Each day on the show floor brings new insights into how the many moving parts in the natural foods industry can process emerging consumer demand and turn out products that answer the call. There were two trends that we saw in the aisles yesterday that will soon be coming to a store near you:

Flexitarian Soy: Soy regularly gets into trouble. Studies come out against it, only to be answered by research refuting the original findings. Nevertheless, soy remains the dominant alternative protein of choice for vegans and vegetarians — and now, it seems, flexitarians.

That last term was coined recently to describe those people who might also call themselves “casual vegetarians.” They don’t follow a rigorous no-meat diet, but they have cut down on their meat consumption, either for health or ethical reasons. Judging from some of the products we’re seeing here, it seems as if soy manufacturers are poised to deliver a soy product that increases the acceptance factor of these part-timers.

First, from Vitasoy/Nasoya, comes a line that’s been fortified with essential vitamins (particularly B12) that are primarily found in meat, and often at risk in a vegetarian diet. The second comes from Harmony Foods, which is introducing a dry soy mix that is extremely flexible (after all, flexitarian eaters must desire flexibility) and can be shaped into patties, balls or crumbles, simply by adding water.

What’s more — and here’s the kicker — the latter product is flavored to mimic certain animal proteins, such as chicken. So, these optional vegetarian consumers will be able to find a compromise between their actions and their desires.

Then there’s product redesign: An impressive number of manufacturers are unveiling new graphics, updated logos and more ecological packaging at the show. Among the big ones we found were Nature’s Path, the Canada-based maker of cereals and cereal bars. Their new boxes are 30% smaller now, though they contain the same amount of product. What’s more, the dimensions of the boxes won’t require retailers to reset shelves or change planograms, One of the side benefits for companies undertaking such a program is that, if the work with retailers, they’ll likely be ablr to get one or two more facings of their products onto shelves.

Over at Barbara’s Bakery, the company’s iconic puffin no longer gets top billing in the graphics. We learned that the new design will harken back to the company’s founding, and its California roots, with a bucolic image and a craft-paper shade of brown threading throughout.

We’ll note that all of the products mentioned are either just coming to market or are going into distribution right after the show. The fact that many manufacturers time their efforts to Expo West indicates the importance they give the show as a marketplace of ideas. For this reporter, this makes wandering the aisle more like a treasure hunt for seek out the new and improved items your customers are going to soon see.

Next month we head out to Anaheim for Expo West, the great green granddaddy of trade shows for the natural and organic industry. We’re anxiously anticipating that, and in the meantime there are a few smaller shows to tide us over, like today’s Green Products Expo in midtown Manhattan.

We went up this afternoon, walked the floor, and came back with a grab bag of new product information. Vendors covered a wide range of categories, from spice companies to cookware to toilet leak detectors. If there was one unifying theme, though, it was providing reusable substitutes for many commonly used products.

Now let me just reach into the bag and pull out a few of the highlights…

- Conserve: Reusable water bottles have gotten a lot of attention lately, and now we’re seeing that concept evolve into other containers and packaging. Conserve has come out with a combo pack that includes a reusable spray bottle and four cleaning tablets. Drop in a tablet, fill the bottle with water, and you’ve got your cleaning solution.

- Regreet: This is an even more interesting twist on the “reusable” concept. Rather than throw out that birthday card, Regreet wants you to cover over the signature with one of its sticky pads and write in your own. It sounds a bit tacky, but the cover-ups are colorful and attractive. Also consider that millions of paper cards get thrown out each year. more

Terms like vegetarian, vegan and locavore may not refer to mainstream movements, but they say a lot about our culture and the way we eat. Very few people, for instance, are able to consume only food grown within a hundred mile radius — yet the influence of “local” can be seen in every mainstream supermarket these days.

And so it goes with the latest term to be added to the health and wellness lexicon: flexitarian.

So what’s a flexitarian? It’s someone who tries to incorporate meatless meals into her diet but isn’t a strict vegetarian. It sounds a bit hard to pin down, but there’s no doubt it’s fully established and making inroads. Compass Group, the world’s largest food distributor, just announced its “Be A Flexitarian” initiative, which will expand the company’s meat-free offerings and promote flexitarian living.

“It doesn’t take an all-or-nothing approach to make a major impact, and giving customers more meat-free meal choices will improve health, reduce the impact of global warming and help animals,” said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society, in a release praising the new program.

Compass reaches millions of students, office workers and sports fans at cafeterias and food stops around the country, so it’s not hard to imagine the impact this will have. Even the most vegetable-resistant, hot-dog-scarfing consumers will be exposed to the possibility that such foods can be tasty and healthy. That kind of exposure will no doubt trickle down to the retail level in some form. more

State-of-the-industry reports have been coming fast and furious lately, what with the fate of natural and organic products on so many people’s minds these days. Most of these conflict one another, or they come from firms we’ve never heard of (hello, junk folder!) — so we’re happy when we get our hands on numbers from a name we know and use often, like Mintel.

According to the Chicago-based research firm, 36% of consumers say they regularly or almost always buy green products. That’s the same percentage as reported last year, and kind of a bummer when you consider that this number tripled between 2007 and 2008. But considering how tough these times are — record layoffs, an anemic stock market, middle-class families shopping food pantries — it’s a wonder this percentage didn’t go down.

I think it’s safe to say the honeymoon period for health and wellness products is over. For years, retailers have been able to stock their shelves with organic this, and all natural that, and consumers have bought them up out of sheer novelty. more

It isn’t quite local marketing, but it’s close enough to merit attention. The folks at Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Meijer have begun stocking a line of sustainable household, personal care and pet products from ecostore, founded in 1993 by longtime organic gardener and environmental pioneer Malcolm Rands in New Zealand.

What allows the deal to jump the local hurdle is that the agreement is between Meijer and ecostore USA, headquartered in West Bloomfield, Mich. After selling online for several years, it’s the first time the products are actually available in stores.

The line includes five products, including laundry soap, spray surfactants, dishwasher liquid and appliance cleansers — all non-toxic, plant-based formulas. The formulas are not tested on animals, are GMO-free and have recyclable packaging.

While the local connection isn’t specifically mentioned in the press releases surrounding the announcement, I’m sure the idea of including a Michigan-based company in the home and health section of a Michigan-based supermarket chain wasn’t lost on anyone.

What’s more, it’s encouraging to see the 185-superstore chain jump on the idea of moving outside produce and fresh foods to incorporate locally-sourced products elsewhere in the store, where they’re much less common.

“Meijer continues to increase its offerings in organic and natural products, and ecostore is an ideal addition for our customers,” is what Frank Guglielmi, Meijer’s director of public relations, did say in the news release.

Shoppers have made it clear that they want to eat healthier and adopt a greener lifestyle, and companies have tried to oblige them. There’s a problem, however: People don’t trust the system. Many of them want to eat less fat, use less packaging and more, but they’re not convinced a label claim will take them there.

A recent study bears this out. According to marketing firm Brandspark International, which surveyed more than 50,000 shoppers, 70% of consumers feel motivated to buy environmentally friendly products — but only 40% of them are willing to pay extra for these. Why? Because they don’t think manufacturers and retailers are delivering on the promises they’re making. Three quarters of those surveyed believe that some companies are abusing environmentally friendly claims, and 78% believe that they aren’t even close to reducing the amount of packaging they need to.

Attitudes regarding health were similarly bleak. Sixty-eight percent say they’re increasingly concerned about their wellbeing, but 71% said they’re skeptical of health claims on products. more