Key takeaways:
- Protein has shifted from premium claim to baseline expectation, with 86% of Americans actively increasing intake and protein-labelled products outpacing the wider market.
- GLP-1 adoption is intensifying demand for nutrient-dense, portion-smart formats, forcing protein strategies to align with satiety, clean label and reformulation pressures.
- The real competitive advantage in 2026 isn’t adding more grams of protein, but executing cross-functional reformulation without eroding margin, flavour or shelf life.
Protein isn’t exciting anymore. That might sound odd given the amount of NPD carrying high-protein claims, but that’s precisely the point. It’s moved beyond novelty and into assumption.
According to RepData research fielded on behalf of PepsiCo, 86% of Americans say they’re actively adding protein to their diets. When that many consumers are deliberately increasing intake, protein stops functioning as a premium badge and becomes part of the checklist.
At the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) Conference 2026, Kerry Group described protein as a ‘design requirement’. In the US, products carrying protein claims are growing at over 7% CAGR, compared with low single-digit growth for products without them.
Here’s where it gets uncomfortable. Once something becomes expected, failing to deliver it stands out. Delivering it well, however, is far more complicated than it looks on pack.
When demand is easy but delivery isn’t
The demand side of protein is straightforward; the execution side isn’t. Take Doritos Protein. PepsiCo Foods US is launching variants in Nacho Cheese and Sweet & Tangy BBQ, delivering 10g of protein per 1oz serving, with a 17g single-serve pack arriving later this year. The protein source is dairy-based casein. The product is positioned as Doritos first, protein second.
“The launch of Doritos Protein marks our strategic expansion into the protein snack category,” said Hernán Tantardini, CMO, PepsiCo Foods US. “We’re elevating the bold flavour and signature snacking experience consumers expect by using novel flavour and seasoning methods.”
He added: “70% of consumers want their salty snacks to have protein – and now we are making it more accessible and seamlessly integrated into everyday snacking occasions without compromising the distinctive Doritos experience.”
That final clause is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
“Protein is hard,” said Elizabeth Horvath, global VP of Marketing for Taste at Kerry, speaking at CAGNY. “It stresses taste, texture, shelf life and processing, often forcing trade-offs that limit scale.” She’s not exaggerating. Protein affects viscosity. It can mute flavour. It interferes with browning reactions. In bakery, it can tighten crumb structure. In snacks, it can dampen crunch. In beverages, it can destabilise suspension.
The consumer sees 10g on pack. The factory sees reformulation, line adjustments and cost recalculations.
What’s changed in 2026 isn’t just appetite for protein. It’s that manufacturers have invested enough in masking systems, texture engineering and process recalibration to absorb that stress. Protein is technically feasible at scale but that doesn’t mean it’s frictionless.
GLP-1 is accelerating scrutiny
Weight-loss medications didn’t create the protein surge, but they are sharpening its edges.
According to the GlobalData, the GLP-1 pill market is forecast to grow from $3.2bn in 2025 to $34.3bn by 2031 – a CAGR of 48.4%. Oral treatments are expected to widen adoption.
Shraddha Shelke, consumer analyst at GlobalData, has warned that appetite suppression may lead to “smaller basket sizes, fewer impulse purchases, increased demand for high-protein, high fibre and nutrient-dense, portion-controlled options, and greater scrutiny of ingredient formulations in food and drinks.”
That doesn’t simply mean more protein. It means different expectations. If consumers are eating less overall, each serving has to work harder. Nutrient density becomes part of the value equation. Protein supports satiety and muscle retention during weight loss. Fibre slows digestion. Portion size starts to feel strategic rather than purely economic.
Fonterra reports US retail growth of 6.8% in protein bars, 7.2% in sports powders and 7.4% in ready-to-drink protein beverages. Globally, the protein powder category is projected to grow from $28.8bn in 2025 to $59.9bn by 2035.
But supplements aren’t the real stress test. The real test is what happens when protein has to coexist with sugar reduction, sodium reformulation and clean label pressure inside mainstream SKUs.
Where protein meets constraint
Protein doesn’t sit neatly on top of a product brief. It lands inside everything else.
At CAGNY, Kerry noted that more than 60% of food and beverage activity now involves reformulation. Around 70% of developers are focused on cost reduction. Nearly two-thirds are prioritising clean label. As the company put it, “Innovation is expanding the market and renovation is reshaping it.”
That sounds orderly. In practice, it isn’t. One case study shared at CAGNY involved supporting a global bakery in cutting sodium and sugar by more than 50%, removing artificial ingredients and replacing egg to reduce supply-chain exposure – without sacrificing consumer preference. That’s already a tight technical brief. Now add protein.
Reduce sugar and moisture retention shifts. Cut sodium and flavour perception changes. Remove artificial preservatives and shelf life tightens. Replace egg and aeration behaves differently. Add protein and the system tightens again.
This is where the conversation moves beyond grams per serving. Protein strategy in 2026 is less about how much you can add and more about how well you can orchestrate. R&D can’t move in isolation. Procurement decisions affect texture. Operations decisions affect yield. Commercial teams have to understand what portion architecture will realistically support margin.
Kerry’s own numbers illustrate the point. The group has expanded EBITDA margins by 320 basis points since 2021 and is targeting 19%-20% by 2028 under its Accelerate 2.0 programme, which includes digital manufacturing optimisation. Chief executive Edmond Scanlon said the business delivered “strong end market volume outperformance and margin expansion”, driven by “foodservice innovation and increased nutritional renovation across a broad range of customers.” That’s significant because it undercuts a persistent fear in the sector – that reformulation automatically squeezes profitability.
Protein has crossed the line from marketing advantage to structural expectation. GLP-1 may be intensifying scrutiny; consumers may be actively chasing higher intake; but the competitive edge now isn’t the headline claim. It’s execution.
