High protein products take over the food aisle as a brand General Mills and PepsiCo We are taking advantage of this trend.
In 2024, General Mills generated more than $100 million in retail sales from protein grain strains, including Nature Valley Protein, Cheerios Protein and Ghost Protein.
Pepsico is launching protein products scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, according to recent revenue calls. Pepsico CEO Ramon Laguarta said last week on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” that he believes the protein category will continue to grow.
A 2025 Bain & Company survey found that 44% of US respondents wanted to increase their protein intake from 34% from the same period in 2024.
“Companies try to distinguish themselves by creating a message that they know they are appealing to their customers and offering this amazing product for you. And what you didn’t know is that we are already full of protein.”
Craft Heinzfor example, tweaked messages around existing product lines.
“Now we’re highlighting the amount of protein that families can get from real food, not from powder,” said Carlos Abrams Rivera, CEO of Kraft Heinz at the Deutsche Bank Consumer Conference last month.
Oscar Mayer’s parent company said it is rolling out new packaging for its cold-cut business. The Ranchbars brand also emphasizes that each product has 12 grams of protein.
But there are also new waves of players jumping on the protein trends. Created by the founders of RXBAR and low-carb dessert brand Raize, David Protein Bars, launched in September, and said the company is on track to generate more than $100 million in revenue in its first year.
There is also an increasing number of products that are more non-traditional protein-rich, like ice cream. Protein Pint was founded in 2023 by Michael Meadow and Paul Rice. The company said it had revenues of less than $100,000 in 2024, but was on track to more than $20 million in 2025.
“We’ve surpassed more than 10 units per store per week with Cookie Fabric Target, which exceeds our wildest expectations,” says Reiss. “In context, 10 units per week are more than twice the average category, and our products are priced at almost $2 more than the average ice cream.”
Conversations surrounding protein multiply among social media fitness influencers and celebrities like Khloe Kardashian and Patrick Schwarzenegger.
Development of medical weight loss drugs can also help promote trends. A consumer survey from food trending company Mattson shows people taking anti-obesity drugs are looking for products that can help them increase their protein intake.
The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association found that 46% of GLP-1 drug users reported that high protein is more likely to buy frozen foods.
However, there is a risk to compete in the protein category. Zagor said that if companies turn the composition of their products into higher proteins, consumers benchmark what they know about taste, texture and price, and can turn off with changes.
“When you start adding food bills [say] We are now a higher protein, and we have a slightly different set of ratings for our customers,” Zagor said.
Meadows said this gives protein pints the advantage of space. Because they don’t rebrand products they already know, but instead build their brands on the premise that they are high protein products.
PepsiCo dismissed this concern when asked about this risk of diluting brand equity in its second-quarter revenue call.
“We were very surprised and positively surprised at how consumers see our brands expanding into these functional spaces with confidence,” said Ragualta.
Some companies support investing in protein in commissioned consumer research.
Chobani, for example, said he discovered that 85% of Americans wanted to increase their protein intake in 2025. A survey paid by beef stick company Chomps found that protein snacks are growing three times as much as the snack industry as a whole, accounting for $24 billion in 2024.
The mainstream adoption of high protein diets has been felt directly from players like Barilla, who first launched the Protein + Pasta line in 2005. This year, the company expanded its product distribution. BJ’s and Walmart– Owned Sam’s Club.
“It’s definitely a line we’re excited about and investing in a lot of investment,” said Cammy Slicker, Barilla’s innovation lead. “What we’ve seen over the past three years is in demand so we’ve never seen it before.”
Check out the video to learn more about why many companies are investing in the protein category.
