Transcription
Protein-packed food now seems to be everywhere you turn. From the biggest TV shows. "Dude, a protein shake, I said let's buffin you up." To fitness influencers. "30g of protein. This is the fastest way to get over 100g of protein in one meal." And celebrities. "This guy is my my favorite protein powder."
One thing is for certain: protein is at the center of the cultural conversation. A 2025 Bain survey found that 44% of U.S. respondents said they want to increase their protein intake. That's a ten percentage point increase from the same time in 2024. And now it seems like every big business and corporation is trying to capitalize on the obsession.
Over the past couple of years, General Mills has rolled out high-protein versions of some of its most iconic brands, like Cheerios and Wheaties or Annie's Mac and Cheese, and there are smaller brands, too, like Magic Spoon cereal. Between 2020 and 2024, General Mills had 78 protein-related patents that published, which is 50% more than five years prior, according to data from PitchBook. Pasta maker Barilla rolled out protein-rich pasta back in 2005, but the company says the mainstream adoption of high-protein foods has especially benefited the brand as of late. "What we've seen in the last three years is demand that, like we haven't seen before in the double digits. It has been unprecedented."
So why are there so many brands going all-in on protein? And is this trend here to stay? One of the most interesting aspects of this trend, from the retail side of things, is the wave of nontraditional players entering the space. It's created opportunity for things like this: protein-packed ice cream. "We sell a pint every 3.5 seconds right now, which is like really crazy cool. I think, you know, last year we were sub $100,000 in revenue, and now we're on our way to $20 million in revenue this year." Protein Pints was founded in 2023 by best friends Paul Reiss and Michael Meadows. In less than a year, the brand went from being sold in just 14 stores to over 7,000 nationally, including in Target and Kroger. "Ten, 15 years ago, it was hard to find something with protein that actually tasted good. But now, today, there's companies like us when we're bringing ice cream to the table and people can actually enjoy it."
While Protein Pints is an up-and-coming brand, some of the biggest companies in the world are reformulating their legacy products to enhance their protein content. "Food is marketing. I, I teach this in all of my classes. I teach this in my clients. We eat emotionally. Marketing attracts us and that's what makes it exciting. When a company says, yeah, this is a product that we've had for decades, maybe we will say, and now we're high protein, or now we are full of protein, and that brings it back off the shelf." That's the decades-long playbook of conglomerates like Kellogg's and General Mills. "We have protein news in most of our categories. We now have a $100 million business in cereal and protein, things like Cheerios protein and Nature Valley protein. We have the biggest protein bar in the bars category in Nature Valley protein." Kraft Heinz, on the other hand, has revamped the packaging of things like Lunchables to showcase its protein content. Even Starbucks is testing high-protein cold foam on its coffees, and West Coast coffee chain Dutch Bros. rolled out protein coffee about a year ago. "That is so good."
So this protein trend is moving well beyond just the grocery aisle. We're not just talking about grocery stores. We're not just talking about in-restaurant, but we're actually talking about a lot of the gyms. Lifetime Fitness, one of the companies that I cover, actually has its own supplement line that it's been really trying to promote and push and prioritize. And so what you're seeing now is the capitalization on that.
Whey is a key ingredient of many protein powders and also a byproduct of cheesemaking. It's become a moneymaker for the dairy industry. In January 2004, about 27 million pounds of whey protein concentrate was produced in the U.S. Twenty years later, that number was nearly 43 million. A trend report from food and agricultural company Cargill found that 61% of consumers reported increasing their protein intake in 2024. That's up from 48% in 2019. While there are many companies adding protein to nontraditional products like chips and ice cream, Americans are also upping their intake of chicken, which has soared in consumption over the past decade. In 2019, the U.S. protein market was estimated to be valued at $89.9 billion. By 2028, that is projected to reach $126.3 billion. That figure doesn't include high-protein consumer products or meat from food service operators.
