Three months ago, Natural Products Expo West was one of the first food shows to cancel because of the coronavirus pandemic. Now the same fate has befallen its sister show and pseudo-replacement, Natural Products Expo East.

New Hope Network announced the cancellation of the expo, scheduled for Sept. 23-26 in Philadelphia. “We are making this decision now—more than three months before the event—because we want to do what’s best for you. We’ve learned from surveys and conversations that many community members, including retail buyers, are not confident they will feel safe traveling to or attending a large event in September,” the sponsors wrote.

“A potential lack of buyer participation, along with the show changes we would need to make to ensure the health & safety of the Expo East community, would have prevented us from delivering the quality experience and return on investment our exhibitors, sponsors and the broader community deserve and that we strive to provide.”

New Hope will be refunding all paid Expo East 2020 badges and education registrations, and its sales team will work with each exhibitor and sponsor on a credit or refund plan. An Expo East FAQ page  provides more details.

This would have been the first year in Philadelphia for the East Coast show, in the past held in Baltimore, and it was originally was being planned as a big replacement for Expo West, held every March in Anaheim. Expo West is probably the biggest food show in North America, attracting 85,000 attendees. Expo East last year drew 29,000.

The next Expo East will be in Philadelphia in September 2021.