ANAHEIM, CALIF. — When food and beverage trends for 2026 were forecast late last year, some indicated protein’s reign as the ubiquitous ingredient in consumer packaged goods (CPGs) would lessen and make way for fiber.
But according to Scott Dicker, senior director, head of research and insights at SPINS, who tracks consumer data related to active nutrition and natural products, protein’s position in the market continues to advance.
“It is impossible to walk through any aisle in the store right now without seeing something with added protein in it,” Dicker said, speaking at a session about active nutrition during the recent Natural Products Expo West show. “We see this with established categories still doing well, new formats doing well, and categories that were traditionally carb categories with added protein also doing well. So, the question I was asked the most in the past 12 months is, ‘Have we hit peak protein?’ The answer is no. Not yet, at least.”
Dicker said SPINS data also shows protein-rich items like yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs and protein powder have remained in the top ten-dollar growth categories for total store sales.
“What we found very interesting is a split between older generations that were over-investing in inherently high-protein categories (like eggs, yogurt, etc.) and younger generations were over-investing in protein cereals, protein granolas, and other functional products.”
The popularity of protein-fortified beverages has helped the ingredient maintain its top position as well, Dicker said. In addition to ready-to-drink dairy products with added protein, “clear protein is allowing it to be in different beverages that aren’t just like milkshake-type beverages. There’s really a lot of room up for protein. Every beverage category is finding it out.”
Consumers using GLP-1 medication for weight loss also are expected to help keep protein in the spotlight for the foreseeable future, since one of the side effects of the drug is the loss of muscle, which protein can help mitigate.
“We need to remember that protein is a key ingredient, a key nutritional fact that consumers just want to know about,” said Eric Lauterbach-Colby, senior category merchandising manager with the distributor UNFI, who also spoke at the active nutrition session. “They might not be buying this nutrition bar because of protein – because it’s not a protein bar – but they still want to have protein in there because it’s meeting that recommended dose for their daily diet for that specific meal occasion or snack occasion. If it’s just a granola bar with no protein, they might skip it.”
SPINS data shows protein-rich items like yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs and protein powder have remained in the top-ten dollar growth categories for total store sales.
| Photo: ©JAMMER GENE – STOCK.ADOBE.COMTop functional ingredients
SPINS data shows two trending functional ingredients are electrolytes – a key ingredient in the hydrations category – and creatine. Creatine is the fastest growing of the three with 44% year-over-year growth, and is an ingredient to watch, Dicker said.
“I always joke about creatine that you’ve either been taking it since high school or you’ve started taking it in the last two years. No ingredient has really come up like creatine in the past couple of years,” Dicker said. “There’s still a lot of opportunity. We see new formats. Gummies came to market, ready-to-drink products are coming to market. Even bars are coming to market.
“There are new health focuses (for creatine). It used to just be used for getting strong in the gym. Now it’s about cognitive health and new demographics. So, a lot of tailwinds for it.” Dicker added that demographically, 35% of 18-24-year-olds are currently taking creatine, “and then it goes down by age, so there’s still a lot of room for growth.”
On the topic of electrolytes and hydration, Dicker said, “Hydration has become so mainstream that it’s also become a hero health focus. What I mean by that is it used to be energy plus hydration, or immune support plus electrolytes. Now we’re seeing it advertised as hydration plus immunity, or hydration plus energy.”
Is fiber the new protein?
Dicker said his second-most asked question after the status of protein is whether fiber is the new protein.
“No, fiber will not be the next protein, but that doesn’t mean there’s not a lot of room to grow,” he said. “If you take modern soda, for example, this was a category that really got disrupted. It was thought of as a junk food category. And then the introduction of prebiotic fiber made people think of it as a possible functional category as well.
“Products like fiber-based tea are going to be big, and the way people are going to differentiate fiber is on type. Everyone knows the different types of protein: whey protein, soy protein, collagen. Most people don’t know there are different types of fiber.”
Creatine is currently among the fastest-growing functional ingredients with 44% year-over-year growth, according to SPINS data.
| Photo: SPINSLooking ahead, Dicker said another functional category to watch is joint health.
“Active nutrition has been the top growth supplement category for five years in a row,” he said. “It is mind-boggling to me that we haven’t seen an impact in joint health products based on people being so active. I think that’s an area that can be bubbling up soon.”
Returning to the topic of protein, Dicker said the demand for whey protein is so high right now that there will likely be a shelf price increase for products containing the ingredient later this year. The situation also could move companies to start using other proteins in their products like plant-based or collagen.
While protein may still reign in CPGs, Dicker cautioned the audience, “For all you brands out there, we’re talking a lot about protein being a big trend, and it is. There is also a large graveyard of brands who thought adding protein to their products was going to fix all their problems,” he said. “Make sure that it fits your brand and that you’re doing it in a very thoughtful way, because just simply adding protein or fiber or creatine to your current product line is not a foolproof way of success.”
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