The caveman diet is becoming quite popular among traditional consumers, forcing expansion for brands such as Paleo Passion Foods, Greenwich, Conn. Food and drink products with a paleo certification have increased 56% over the previous year, based on data in Nielsen Product Insider and Label Insight. Such goods, which don’t include grains, milk, legumes or processed sugar, length the classes of pancake and baking mixes, soup, soup, ready-to-eat carrot and peanut butter.
“Wal-Mart is making a huge push in this area, as well as Kroger and CVS,” said Marty Sands, founder and chief executive officer of Paleo Passion Foods. “It’s not just Whole Foods pushing into free-from, clean label, gluten-free, paleo certified… The mass market is now moving into this world.”
Paleo Passion Foods was one of dozens of exhibitors containing paleo-friendly goods in Natural Products Expo West, held March 9-12 at Anaheim.
Formed in 2014, the company now offers two product lines. Paleo Passion Pops ice pops are made with such ingredients like sweet potato puree, flax seeds, chia seeds and ginger. Flavors contain apple crisp, strawberry, strawberry passion fruit, blueberry pomegranate, pineapple strawberry, orange mango and chocolate.
Last May, the business added a line of grainless granola clusters, highlighting seeds, nuts and fruit with some honey or maple syrup. The firm’s products are offered in approximately 2,000 shops with plans to expand over 4,000 shops by the end of the year.
“So many different people have their own interpretation of paleo,” Mr. Sands told Food Business News. “The way we interpret it is we are passionate about staying away from processed foods. We’re paleo-friendly in the pops and paleo certified in the grainless granola. But it’s not just about that. It’s about getting away from the processed foods and trying to avoid refined sugars.”
The brand started as a passion for Mr. Sands’ wife, Kim, a self-described “self-taught nutritionist” who develops the recipes for the company.
“My husband is extremely entrepreneurial, and I’m health conscious and nutrition oriented,” she said. “The one thing I’ve learned is the products have to taste good. It doesn’t matter how clean and great your ingredients are. If the product doesn’t taste good, they’re not eating it. I can’t tell you how many times we tried things and in the garbage it went.”
Long term, the organization intends to launch products in extra classifications, including nut butters and frozen meals, Mrs. Sands said.
“The whole natural foods and healthy way of living is really going mainstream, and so many of these big retailers are taking on these health initiatives,” Mrs. Sands said. “We have a serious problem with obesity in this country, and it’s nice to see there are food manufacturers trying to do something about it and that we’re not alone.”
A study from Hitwise, Los Angeles, shows internet searches related to paleo dieting may have peaked after experiencing a meteoric jump in 2016. But, tenets of the paleo diet, such as the avoidance of artificial ingredients and refined sweeteners, appear to be here to stay.
“The real movement, in our view, and what I see more and more is people are equating the word ‘paleo’ with non-processed foods,” Mr. Sands said. “Getting closer and closer to real foods is what we see the movement as all about.”
Marty Sands 