6 Top Trends You Missed at UNFI's Show
Every February, United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) takes over a convention center in Orlando, Fla., to showcase the top trends in perishable grocery, dry grocery and non-food, as well as cutting edge solutions and services, that grocery retailers can expect to see influencing physical and digital shelves very soon.
This year’s UNFI Spring and Summer Selling Show was no exception, offering more than 4,500 attendees, including 2,300 retailers and 900 supplier brands, a showcase of thousands of unique items, including 50 new-to-market products, spanning the natural, organic, fresh, specialty and conventional grocery categories.
Here's six of the hottest grocery trends Progressive Grocer saw at the show:
Superfoods Are Everything
Most of the new food products at the UNFI show spotlighted functional benefits, from joint pain-fighting vitamins to mood-boosting supplements. Blueshift Nutrition's powdered supplement drink mixes combine nature's best superfoods with research-backed, top tier nutrients. Also popular at the show were Blendtopia's coffee lattes, Pure Green's cold pressed juice shots, The Feel Bar's vegan protein bars and a tart cherry juice designed to promote sleep from Antioxidant Solutions.
Restaurant Quality at Home
As inflation-battered consumers ditch dining out, they want restaurant quality meal solutions from their grocer. But your grandmomma's frozen pizza isn't gonna cut it. Enter several premium pizza brands exhibiting at UNFI, including Katie's, whose products "celebrate premium, unprocessed ingredients that honor Italy’s regional traditions, people and stories." Also featured at the show were Magnolia Bakery's frozen banana pudding, Mowi USA's value-added salmon products, and Maya Kaimal, which allows the shopper to skip ordering takeout and create delicious Indian inspired meals at home.
In the Mood for a Boost?
Is everyone in a bad mood? It would seem so, from the number of products at the UNFI purporting to boost your mood, whether you are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, anxious, depressed, wound up, wound down and everything in between. At PYM (which stands for Prepare Your Mind), the company offered samples of their Mood Chews that promise to help with stress and even procrastination. Four Sigmatic's mood boosting organic coffees can help calm you down and even aid with digestion. And E.U.B's "Emotional Utility Beverages" say they will "bridge the gap between you and yourself" by enhancing your mood and motivation.
Spicy AF
According to Circana, dollar sales for food and beverages with “spicy” in the description increased nearly 10% in 2024, driven by Gen Z's insatiable appetite for hot foods and flavors. Slap Ya Mama's seasoning blends were a popular booth at the UNFI show. So was Melinda's Hot Sauces, which come in flavors such as Naga Jolokia, Red Savina, and Scorpion. "From seed to bottle, we create sauces for those who are past the basic. Each of our craft pepper sauces begin with fresh locally grown tropical fruits and vegetables and the best Chile peppers on the planet. Get ready to set your mouth on flavor."
Beyond Plant Based
Plant-based sales have declined over the past few years as inflation soared, but brands such as Plantstrong say the boom will be back. "People are looking for real, whole foods and so our motto is, 'we're putting the plants back into plant-based,'" said brand founder and New York Times bestselling author Rip Esselstyn. Brands such as NotCo, MyBacon, Whole Moon, and Lundberg Family Farms all sampled new innovations for 2025.
The Protein Revolution
Protein in anything and everything is now table stakes as consumers — many of whom are on GLP-1 weight-loss medications requiring reduced-carb diets — look to increase their protein consumption. Ramen with 24 grams of protein? Immi has it. Organic matcha protein shake with 18 grams of protein? Greenhouse has it. Pretzels with 20 grams of plant-based protein? Lenny and Larry's has it. Prebiotics, probiotics, protein and gluten free — all in a breakfast bar? Munk Pack has that too.
Recognizing Excellence
UNFI’s Spring and Summer Selling Show held a Pitch Slam competition in which emerging suppliers in the company’s UpNext program showcased their innovative new products to a live audience of their peers and retail buyers. Competitors included Tache's pistachio milk, Ya Oaxaca's authentic Mexican food products, Blue Zones Kitchen's meal solutions "crafted for longevity," and Halfday's prebiotic iced teas. After the audience voted live from the ballroom floor, Halfday was the winner.
“Halfday Prebiotic Iced Tea is ushering in a new era of iced tea with low sugar, gut-healthy, and functional benefits while keeping the classic iced tea taste you know and love,” said Luke Ledyard, VP of sales and distribution for Halfday, winner of UNFI’s 2025 Orlando Pitch Slam. "UNFI’s UpNext program has provided incredible value as we work to scale our business and introduce more consumers to the benefits of Halfday.”
In addition to showcasing the hottest trends in grocery, UNFI's Spring and Summer Selling Show also recognized five high-performing retailers of various sizes that are driving growth, innovation and community impact across the grocery retail industry.
In a live ceremony on Tuesday evening, UNFI’s second annual Customer Circle of Excellence Awards honored the following retailers:
- Local Independent Performance Award – AML Foods
- Local Independent Impact Award – Healthy Living Markets
- Regional/National Chain Performance Award – America’s Food Basket
- Regional National Chain Impact Award – The Fresh Market
- National Chain Performance Award – DoorDash
“With thousands of retail banners and countless outstanding achievements across our diverse network, it’s nearly impossible to choose just five winners for our annual Customer Circle of Excellence Awards,” said Mark Bushway, president of Natural, Organic, Specialty & Fresh Products and UNFI chief supply chain officer. “These retailers, each with unique value propositions, are driving growth, innovation, and impact in ways that inspire our industry to be better every day. We look forward to recognizing more of our valued customers and suppliers during our Holiday and Winter Selling Shows later this year.”
During the show, UNFI leaders also highlighted innovative capabilities the company is building to help retailers effectively differentiate and compete in an increasingly dynamic market. For example, as preference toward private label brands continues to grow with 95% of Americans using them today, the UNFI Brands+ team discussed top strategies to help retailers drive increased traffic, loyalty and sales. Best practices included maximizing private brand assortment, expanding premium private brand offerings, and amplifying in-store marketing. UNFI's Professional Services booth also showcased solutions that help retailers reduce credit card processing fees and optimize labor efficiencies in-store.
At its Winter and Holiday Selling Shows in July, UNFI will host Customer Circle of Excellence Awards for retailers representing the West and Central regions, along with the National Supplier Circle of Excellence Awards.
