Every year after Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, Calif., while I sit at the airport awaiting my flight home, I indulge on a fully loaded, all-beef cheeseburger, fries and Diet Coke, a combination that my digestive system seldom encounters in a single sitting throughout the rest of the year. This tradition started about a decade ago when my body seemed to crave meat, grease and some artificial sweetener after a few days of sampling tofu, rice crackers and naturally sweetened soft drinks at the annual exposition.
But I must admit, during the past 10 years, natural product formulators have really stepped up their efforts, as each year, the new products that debut at the show get better and better. Specifically, there’s been a great deal of innovation in the area of meat-free center-of-plate proteins. Advancements include improvements in forms and textures, flavors, and above all, nutritional quality.