The finalists have fought off serious competition after the event received a record-breaking number of entries.
But there can be only one winner for each of our 17 categories. In anticipation for the event, we spoke to some of our award finalists to hear how this accolade impacts them.
Personalised nutrition
This year, personalised nutrition company Vitmedics is up for our ‘Personalised Nutrition Initiative’ award.
Michael Wakeman, founder of the firm, said to win such a prestigious award would be “such an important achievement given the quality and experience of the judges in this field.”
Vitmedics platform Vitcheck is the innovation in question and is designed to deliver personalised dietary recommendations based around lifestyle, life-stage, diet and medication use, in an evidence-based format.
“Vitcheck is the outcome of five years of personal academic research into the sphere of personalised nutrition, especially the under-recognised deleterious effect that medication/s have upon micronutrient status and clinical outcomes,” explains Wakeman.
“Having developed this evidence-based platform into a commercially viable product with utility to both consumers and health care professionals, I believe the Nutraingredients award in personalised nutrition is the most exacting place to test its relevance amongst other leading contenders in this field.”
Sports Nutrition
This year Pharmako Biotechnologies’ HydroCurc ingredient is in the running for this year’s Ingredient of the Year: Sports Nutrition Award.
The firm’s Co-Founder and Commercial Director Eric Meppem said, “Winning prestigious industry awards such as the NutraIngredients Awards validated both Pharmako’s marketing of HydroCurc as a Sports Nutrition ingredient and also the marketing of the brand companies including HydroCurc in formulations.
“Nearly all our customers around the world use the HydroCurc Trade Mark under license from Pharmako.
“Winning validates their choice to use HydoCurc and it also helps raise awareness of the benefits of HydroCurc with consumers, and the broader sports nutrition market. HydroCurc is already being used by elite international athletes in various sports including cricket, rugby, hockey, cycling and football.
“Winning the NutraIngredients Award for Ingredient of the Year: Sports Nutrition would potentially lead to further use by elite and everyday athletes.”
NutraChampion
One of the special Awards up for grabs this year is the NutraChampion Awards that celebrate those who leave a lasting impact on nutrition and the nutrition industry.
It may be an individual that drives new standards and policies, increases public knowledge and interest in nutrition, or pushes for innovation and championing ingredients.
In 2021, Sandra Einerhand joined that exclusive group winning the NutraIngredients NutraChampion Award for her lasting impact on food and nutrition research.
The founder and head of Einerhand Science & Innovation, her consultancy won the Luxlife Food and Drink award for being the best European Early Life Nutrition Consultancy in 2020.
In 2021, the company went on to receive the Go Global Award in the Health Tech category. Sandra Einerhand is also the co-founder and chair of the Nutrition Consultants Cooperative (NCC) in the Netherlands - a cooperative of independent nutrition consultants working in the Netherlands on global multidisciplinary projects.
“It was a privilege to accept the NutraChampion award last year although I really missed meeting people in person,” she explains.
“Of course, I was flattered and honoured to be awarded. It still is a very proud and humbling experience for me. It has created quite a buzz.”
“I strongly believe that Science and Innovation are driving the success in the food business that we are in.
“Therefore, I would suggest future Nutrachampion award nominees to focus on those two key drivers of success.,” Einerhand adds.
“This is what I have done during my whole career. I have focussed on creating innovative food products (e.g., infant-, senior- and medical foods and food ingredients like prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics, plant-based proteins and certain lipids) with scientifically proven health benefits.
“While doing so, I have built a great network of people around me. Apart from these key drivers, it is also important to be honest, credible and authentic.”
The Categories
Here’s a reminder of our very worthy finalists:
Ingredient of the Year: Beauty from Within
KERANAT – ROBERTET
Ceramosides - SEPPIC
SynBalance ProBeautyShield – SYNBALANCE
Ingredient of the Year: Cognitive Function
Cognizin Citicoline - Kyowa Hakko Europe
affron Pharmactive - Pharmactive Biotech Products
SynBalance KeepCalm - SYNBALANCE SRL
Ingredient of the Year: Healthy Ageing
LactoLycopene - Cambridge Nutraceuticals
Levagen+ (PEA) - GE Nutrients Inc (Gencor)
affron - Pharmactive Biotech Products ABG10+ - Pharmactive Biotech Products
Ingredient of the Year: Prebiotic
Livaux - Anagenix
Bimuno - Clasado Biosciences
PROMITOR Soluble Fibre - Tate and Lyle
Ingredient of the Year: Sports Nutrition
CurraNZ New Zealand Blackcurrant Extract - Health Currancy
HydroCurc - Pharmako Biotechnologies
NEM - Stratum Nutrition
Ingredient of the Year: Weight Management
LigiGO - AB-BIOTICS
LipoSan - Ultra Primex Iceland
Capsimax - OmniActive Health Technologies
Product of the Year: Botanical
5 HTP+ - Cambridge Nutraceuticals
Fuca Regularidad – Uriach
Balance Support complex – Fountain House - Home to the brand Foondiert
Product of the Year: Immune Support
ColoDan Whole Colostrum - Biodane Pharma
Vitamin C 24-Hour Liposomal Hydrogel Formula
Quevir Life Extension - PharmExtracta
Product of the Year: Omega-3
OcuProtect Retina - Cien por Cien Natural
EasyFishoil - EasyVit
OMEGAVIE DHA 200 C VEGAN POWDER – POLARIS
Product of the Year: Probiotic
AB21 - AB-BIOTICS
GutMagnific - ImmuneBiotech
Floré by Sun Genomics - Sun Genomics
Product of the Year: Sports Nutrition
Pura Collagen Flex+ - Pura Collagen
CurraNZ New Zealand Blackcurrant Extract - Health Currancy
Beet It Sport Nitrate 400 Shot - James White Drinks
Editors Award for Functional Food Innovation
Bio-Kult Brighten - ADM Protexin
Oliveheart: guaranteed High Polyphenols Extra Virgin Olive Oil - in an innovative, sustainable and protective Tetra Prisma Aseptic
ChitoCare beauty Hair, Skin & Nails - Primex Iceland
Innovation in Women’s Health Award
Bio-Kult Pro-Cyan - ADM Protexin
Osfortis ATCC PTA 6475 - BioGaia
Libifem - GE Nutrients Inc (Gencor)
Nutrition Research Project
Developing the science behind NIAGEN - ChromaDex’s Patented Source of Nicotinamide Riboside, for cellular health - ChromaDex
Identifying and Developing a New Natural Immune Ingredient with Clinically Proven Health Benefits -NutriLeads
The cholesterol lowering efficacy of Lactobacillus plantarum ECGC 13110402 in hypercholesterolemic adults: a double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled, pilot human intervention study - ProBiotix Health (subsidary of OptiBiotix Health)
Personalised Nutrition Initiative
vitcheck - total health and wellbeing
NGX BodyFuel - Nutri-Genetix (NGX)
Nutritionally complete personalised meals - abnormal
Start-Up Award
CLINICNCELL - CLINICNCELL
Zestt Wellness - Zestt Wellness
Advanced Biotics
The Awards
The winners of the 2022 NutraIngredients Awards will be revealed during a live broadcast on NutraIngredients.com on the 4 of May, at 4pm CET (Paris time), and our finalists are excited to hear the results. You should be, too!
Head on over to the NutraIngredients Awards website to learn more and to register your interest.