There's a number of reasons why Americans are prioritizing these protein-driven diets, right? I mean, the first is GLP-1 weight loss drugs. They're on the tip of everyone's tongue and currently part of the cultural zeitgeist. Then you have the fitness influencers on social media that are pushing these high-protein diets and high-protein products. And then you have this administration that is currently prioritizing "Make America Healthy Again," right. Maybe driving companies to prioritize those types of products in their portfolios. Vanity Fair blames the trend on MAGA influencers. Meat is the most nutrient-dense food you can eat. But social media is being flooded with protein content from all sides, especially from celebrities and fitness influencer accounts. "What is the idea of putting a protein on a popcorn? Well, I am more of a snacker grazer throughout my day. You want to be Jack? You need to make these high-protein burritos." Ready-to-drink protein shakes have also seen a surge in popularity, with brands like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Celsius all vying for market share. In fiscal 2024, Premier Protein shakes accounted for over 80% of BellRing Brand's net sales. Its stock price is up more than 200% over a five-year period.
Studies have found that protein can help build muscle, boost your metabolism, and help you feel full for longer. And as NPR's All Things Considered podcast points out, protein has not been villainized by diet culture. You go back to the low-fat diets of the '90s or the Atkins low-carb craze of the 2000s. But protein, it's never really had a "quote unquote" bad reputation. "The pasta taste you love. With the energy you want. In the protein pasta market. We have seen growth of 20% over the last three years, year over year, of which nearly 80% is coming from Barilla Protein Plus." "What we're seeing is that we're seeing increased appetite for protein. I don't know if it's because of GLP or just, you know, the consumer is evolving in their nutritional preferences. So I think protein will continue to grow. We'll have offerings. We'll have big launches coming up in Q4 and next year."
I was using AI to build a diet plan that tracked not just my protein, but also my fats and my carbs. And then I used ChatGPT to put together a shopping list. And what was super interesting was that when I actually clicked on some of the items that it told me to buy, they were some of these high-protein items, and I really think that it goes to speak to the volumes that these companies have put into marketing these products.
Many consumers worry that things taste differently when protein is added. That could be a threat for companies jumping in on the trend. "When you add something or when you change the composition to try to make something 'quote unquote' healthier, you have to realize people are still going to benchmark the taste. They're still going to benchmark the texture in their mouth. They're still going to want to see if it's going to cost anymore, if it's going to affect their pocketbook. So once you start adding in claims on a food item that we're now higher protein, it becomes a little bit of a different evaluation set for the customer." This is especially important to legacy brands like Cheerios, where pretty much everyone knows what the original tastes like.
"When I was out filming for the story, I saw Quest peanut butter cups. They're high in protein, low in sugar. I feel like it's a little bit stickier than a Reese's Cup, but it's not chalky. And for having less than a gram of sugar, it's pretty good." Protein Pints says this gives them a unique position compared to established industry players. "We get to build the brand from from nothing in the sense that we build that trust with the consumer, that this is the product. We are protein versus somebody else has to rebrand their product. That is not known for functional benefits for that. So I think there's a bit of a disconnect to the consumer there sometimes too, that gives smaller brands like Protein Pints the advantage in the space."
Another consideration is that many people may already be getting an adequate amount of protein simply from a balanced diet. A product with 20% or more of your daily recommended value is considered high, according to the FDA, meaning the original version of Chobani Greek Yogurt, for example, is already a high-protein product. Nonetheless, companies are finding that more protein is what the consumer wants. Chobani, for example, says it found 85% of Americans want to increase their protein intake in 2025, and a study, paid for by beef stick company Chomps, found that protein snacks are growing at three times the rate of the overall snacking industry, accounting for $24 billion in 2024.
Barilla has continued to roll out new protein pasta shapes and says more and more grocery stores are stocking its Protein Plus line on shelves. "It has been in existence in our portfolio for over 20 years with solid growth. We're seeing explosive growth in recent years, but it is a hallmark to health in general for consumers. It's just getting its moment in the sun right now, but it's not going to go away because people will always need protein and they will always want protein that tastes good."
These companies wouldn't make this decision to double down on their investment in protein, and have to defend that to shareholders and investors, if they didn't believe that this was a trend that was here to stay.