With so many opportunities to misstep—and so many companies doing just that—bringing safe supplement innovations to the table is a feat in itself. Introducing an entire series of clean sports nutrition that's showing the industry how to do it right? That's NEXTY worthy.

We applaud you, Twinlab! 

Winner | Supplements

The sports nutrition market is cleaning up its act. Long an underground supplement category dedicated to delivering hardcore bodybuilders a performance boost (often at any cost), sports nutrition has now exploded into the mainstream and natural retail markets, opening the door to all the weekend warriors, yoga moms, endurance athletes and green consumers who had been previously wary of these products and their promises.

Similar to last year, we were inspired and encouraged to see notable launches hitting the sports nutrition category at Natural Products Expo West. In a world where everything bodybuilding related is hot on the FDA’s radar, safe sports nutrition is a powerful differentiation point, especially to a natural retail audience. Vega—a line of plant-based sports nutrition formulated by a vegan triathlete—helped light that torch last year. Twinlab has carried that torch into 2013.

Not content to innovate in only one area this year, Twinlab blew us away with more than 30 new or modified offerings at Natural Products Expo West—from herbal teas to chewable iron to time-release probiotics. The company’s Clean Series, however, stood out. A full line of proteins, aminos and preworkouts, Twinlab’s Clean Series deftly embraces one of the fastest-growing trends in sports nutrition: clean, third-party-certified, worry-free products.

The product line sets a new standard in certification. To appease coaches and regulators, the Clean Series range is HFL Informed Sport certified for banned substances, and every ingredient is identity-tested through Twinlab’s in-house TwinID program. And to appease Mom, the products are gluten-free, non-GMO certified, and formulated without artificial dyes, flavors, or sweeteners.

Over the last two years, Twinlab has upped its game across a variety of categories. The company has launched a bariatric support brand, expanded their teas and small-format supplements, and doubled down on the probiotics market. The company’s launch of Clean Series speaks to a strong understanding of the struggles and opportunities in the sports nutrition market. Bottom line: Clean Series is going places.

To learn more about or to purchase the NEXT Forecast 2014, visit www.nextforecast.com.

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