Organic September Begins!
Why the Natural & Organic Food Show Is Your Essential September Fixture
September is Organic September – the Soil Association’s annual celebration of organic food, farming and sustainable living, encouraging shoppers and businesses alike to make organic part of everyday life. And this year, the timing couldn’t be better: the Natural & Organic Food Show returns to Excel London on 16-17 September, landing right in the middle of the campaign and putting the whole organic sector under one roof.
For three decades, Natural & Organic Food Show (formerly Natural and Organic Product Expo) has been the industry’s essential meeting point – where challenger brands get discovered, where retail partners reconnect with suppliers, and where the trends that go on to define the mainstream are spotted first. This year, that track record matters more than ever. The UK organic market grew 4.2% in 2025 to reach £3.9 billion (its 14th consecutive year of growth), 83% of UK households shoppers now buy organic, and two thirds (66%) of Brits rate environmental impact as very or somewhat important when making purchasing decisions, particularly for their groceries. For buyers, retailers, distributors and foodservice professionals, staying ahead of that curve isn’t optional – it’s exactly the intelligence this show is built to deliver.
A stage built for Organic September
The show’s speaker programme isn’t to be missed by aficionados of everything organic. Craig Sams will proselytise organic farming’s role in tackling climate change, arguing that organic soils could lock away vastly more carbon than industrial systems currently emit. Lee Holdstock and Simon Wright unpack the UK organic regulatory changes on the horizon, including anticipated closer UK-EU alignment that could ease trade barriers. And in a session drawing directly on Soil Association Certification’s new guide, Marketing organic: What you can say, Mark Machin, Niamh Noone and Olha Stovpivska help brands make green claims that are clear, confident and legally watertight – a genuinely practical session for anyone navigating today’s scrutiny of sustainability marketing.
Elsewhere, Katrina Farmer of Clipper joins Fairtrade’s Marie Rumsby to mark 30 years of Fairtrade tea, while sessions on buyer priorities, fibre-forward functional food, and independent retail complete a programme squarely focused on where organic and sustainable food is heading next.
The Soil Association at the heart of the show
Soil Association Certification will have a dedicated presence on the show floor, sponsoring an area that puts organic certification and standards front and centre – the natural partner for a show landing squarely in Organic September. It’s a chance to speak directly with the team behind the organic symbol shoppers already trust, and to get ahead of the standards and claims that will shape the sector over the next year.
Hundreds of organic brands, ready to be discovered
The exhibitor list is where Organic September really comes to life. Buyers will find certified-organic ranges across every category: organic mung bean snacks from Oh Mungood, Scandinavian organic snacking from Moonvalley, organic bean-to-bar chocolate from Nordic Chocolate, organic teas and rice cakes from Kallo Foods, certified organic protein powders from The Organic Protein Co., organic tofu from The Block, and organic superfoods, jams, oats and toppers from brands including Everyday Superfood, Torfolk Gård, Fazer Mills and SUCSEED – alongside sector bodies like Organic Sweden, showcasing a wave of Scandinavian organic innovation. It’s a genuine one-stop destination for sourcing the organic, natural and sustainable products that will be on shelves in 2027.
One ticket, five shows, a festival atmosphere
Here’s the bit that makes this September different: for the first time, Natural & Organic Food Show is joining forces with four sister events – lunch!, The National Restaurant, Pub & Bar Show, London Drinks Exchange and the Artisan Food & Drink Show – to form the brand-new London Food & Drink Festival. One free trade ticket now grants access to all five shows, over 600 exhibitors, 200+ speakers and eight stages, including a Chef Live! stage featuring Michelin-starred chefs. It’s the UK’s most comprehensive food and drink trade event this autumn, and it genuinely feels like a festival – buzzing stages, live demos, DJs and performers, awards, and the whole industry under one roof for two days.
Whatever you’re sourcing this Organic September – the next big organic snack brand, a fresh take on Fairtrade, or simply a clearer answer to “can I say that on pack?” – this is where it happens first.