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Kaari Foods is bringing cleaner, healthier versions of salad dressings and sauces to market. Amanda Johnston is the co-founder of the start-up brand, which highlights plant-based ingredients without the use of gums, stabilizers or preservatives.

At Natural Products Expo East 2019, brands young and old alike debuted products that will take them into new parts of the store. These moves are aimed at exposing them to new shoppers as well as bringing their existing customer base along for the ride.

Here are a few recent developments in the past week on the U.S. government’s plans to regulate hemp and CBD.

At this year’s Natural Products Expo East trade show in Baltimore, Katie Paul, VP of category management and growth solutions for distributor KeHE, sat down with NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg to discuss how KeHE has evolved its internal team and processes to best meet the changing needs of its retail and supplier partners, and also shared her thoughts on popular trends such as CBD and plant-based eating.

Influential natural foods entrepreneur and investor Steve Hughes reflected upon his roles as the founder of Boulder Brands and co-founder of investment firm Sunrise Strategic Partners. As part of our conversation, he explained why he believes the funding environment for natural CPG brands is “capitalism at its absolute best,” and what he sees as the most exciting development for the industry.

At Expo East, several brands unveiled new packaging featuring brighter colors, added nutritional callouts, new logos and slogans, and revamped flavor names.

One of the veteran nice guys of the natural products business, Josh Kohnstamm, has sold his eponymous public relations firm to another Minneapolis-area marketing agency, broadhead.

Last year’s Expo East demonstrated growth in the keto space, and we continue to see that proliferating through this year’s Expo East 2019 show. While some brands like Once Again, Kiss My Keto and Know Brainer are showcasing new products, others like Toronto-based Unbun are aiming to enter the U.S. market.

Today cereal brand Magic Spoon announced that, five months after launch, it has closed a $5.5 million round of funding to help propel its growth. The $10 a box cereal is sold direct-to-consumer and targets the carbohydrate-avoiding consumer, often associated with the Keto or Paleo diets.

Vital Proteins is ready to go beyond beauty. The collagen-focused company announced today the launch of a line of bars, sports drinks and a liquid creamers, moves CEO and founder Kurt Seidensticker told NOSH are designed to help the brand target a wider array of shoppers and expand beyond its core wellness enthusiast.