Ingredient Idol is the thinking person’s guide to the most innovative, top-shelf dietary ingredients recently introduced into the nutrition and supplements market today. This year we are focusing on new ingredients—defined as those launched into the market after Jan. 1, 2022. This juried competition features three health conditions with three finalists in each category—active nutrition, microbiome, nootropics. Live at the show, a panel of sharp, smart and informed industry judges will hear elevator pitches from ingredient supplier brands, pepper them with follow-up questions, and decide the winner. Make sure you stop by the stage for the contest to cheer on your personal favorite during the People’s Choice Award part of the proceedings. Nomination and entrance details are below. Don’t miss SupplySide West’s most raucous, good-time game show! This year’s three health categories are:
Active Nutrition: Way bigger than sports nutrition’s protein and specialty ingredients like creatine and beta-alanine, the active category targets cellular wellness like mitochondrial function, energy creation beyond merely caffeine, even graceful aging pursuits like joint, bone and cardio health.
FINALISTS:
+ ADM: Active Lifestyle Blend
+ CK Nutraceuticals: CardiaSlim
+ Suanfarma Inc - Monteloeder: Metabolaid
Microbiome: Probiotic strains ain’t the half of it. Nor does gut health speak to the entire microbiome. There’s the gut/brain axis. The gut/muscle axis. Certain aspects of immunity, even skin health. Prebiotic fibers and postbiotics, oh my!
FINALISTS:
+ Nature's Crops International: Ahiflower+DHA
+ SynBalance: Synbaective DefensePlus
+ NXT USA, Inc: Digexin
Nootropics: The greater cognition category is broad, and encompasses experiential ingredients, mood/stress, as well as e-sports/gamer ingredients targeting focus and concentration. And don’t forget age-old brain-builders like healthy fats, even from new and sustainable sources.
FINALISTS:
+ Microphyt:GamePhyt
+ Nutraland USA:Miricell
Click here to download Speaker Presentation
| EMCEE |
 Todd RunestadContent Director, Natural Products Insider, Informa Markets Todd Runestad is content director for Natural Products Insider. He has been covering the natural products industry, specifically ingredients and supplements, for more than 25 years with New Hope Network and NPI. Connect with him at https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddrunestad/ |
| JUDGES |
 David ForemanPresident, Herbal Pharmacist David Foreman, Rph, ND is a pharmacist, naturopath, author, speaker and media personality known internationally as, “The Herbal Pharmacist.®” His background in pharmacy and natural medicine put Foreman in an elite class of health experts. David is highly sought for his abilities to connect the science world with sales and marketing. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy, and author of hundreds of articles and dozens of books. He currently is on the editorial advisory board for Nutritional Outlook and on the content advisory board for Vitafoods Europe, Vitafoods Asia and Vitafoods Insights. His mission is to educate as many people as possible about the benefits of natural health and healing using his “4 Pillars of Health: Diet, Exercise, Spirituality and Supplements. |
 Douglas LynchCEO, MarketWell Nutrition Inc. Doug Lynch has three decades of experience in the clinical nutrition and wellness industries. Doug has an award-winning product background in sales and marketing of dietary supplements, medical foods, functional foods, cosmetics, animal nutrition, and proprietary actives. He’s held global executive roles in the proprietary ingredient companies such as Unigen, Lycored, and Cott Beverages. He has developed and marketed scores of consumer products over his career, and in 2020 won a NEXTY award for best supplement/functional food in the category. He won the Editor’s Choice for Marketing at Expo West 2014 and developed the first online dietary supplements for Sam’s Club and Walmart. Doug also created the inaugural supplements for Estee Lauder Companies (ELC) and licensed a topical ingredient which led to an ELC megabrand. Today, Doug partners with Wake Forest Medical School, Morsani Medical School (University of South Florida), and Florida Atlantic University to commercialize their unique technologies for health. Doug also works as an industry mentor to the iCorps Program of the National Science Foundation and serves on several boards in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and China. |
 Diana MorganFounder, What's Up with Supps By day Diana Morgan is VP of global regulatory & government affairs for Nutrabolt, makers of C4® Energy—by night she is founder and chief fun officer for What’s Up With Supps®. She is passionate about the natural products industry and has served it for over 15 years, having held previous roles at The Vitamin Shoppe, Care/of, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare and Solgar Vitamin & Herb. What’s Up With Supps’ mission is to be the catalyst for creating connections within the health and nutrition products industry to promote unity, growth and innovation through networking, mentorship and professional development activities. The group was formed in September 2020 to provide a platform for holding in-person networking events for the natural products industry, which always take place in a fun, non-competitive environment that allows for the building of organic connections. Since its inception in 2020, the group has grown from local events to national events across the country. Diana holds a master’s degree in nutrition and food science from the University of Saint Joseph and is a certified sports nutritionist from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN). |