Judged by an esteemed panel of experts, the award honors the visionaries, pioneers and advocates whose dedication has led to industry advancements and broader public influence.
Applications are by nomination only, with entries open through March 14, 2025.
So what makes a NutraChampion?
Dr. Bengt Jeppsson, NutraChampion 2020
Dr. Bengt Jeppsson, co-founder of biotech company Probi, received the 2020 award for his “important and lasting contribution to the industry and the wider causes of public health and nutrition.”
As Dr. Jeppsson told NutraIngredients, winning the award meant a great deal to him. As a professor of surgery, he has dedicated his career to the medical field but has chosen to focus on gut bacteria—an area of research that falls outside the conventional scope of surgery.
“It was not considered ‘traditional surgical work’ and therefore many colleagues had some doubts about my interest in this field,” he said.
However, receiving the award served as a form of personal validation and recognition, affirming the significance of his research.
Five years on, Dr. Jeppsson still emphasizes the importance of gut bacteria research and its importance for health and diseases, saying it “needs to be more recognized in the medical profession.”
He believes this space offers a great opportunity for the next wave of NutraChampions to get the platform they need to make advancements.
“Before I received the award, I was continuously struggling to get probiotics and health into the undergraduate curriculum for doctors at the medical faculty in Lund,” he said.
“Receiving the award made it easier for me to argue about its importance for nutrition and gut bacteria for human health.”
Arthur Ouwehand, NutraChampion 2022
Arthur Ouwehand, technical fellow at IFF Finland and digestive health innovator, was selected as the NutraChampion in 2022 for “personal achievements that have driven change within the science and business of our industry.”
“I am proud and honored to have been awarded NutraChampion 2022 by NutraIngredients,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post following the announcement.
Speaking to NutraIngredients now, Ouwehand said that winning the award was a welcome recognition for the work he was doing along with numerous collaborators.
He noted that the NutraIngredients Awards can “help to open doors” to many areas, explaining that there is a great opportunity in the sector for those using the potential of AI, provided the industry learns to “use it wisely and remain critical of what it does.”
His advice to those seeking a path to success is to embrace opportunities with an open mind and experiment with unconventional ideas.
“Grasp opportunities, be open-minded, and be willing to try ‘weird’ things,” he said.
“These ‘weird’ things may often be disappointing but then you learn something, and when they are successful, you have something really cool and may find your niche where you can thrive and make a difference.”
Nora Khaldi, NutraChampion 2023
Founder of the AI-precision biotechnology company Nuritas, Nora Khaldi, was selected as the NutraIngredients’ NutraChampion in 2023.
“My vision and that of Nuritas is to improve the lives of billions, so receiving the NutraChampion award was both an honor and the culmination of years of dedication and effort,” Khaldi told NutraInrgedients.
And while she noted that “Industry awards like NutraIngredients highlight the important work being done by individuals and brands in the sector,” Khaldi emphasized the importance of carefully selecting whom to highlight, as recognizing those tackling major challenges helps the sector grow and gain recognition.
She said that the key areas needing to be addressed by the next industry pioneers are the need for clinically proven ingredients, the growing importance of measurability through wearables, and the transformative potential of bioactive peptides in future health products, noting that there is “exponential opportunity to create ingredients and products whose everyday efficacy can be directly measured and validated by consumers”.
And her advice to emerging professionals in the industry is to begin with a vision of care and assurance.
“I’m a big believer in creating products that make a difference and offer the consumer something that will truly improve their health,” Khaldi said.
“People starting in this area should have that belief at their core, and with this belief, they will be more equipped to address the challenges in the industry – product efficacy and consumer measurability.”
Luca Bucchini, NutraChampion 2024
Receiving the NutraChampion award was “deeply meaningful” to Luca Bucchini, an expert in supplement regulation and chair of ESSNA, who was selected as the 2024 recipient.
“Industry awards like the NutraIngredients Awards conducted impartially and evaluated by relevant experts, provide meaningful recognition even in a noisy environment,” he said, noting that they can set clear standards and showcase examples of excellence, “contributing to both the growth and credibility of the sector”.
For Bucchini, the award provided a meaningful reflection on 20 years of work in the food supplement and sports nutrition industries, offering a rare opportunity to look back on achievements and plan the future more intentionally.
Looking forward, Bucchini forecasts that there are opportunities for “regulators to support the development of better products and global competitiveness rather than concentrating solely on restrictions.”
“The primary demand from consumers is clear: to live longer, healthier lives, both mentally and physically, while staying as fit and disease-free as possible,” he said.
“The key challenge for the nutraceutical sector is to address this demand effectively, leveraging nutrition and supplementation while adhering to scientific and regulatory frameworks.
“The global appetite for health and wellness is stronger than ever, presenting immense opportunities for innovation.”
His advice to emerging professionals aiming to make a mark in the nutraceutical industry is to avoid relying on hearsay or market practices and instead combine observations with a solid grasp of the legal landscape to navigate the field effectively.
“We need more scientists who would approach nutrition with both rigor and balance—avoiding both absolute pessimism and unchecked enthusiasm," he said.
“Scientists in this field need to carefully analyze the evidence, read the papers thoroughly—using AI with deliberation—and guide the industry toward more effective products.”