Expo West Preview

In 2026 Expo West will celebrate 45 years of bringing together the natural foods industry in Anaheim. Fun fact: the first Expo West in 1981 featured a session led by Frank Abagnale, the con artist whose life was portrayed in the movie Catch Me If You Can. While the industry has changed dramatically in the last 45 years, Expo West remains the premier annual showcase of product innovations and educational opportunities.

To prepare for this year's show, held March 3-6 at the Anaheim Convention Center, I reached out to Jenna Fitch of New Hope Network. Jenna was in the throws of expo planning but made time to give a preview of what attendees will find at Expo West 2026.

1. Introduce yourself to our readers.  What's your role with New Hope and with Expo West?

Hi! My name is Jenna Fitch and I lead community and conference content planning for New Hope Network. This means that I’m always researching and talking to members of our community on a quest to create education and relationship-building opportunities that benefit the natural and organic products industry. At Natural Products Expo West, I help create our conference program and unique networking opportunities within.

2. What can buyers and staff from co-ops that attend Expo West expect in 2026?

Expo West remains a natural products hub, ensuring there will be many new foods, beverages, supplements and lifestyle products to sample in Anaheim! This year will be the 45^th anniversary of the show, so attendees can expect special events like a Through the Decades Block Party on Tuesday, March 3, and a special State of Natural & Organic Keynote on Wednesday, March 4, that will both look back historically and into the future.

3. Expo West is famously huge.  Are there any ways for people to navigate the various convention spaces?

If you haven’t already logged into Beacon Discovery, this is my top recommendation for navigating the Expo West exhibit halls. Start planning your trip before you ever get in a car or board a plane, using over 100 filters to discover products based on their distribution, sales data, sustainability scores, private label, and all of the product attributes and ingredients important to your store. With links to the exhibitor list, you can create a strategic plan to inform who you visit and what you do when you arrive at the show.

The Expo West app will also be essential for navigating the event. From accessing the complete agenda to FAQs and the exhibit hall floorplan, this app will have the most current information to guide your visit.

4. Climate Day is always a highlight to learn about the latest in sustainability, what's on this year's schedule?

New this year, The Climate Collaborative is launching the Climate Leaders Awards Luncheon! Recognizing those committed to regenerative agriculture, forest action, climate communications and more, this gathering will be a celebration not to miss! Attendees can also look forward to keynotes by Dr. Samuel Ramsey and Sam Kass, the annual Community Resource Fair, and education sessions on topics such as short-lived climate pollutants and navigating climate risk.

5. Who is giving this year's state of the natural foods industry keynote?

This year’s State of Natural & Organic Keynote will feature a number of speakers. In addition to regulars Kathryn Peters of SPINS and Nick McCoy of Whipstitch Capital, you’ll also hear from Bill Giebler, content director of Nutrition Business Journal, Adrienne Smith, content director of newhope.com and Natural Foods Merchandiser, and me! We’ll also have special guests including Gary Hirshberg of Stonyfield Organic, Seth Goldman of JUST ICE TEA, and Pat Sheridan of INFRA.

6. Are there any new parts of the show this year that long-time attendees will want to check out?

As a huge music fan, I highly recommend checking out this year’s Evenings on the Plaza! I might be dating myself, but Blind Melon is performing Wednesday night and Capital Cities on Thursday night. There is also the new Block Party taking place Tuesday afternoon from 3:00 – 6:00pm and many long-running favorites like An Organic Night Out Wednesday evening, the J.E.D.I. Community Happy Hour Thursday afternoon and the NEXTY Awards Ceremony Thursday evening. NEW this year, our Thursday and Friday keynotes will take place from 8:00 – 9:00am to give everyone more time to get to 9:00am Buyer Only Hours. Thursday’s keynote will be serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk and Friday will be nutrition scientist and science communicator, Dr. Jessica Knurick.

7.  What advice would you give a first-time attendee?

I recommend reviewing the agenda, exhibit hall floorplans, and Beacon Discovery before arriving at the show. This campus is large enough that having an idea of where you want to go in advance will help make the event feel less overwhelming. At the same time, I always recommend leaving some time for serendipity. You never know if an old friend is going to find you on the Grand Plaza, or if your next favorite product will unexpectedly find you on the show floor. I also can’t emphasize comfortable footwear enough, staying hydrated and getting rest!