ReGrained Wins 2019 Editor's Choice NEXTY Award at Expo West for Innovation, Upcycling and Sustainable Packaging

BERKELEY, Calif., March 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- ReGrained wins one of only 4 Editor's Choice NEXTY Awards given out at the 2019 Natural Products Expo West. Of more than 3,600 exhibitors, ReGrained was selected for displaying the utmost in innovation, integrity and inspiration and helping forward the work of the natural products industry to deliver more healthful, trusted and sustainable products to consumers.

This prestigious award followed a challenging discovery for ReGrained. The characteristics that made their plant based packaging the first compostable to market also caused their SuperGrain⁺ bars to stale out in the field. The impact on consumers and trade partners resulted in the difficult decision to suspend its use until a viable solution was developed. In their public statement announcing the temporary switch, ReGrained's Daniel Kurzrock, wrote, "in our effort to prove that waste can be designed out of the food system, we began to create waste through staling product."

At Expo West 2019, ReGrained continued this conversation on the show floor and thought leadership stage. Their goal is to package in a fully certified compostable film within a year. To achieve this goal, they are working with the OSC² sustainable packaging collaborative and other industry experts. ReGrained has open sourced its experience to help lead the industry to broadly adopt regenerative, plant based alternatives to conventional petroleum derived, non-renewable/degradable packaging.

At Expo, ReGrained also showcased their latest culinary innovation—a savory puffed snack. These extruded snacks feature the brand's hero ingredient, SuperGrain⁺, a nutrient dense, sustainable flour upcycled from rescued brewers' grain and processed using ReGrained's patented technology. Five delicious, chef driven variations of the product were presented, with bold flavors such as: Mexican Street Corn, Urban Garden, Texas Pit BBQ, Smoked Salt and Pepper and Aged Cheddar. To democratize the final phase of their product development, ReGrained invited Expo West attendees to trial the crunchy snack and provide feedback before they officially launch the product in Summer 2019.

"We are on a mission to better align the food we eat with the planet we love and winning the Editors' Choice NEXTY is incredible validation that we are making progress. We are honored to receive this award and proud to be part of an industry ecosystem that cares deeply about people, planet and a better future!" says Daniel Kurzrock, ReGrained's Chief Executive Officer.

"These four products represent the future of the natural products industry where sustainability and transparency are the norm," says Jessie Shafer, content director at New Hope Network and one of the NEXTY judges. "Our industry can have a huge influence on how big manufacturers and mainstream buyers think about consumer packaged goods. The winners of our NEXTY awards inspire change and integrity in everything from ingredients to packaging."

NEXTY Editors' Choice Awards were created to recognize the most game changing and inspiring products in the natural/organic CPG market today. Products are chosen by the New Hope Network content team on the final day of Natural Products Expo West. Learn more about the NEXTY awards at nextyawards.com.

ABOUT REGRAINED:
ReGrained is a mission driven ingredient platform leveraging patent pending technology to transform food waste and byproducts into tasty superfoods. SuperGrain⁺ - their hero ingredient - is a versatile, economical, and environmentally impactful grain blend that performs flawlessly in all commercial applications, enabling food manufacturers to produce more delicious, nutritious, and marketable foods.

ReGrained's Contact:
Cassidy Lundy, Marketing Manager, 949-244-7919, [email protected]

New Hope Network's PR Contact:
Carrie Kocik, Public Relations, 617-694-5971, [email protected]

SOURCE ReGrained