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Casper launches CBD gummies, Impossible Foods hits Gelson’s, NurturMe sold and more in this week’s Checkout.

In this video, BevNET CEO John Craven and NOSH Editor Carol Ortenberg sat down to review notable trends and brands from this year’s Expo East, including developments in plant-based dairy items, the reframing of meal kits as “meal solutions” and advances in sustainable animal protein offerings.

When moringa-based food and beverage brand Kuli Kuli launched onto the market in 2014, its founder and CEO Lisa Curtis claims “virtually no one” had heard of the superfood plant. Today, Kuli Kuli launched in 2,500 Walmart locations, a significant gain in its ongoing efforts to make this lesser known ingredient appeal to the mainstream consumer.

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.