Purity and safety in the CPG industry

Welcome back to The Natural List! In this episode, we feature an interview from Natural Products Expo West 2026 where Adrienne chatted with ZEGO CEO Colleen Kavanagh to discuss the brand's purity testing. ZEGO is an allergy-friendly food company that produces organic breakfast cereals, protein powders and fruit bars. Known widely for its "Purity Verification" and supply chain transparency, ZEGO ensures its products are free from major allergens and agricultural toxins. The duo discuss why purity testing is so important, and whether consumers even care about transparency. We answer these questions and more in this episode of The Natural List! In this episode: 0:09 – Thank you to our sponsor Bimbo Bakeries USA. 0:45 – Episode preview! 1:31 – Thank you to our sponsor Om Mushroom Superfood. 2:19 – Welcome to our guest Colleen Kavanagh, founder and CEO of Zego. 3:02 – Colleen describes how Zego’s journey to transparency began and has evolved over the years. 5:10 – Zego’s education and test results are a driver for consumer purchasing behavior. 5:50 – Colleen explains Zego’s mission and vision for safety testing for consumers across the industry. 6:36 – What are some smaller steps that brands can take to move toward Zego’s standard of testing? 7:50 – Consumers care about transparency and trust, and are shopping brands that provide it. 8:20 – How does Zego affect change now that the brand is functioning as a supplier, too? 8:50 – Zego’s customers usually start by focusing on one purity aspect, but then they enjoy the additional, higher transparency across other aspects. 9:45 – Colleen shares about Zego’s newest SKU, Regenerative Organic Old-Fashioned Rolled Oatmeal. 10:52 – Adrienne and Colleen discuss how well Zego utilizes packaging to communicate with consumers. 12:26 – What’s your vision for Zego in the future?