-By Jenny McTaggart, Special to The Gourmet Retailer Magazine

Being at the Natural Products Expo West in March was kind of like being at a sold-out concert. It was hard to walk through the trade show aisles without bumping elbows with other attendees.

Certainly this is a testament that the buzz around organic and natural products isn't going away anytime soon. More than 52,000 retailers, manufacturers and other industry professionals gathered at the Anaheim Convention Center in California March 14-16 to check out the latest trends. That was a record attendance for the show, which is now in its 28th year, and an 11 percent increase over last year's attendance, according to New Hope Natural Media, a division of Penton Media and producer of the show.

While out-of-the-box ideas were few and far between, there were plenty of new products that represented the major trends in organic and natural foods of late, including better-for-you kids' options, healthy snacks, and the merging of gourmet and organic, just to name a few.

Here's a recap of some of the more interesting new products introduced at the show:

Healthy Foods and Drinks for the Younger Set

A polar bear and kangaroo were among the "secret agents" hovering around the Happy Baby booth, where new HappyBites healthy kids meals were on display. The veggie-heavy HappyBites line includes six SKUs such as Veggietots with Orange "Cheetah" Sauce and Fish Bites with Green "Roo" Sauce. Each package features an animal character, a.k.a. secret agent, who stands for a specific environmental cause. www.happybabyfood.com

The term "crayons" has until now been synonymous with coloring, but Crayons, Inc. hopes to change that with its all-natural beverages. At the show, the company launched a new all-natural, high-functioning Sports Drink for kids (or kids at heart). The drinks are made with organic cane juice and contain calcium and vitamins B6 and B12. www.drinkcrayons.com

Organic or Gourmet?

Amy's Kitchen  had a lot to celebrate during Expo West. The family-owned company celebrated its 20th anniversary during the show, and also introduced a bevy of new and updated products to mark the occasion. New grocery items include Organic Summer Corn & Vegetable Soup and Light in Sodium Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce. The company is also expanding its gluten-free line of products to include such items as Cream of Rice Hot Cereal and Non-Dairy Cheeze Rice Crust Pizza. www.amyskitchen.com

Annie's Naturals (www.consorzio.com) unveiled three new tasty flavors in its Organic Dressings line: Creamy Asiago Cheese, Pomegranate Vinaigrette, and Lite Cucumber Yogurt. And Annie's Homegrown (www.annies.com) was sampling new Bunny Graham Friends, a delectable snack mix featuring chocolate, honey and chocolate chip graham cookies -- made in bunny shapes, of course.


Blue Marble Brands (www.bluemarblebrands.com), a new organization focused on building several top brands in the organic, natural and specialty markets, was like a proud new parent at the show. And why not? This independent subsidiary of United Natural Foods now represents such high-quality names as Woodstock Farms, Rising Moon Organics and Harvest Bay. Product highlights at the booth included new Mangosteen Juice Blends from Woodstock Farms (www.woodstock-farms.com) and Rising Moon Organics' (www.risingmoon.com) vegetable pizzas featuring ingredients imported from Italy.

High-end cheese continues to bring in sales in supermarkets, gourmet markets and other retail channels. Lucini Italia, a company known for its high-quality pasta sauces and oils, is now introducing its answer to the trend: Organic Parmigiano Reggiano, a three-year aged, super-premium cheese. As the company describes it, "its taste is delicately salty with pleasant inklings of hazelnut and almond." Each 8-ounce piece is sealed in air-tight packaging immediately upon hand-cutting at location in Parma, Italy. www.lucini.com

The Muir Glen Organic brand is breaking out of its vegetable sauce shell with new meat varieties. Parent company Small Planet Foods, a division of General Mills, claims that this is the first-ever organic meat pasta sauce. Flavors include Beef Bolognese, Italian Sausage with Peppers, and Vodka Sauce. Also new at Small Planet Foods is new Cascadian Farm Organic Granola, which comes in Fruit & Nut and the more indulgent Dark Chocolate Almond. www.cfarm.com

The Tea Room has created a dream product for tea and chocolate lovers: chocolates infused with tea. All its items are organic. New is the Distinctly Dark truffle line, complete with seven tantalizing chocolates that range between 50 percent and 72 percent cocoa content. www.thetearoom.biz

Soy, Probiotics, Gluten-Free and Other Dietary Trends

Aunt Gussie's is introducing new packaging for its popular cookie and cracker varieties, which are specially made for consumers with dietary concerns. Cracker Flats are now packed and sealed in stand-up boxes for freshness and added protection. They are low-fat, sugar-free, certified kosher parve, and considered safe for diabetics. Aunt Gussie's line of cookies, including Pecan Meltaways and Chocolate Chip Almond Biscotti, now sport more modern packaging designed to help the products stand out on the shelf, according to the company. www.auntgussies.com


