The high-protein trend has radically shifted in the last decade. Once the remit of gym bros and health fanatics, the nutrient has quickly become omnipresent, moving into pasta, confectionery, and even ice cream.
Yet in this very explosion lie the seeds of protein’s potential decline. The protein trend has been remarkably resilient. But it won’t last forever. Health trends are always changing.
Industry’s embrace of high protein
Very few areas of food and beverage have escaped from high protein’s gravitational pull. High protein brands have been embraced by confectionery companies like the Ferrero Group and Mondelēz International, who have invested in high-protein brands, while pasta companies such as the Barilla Group have released high-protein versions of their products. Samyang has even released high-protein noodles.
High-protein claims have expanded, even folding other trends like low carb into their orbit.
This orientation towards high protein has been surprisingly swift and near-universal, with almost all the major FMCGs trying their hand at protein-packed products.
Of course, it is not wrong that industry puts its weight behind trends, especially trends as resilient and widespread as high protein. Yet at the same time, food giants must be prepared for its decline.
Protein is still everywhere. But explosive trends create consumer fatigue, and eventually, people will grow tired of them. Like a dying star, the high protein trend may eventually burn itself out.
Health trends always change
While high protein’s popularity has diversified since its origin in fitness, its popularity still aligns strongly with functional food. This is part of a wider shift.
Many people are drinking less, focusing more on wellbeing and less on hedonism. GLP-1 weight-loss drugs are also increasing demand for nutrient-dense foods. Even the meaning of indulgence itself has changed, becoming more about quality and less about heavy intakes of sugar and fat.
A food trend is as much a cultural phenomenon as a culinary one. Health and wellness is sweeping through cultural norms like a tide through sand, and high protein is only the foam on the top.
Culture never stands still. From the counterculture of the 1960s to the explosion of yuppie culture in the 1980s, every cultural trend is profoundly tied to its specific moment in time. Even diet culture changes: a preoccupation with calorie counting has given way to a greater focus on nutrient intake.
There’s also a danger of consumer fatigue. With food companies putting protein in everything they can, consumers may sooner or later become tired of the nutrient, or at least it being added to everything.
The high-protein trend, like all other trends, is not timeless. It is rooted in the present moment. We can’t know when it will decline. But change will come.
Do not put all your eggs in the high-protein basket
Diversification can be highly beneficial for food companies. When companies like Ferrero Group embrace the high-protein trend, which lies well outside what they are known for, this does not necessarily mean they have forgotten about their core products.
But such trend-following must always remain one of many strategies. If a company invests too much into a trend such as high protein, they may be left in the lurch when the winds of change blow and consumers decide they’ve had enough.
This does not mean companies shouldn’t embrace opportunities in high protein while it remains popular. But at the same time, they must ensure they have a plan for when it is no longer so.
