There has never been a better time for Australian retailers to put more health on their shelf, with sales of natural and organic food and beverages, supplements and personal care products forecast to grow to $12.5 billion by 2016, according to research from Nutrition Business Journal.

In response to this strong growth and to cater for the high level of new product innovation happening amongst manufacturers, a new tradeshow devoted exclusively to natural and certified organic food and grocery products will be held in Sydney at Royal Hall of Industries, Moore Park from 3-4 May 2015.

The Naturally Good Expo is Australia’s first large-scale tradeshow and learning event for retailers, distributors and manufacturers of packaged health products.

‘Barometer’ for Australian natural and organic products market

According to event director Andrew Jones, the event is a barometer for where the Australian natural and organic products market is now, and where it is headed.

“There’s been an explosive shift in the way we consume, with today’s mainstream shopper more educated and more passionate about the benefits of eating and living a healthier lifestyle,” Mr Jones said.

Coupled with the growing gluten free, vegetarian, paleo and other specialty diet communities, this healthy lifestyle movement has evolved from fad to essential choice wherever consumers make purchase decisions,” Mr Jones said. “We have moved beyond awareness to a tipping point where there is now high demand for all things natural, organic and sustainable,” he said.

Mr Jones said this rapidly increasing societal shift is challenging brand owners and manufacturers of all sizes to innovate and develop new products with natural healthy ingredients. It’s also fueling a new wave of entrepreneurs full of energy, innovation and passion who are all launching exciting products across a range of categories.

“Naturally Good Expo is where you can see and sample what’s new in the market, discover the latest product innovations, identify what’s selling today, and gain an insight into what the health and wellness trends of tomorrow are,” Mr Jones said. “The event provides a window into the many categories driving growth of the health and wellness retail market in Australia,” he said.

Food retailers could boost ‘healthy’ profits

Catering for the new generation of health conscious consumers by adding more health and wellness to the aisles may lead to healthier profits from new sales with greater margins. According to research from Nielsen, about 71 per cent of consumers in the APAC region are changing their diets to lose weight and around half of those consumers are more than willing to pay a premium for food with healthy attributes.

This is mirrored locally, where consumers are turning to ‘healthy foods’ to curb growing waistlines as well as prevent health issues and medical conditions such as obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension.

‘Health craze’ an opportunity for retailers

The health craze has well and truly hit. Consumers are looking at their diet more closely, which is being reflected in buying habits. More than two thirds (69 per cent) of households have bought health food products in the past year, according to Nielsen HomeScan data.

The total grocery health foods category in Australia is growing at 8.2 per cent, more than double the rate of growth in the broader food and grocery market and almost twice the rate of growth in fresh food (4.4 percent) such as fruit and vegetables, dairy and meat. This presents a huge opportunity for retailers who range up their healthy options and for local manufacturers looking to explore new product innovations and extensions. Now more than ever, the manufacturing and retail industries have a real opportunity to benefit from this phenomenon.

Naturally Good Expo to feature thousands of products

Naturally Good Expo will feature nearly 200 exhibitors with thousands of SKUs showcasing the biggest selection of natural and certified organic food and beverages, vitamins and supplements, natural cosmetics, skin care and toiletries, and home and pet products.

The event organisers said new products are the lifeline of the retail and grocery industry so there has been a concentrated effort to ensure a good mix of new products and new companies are represented on the Expo floor.

A Featured Product Showcase will highlight new products and innovations being exhibited at the Expo. Attendees can see the products at-a-glance, then head off to the exhibitors stand to sample the product and learn more about the ingredients and health benefits.

Education a ‘strong focus’ of the event

Education is a strong focus of the event with more than 30 sessions running across the two days. All sessions are free and provide in-depth information and insights on product and market trends, consumer and shopper behavior, merchandising, and customer experience.

For brand marketers and product manufacturers, there’s a series of education sessions that deliver practical ideas and strategies for business growth. Topics cover getting products retail ready, pricing and margins, building out distribution, brand building, packaging and labeling, and exporting into the two largest consumer markets in the world, Asia and North America.

For exhibitors, the tradeshow provides face-time and the ability to have high-quality conversations with retail buyers and distributors and receive valuable feedback about how they perceive their product and how they can expand and grow with their companies.

Admission to the Expo is strictly trade only. The entry fee is $30 however if attendees pre-register online before 30 April, it’s free.

To register or for more information on the event including the full education program, speaker line up and exhibitor list, visit NaturallyGood.com.au

About Naturally Good Expo

Naturally Good Expo is Australia’s first and only tradeshow and conference for the natural, organic, free-from, Fairtrade and sustainable products market. It is an annual gathering of progressive business owners, brand manufacturers, entrepreneurs, retail buyers, specifiers and purchase influencers, product and marketing managers, health practitioners, investors and the media. It showcases thousands of new and innovative products across food and beverages, health and beauty, vitamins and supplements, and home living categories. It delivers the knowledge and education to understand where the opportunities lay ahead, and provides a forum to share industry information, lessons-learned, new perspectives, insights and intelligence.

About National Media

National Media is an award winning exhibition organiser with a reputation for delivering industry defining events. Established in 1993, the company specialises in the conception, creation, marketing and management of world-renowned trade shows and conferences. The management team have launched and run over 200 highly successful and award winning exhibitions across a wide range of industries.