At  French Meadow Bakery's booth, there was no shortage of good-for-you baked products. The company has rolled out new informational signage on its packaging to let customers know whether items are gluten-free, made with hemp, organic, or "naturally indulgent." A new item that we found to be particularly indulgent was Sweet Little Round Cakes in flavors such as Apple Caramel and Carrot. Each dessert, which comes frozen, serves four. www.frenchmeadow.com

Consumers can get both probiotics and pre-biotics from Naked Juice's  newest beverage innovation, Probiotic. Flavors include Tropical Mango and Very Berry. Each 10-fluid-ounce bottle contains 100 percent juice and provides two-and-a-half servings of fruit. Other new products included Bare Breeze, a line of 100 percent juice in refreshing flavors perfectly suited for the summertime, and Banana Chocolate Protein Zone. www.nakedjuice.com

Pacific Natural Foods is converting its entire all-natural dairy almond beverage line to organic. Marketing director Kevin Tisdale noted that customers are seeking not only alternatives to dairy, but also products made with quality organic ingredients. The new line includes: Organic Almond Original, Organic Almond Vanilla, Organic Almond Unsweetened Original, and Organic Almond Unsweetened Vanilla in 32-ounce aseptic containers; and Organic Almond Chocolate and Organic Almond Vanilla in 8-ounce four packs. www.pacificfoods.com

This October, retailers can support any initiatives around Breast Cancer Month by adding an innovative new product from Vitasoy. The soy milk maker will soon begin shipping six-packs of its "Pinkies." A portion of the proceeds from each chocolate soy milk beverage (packaged with a pink lid and pink ribbon logo) will be donated to breast health initiatives. www.vitasoy-usa.com


Alacer Corp., makers of the Emergen-C brand dietary supplement, is entering the beverage category with Emergen-C Health & Energy Water, a product formulated with 1,000 mg of vitamin C plus seven mineral complexes and B vitamins. The drink is made with purified water and all-natural flavors and sweeteners. Flavors include Raspberry, Lemon-Lime, Tangerine and Dragon Fruit. www.emergenc.com

Ethnic Foods

As more companies introduce restaurant-quality meal preparation kits, Thai Kitchen (www.thaikitchen.com) and Simply Asia (www.simplyasia.com), two brands belonging to Simply Asia Foods, which is owned by spice master McCormick & Co., are at the center of the action. Thai Kitchen's new 10 Minute Simmer Sauces and Simply Asia's two new flavors of Heat & Serve Noodle Bowls (Mandarin Orange and Spicy Mongolian) are the latest additions to the brand lineup. The brands are also celebrating the "Year of China" with Olympic entertaining tips and recipes from Chef Katie Chin.

Healthy Snacking

For the very daring chip connoisseur, Kettle Foods has unveiled the winner of this year's "People's Choice" limited-edition flavor: Death Valley Chipotle. All of Kettle's chips are made from real sliced potatoes and are all-natural. The company has also rolled out a new 100-calorie snacking size for people who want to curb their snacking. www.kettlefoods.com


PeaceWorks Holdings is introducing a new line of its best-selling brand, KIND Fruit & Nut Bars: KIND Plus. The "plus" includes supplements like antioxidants, omega-3, calcium, fiber and protein, which were added to the bars. The line's six flavors include KIND Plus Calcium (Cranberry & Almond), KIND Plus Protein (Almond, Walnut & Macadamia), KIND Plus B-Complex (Passion Fruit & Macadamia), KIND Plus Fiber (Strawberry Nut Delight), KIND Plus Antioxidants (Mango Macadamia), and KIND Plus Omega-3 (Almond & Cashew). www.peaceworks.com


Non-Food Trends

Few people look forward to cleaning, but Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day makes the task a little more bearable -- and certainly healthier. The company's earth-friendly cleaning products are now available in a sweet new fragrance, basil. According to Mrs. Meyer's, "top notes of basil, apricot leaves, parsley and eucalyptus" make the new scent cool and crisp. The company has also rolled out a Rhubarb Spring Cleaning Kit, complete with window spray, liquid dish soap, all-purpose cleaner and countertop spray. www.mrsmeyers.com

Soy Basics was displaying its fragrant Soy Inspirations candles, which are made from natural soy wax. The line rolled out in 2007, but it's still gaining traction among supermarkets, natural food retailers, drug stores, and mass merchandisers like Target Corp. www.soybasics.com

CleanWell is taking a new approach to clean hands, with all-natural, fragrant foaming hand wash and hand sanitizing products. The alcohol-free products are triclosan-free and proven to kill 99.99 percent of harmful germs, according to the company. The secret ingredient is Ingenium, a patented blend of essential plant oils. www.cleanwelltoday.com