research evidence to support its functions and rolling out a training campaign. The knowledge will also be shared with the general pubic through videos and blogs.
No Junk
Purity is one of the main principles for Thallon’s brand and for this reason Viridian launched “No Junk” media campaign last February that will last until May 2024. This unique and national campaign has as an objective to make consumers aware that the term ultra-processed doesn’t only apply to food, it extends to supplements too. It is estimated that nearly 50% of a typical commercial tablet is glues. It means, they are full of ingredients such as artificial colours, flavourings, sugar, artificial sweeteners, fillers, lubricants, anti-caking agents, coatings and binders that the body doesn’t need.
The initiative counts with a report created by Viridian titled Viridian Dejunk Your Life Report 2024. The extensive document, 55 pages, collects experts’ opinion on ultra-processed food and ultra-processed supplements and how to live a life free of junk. No Junk report offers tips and advises to improve and optimize people’s health by simple and consistent changes. The national campaign has hit buses, underground, bus shelters, train stations, newspapers, magazines, podcasts and social media with several ads.
Some of the highlights from the document are the wide use of fillers in mass-produced supplements such as magnesium stearate, titanium dioxide or carrageenan. All these excipients have no health benefits for the body and are only used to reduce the production cost. Furthermore, some of them are linked to allergies, disruption of the gut flora, ulcers, inflammation or are confirmed carcinogens like titanium dioxide, recently classified by the European Commission.
Planet Organic, back to the universe
The second positive highlight in the exhibition was Renee Elliott, the founder of Planet Organic, for sharing her roller-coaster journey with the company. Elliott described how emotional and exciting was when first Planet opened its doors in 1995 in London. She also explained how slowly but surely the business grew thanks to the passion and effort of team members, before dark times hit the brand.
Elliot stated that she was heartbroken with the news about Planet Organic last year and, after evaluating pros and cons, she decided to turn it back with the full support from her family. The founder of the organic supermarket affirmed that, for now, they had managed to stabilize the business and stop the loss. If everything goes as planned, profit will flourish by next year. Elliot said that there were many plans for the future, including opening new stores not only in UK, also across Europe, although that “is not the priority for now”.
Independent of the future plans, I liked the principles that Elliot exposed on the main stage in NOPEX. She affirmed that Planet Organic would continue its original mission, to promote health in the community and support the earth’s biodiversity, provide organic, natural and healthy products that people can trust. Therefore, to continue to create a shopping experience that is friendly, engaging and informative. “Of course, we will conduct our business in a fair, honest and responsible way. Overall, we will continue to respect our colleagues, customers, farmers, suppliers and advisors”, Elliott concluded.
Vaping at NOPEX, unacceptable
The last thing to highlight is the shocking moment when I came across a brand called Orange County CBD exhibiting disposal vapes at the show. In my opinion, that is simply unacceptable and not right. Yes, there is a lot of literature and more and more research comes up with great healthy CBD benefits every day. However, vaping is not at all healthy. Regardless of the composition of the vaping liquid, when you vape, CBD becomes an unhealthy option. It is like having a pyromaniac in the forest with a box of matches. If NOPEX wants to keep its reputation and lead the European health industry, the organization should review the entry for some exhibitors/sellers.
