Over the last few years, the protein craze has been unavoidable. No longer the remit of gym-bods, it’s now a focus for the everyday consumer – key for satiating hunger, developing strength, and injecting energy.
But has it hit its ceiling? Calling out protein grammage aids low effort decision-making, but consumers are starting to become savvy to brands’ blanket approach. Is 4g of protein really worth it? Do we need to label chicken as a high protein choice? Plus, with a wave of novelty protein products, from coffee foams to protein ice cream, consumers are questioning whether NPD is more for the hype than to serve a genuine need.
More likely, is that protein is simply evolving. As UPF has become mainstream lingo, consumers are not just looking for the highest grammage, but the best type of protein. This is putting genuine pressure on plant-based meat alternatives, as products built to mimic meat lose ground to whole-food proteins like pulses, beans and tempeh. Evidenced by Quorn’s mission to transform, and Beyond Meat dropping the ‘Meat’ to signal a shift to broader plant-based.
Many argue that fibre is the next new thing. But given the push for protein diversity, it’s more likely that both will surge, and ‘protein-plus-fibre’ will become the new expectation.
The key will be learning from protein’s growth – rather than promising a ‘one solution fits all’, brands will need to demonstrate a consideration of protein and fibre across their portfolio. Reformulating existing best-sellers before jumping to yet more NPD, engineering menus and recipes around whole-food ingredients, and demonstrating genuine consideration and transparency on labels. The protein boom isn’t over – it’s simply become the norm.
