Program

The Key Themes we will dive into during the 2027 summit are:

• DAY 1: State of the Market

  Active and performance nutrition has been the top growth category within dietary supplements over the past three years, according to SPINS, growing at an annual rate of 14%. That’s double the industry average. But with so much growth and attention, where are the white spaces to be found? And how are retailers and brands adapting to this fast-paced, fast growth sector? This session will explore sports and active nutrition in 2027, pinpointing the growth areas and opportunities for brands to best connect with their consumers in this dynamic sector.

  

• DAY 1: Start-up Stars

  The sports & active nutrition sector is driven by bold new ideas and entrepreneurial spirit. In this session, we shine a spotlight on the 2027 Start-Up Stars: three disruptive start-ups shaping the future of the industry. Each will share their journey, from business strategies and early successes to the challenges they’ve faced and their vision for what’s next.

  

• DAY 1: Regulatory

  There’s no way to know what the regulatory landscape will look like by February 2027: FDA is openly exploring the scope of dietary ingredients, and we may finally see a final (draft) guidance for New Dietary Ingredients (NDIs). There’s also a lot of effort to revisit the GRAS affirmation pathways. At the state levels, legislators are continuing to explore potential restrictions to certain classes of dietary supplements, while Texas is looking to investigate protein powders. This session brings together regulatory experts from across the industry to share insights and advice.

  

• DAY 1: Teens

  Fueled by rising participation in organized sports, fitness culture, and performance-focused lifestyles, teens represent one of sports nutrition’s most exciting. This session will explore evolving teen consumer needs, ingredient and product innovation, parental influence, safety and regulatory considerations, and effective brand strategies for engaging this influential demographic while building long-term loyalty and category growth.

  

• DAY 2: Weight management & metabolic health

  The approval of GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs by the US FDA has transformed the weight management category. While initially seen as a potential challenge for the supplement space, many now see it as a reset, creating new opportunities around GLP-1 user support, metabolic health, blood sugar management, and more.

  

• DAY 2: Muscle health, recovery and performancemaxxxing

  As consumers pursue lifelong strength, faster recovery, and peak performance, sports nutrition is expanding beyond athletes to active lifestyle and healthy aging audiences. This session explores the science, ingredients, and market trends driving muscle health and recovery, highlighting opportunities to deliver measurable benefits that support performance optimization—or “performancemaxxxing”—across every stage of life.

  

• DAY 2: Advancing evidence in sports & active nutrition: Designing rigorous studies for meaningful outcomes

  As sports nutrition expands beyond elite athletes into mainstream health and active lifestyle consumers, quality certification has become a critical differentiator. This session explores how third-party testing, certification programs, and transparent quality standards build consumer trust, support regulatory compliance, strengthen brand credibility, and create competitive advantage in a category where product integrity, safety, and performance are paramount.

  

• DAY 2: The importance of certification

  From big data crunching to novel ingredient discovery to opportunities in personalization, artificial intelligence is having a profound impact on all aspects of life, including health and wellness. This session will hear from the innovators and pioneers to show us where things currently stand, and where this transformative technology could take us in the near future.

  

• DAY 3: Women’s health

  Back by popular demand, we’re keeping the spotlight on active woman for another year: There seems to be momentum in the market to banish the old “pink it and shrink it” approach, with more products being formulated by women for women, while more research is targeting women across the age-ranges and at various levels of athletic performance. This session will also feature insights on “ages and stages”, with special attention on women of childbearing age and menopause.

  

• DAY 3: Cognition and stress-resilience

  Beyond physical performance, cognition and stress resilience are emerging as powerful growth platforms in the sports nutrition category, but what kind of solutions are active consumers seeking to support focus, mental stamina, mood, recovery, and resilience under pressure? Experts will examine the science, ingredient innovation, and market trends shaping the convergence of brain health and sports nutrition, creating new opportunities for product differentiation and consumer engagement.