How protein turned from trend to necessity

Key takeaways

• Protein is now mainstream: moving beyond sports nutrition into everyday foods and drinks, from cereal to ice cream.
• Bars continue to grow but face texture challenges as protein levels rise; and suppliers are innovating with functional protein blends to keep bars soft.
• Indulgent formats like cookies are emerging as the next big protein snack, balancing taste with technical hurdles in formulation.
• Beverages diversify with protein-enriched sodas, coffee hybrids, and dairy-based shakes – driving demand for specialized proteins that work in acidic or carbonated environments.
• Yogurt evolves into drinkable, ambient, and fortified formats, cementing its role as a versatile carrier for protein and added health benefits.

Protein has become the ultimate value-added ingredient – and demand for it keeps on growing. Consumers associate it with health, satiety and muscle support; and manufacturers view it as a way to differentiate and add value to their products.

Today, protein features in anything from cereal to pasta, spanning carbonated whey drinks, high‑protein drinking yogurt, RTDs, bars, puddings, cookies, ambient yogurt pouches, and even ice cream.

“Put protein in anything, and it would sell better,” Olli Crockatt from Finnish dairy company and protein supplier Valio, summed it up at Food Ingredients Europe 2025.

From a market perspective, it may be as simple as adding protein – or more protein – to a product; but getting the recipe right is far from straightforward.

We look at how protein fortification is playing a key role across some of the most popular dairy, beverage and confectionery formats – and what challenges ingredient innovation is addressing to unlock new premium ranges.

Texture: Protein bars’ Achilles heel

As demand for protein moved from gyms and niche nutrition needs into mass consumerism, bars were one of the first formats to capitalize on the trend. From Grenade to Kellogg’s, brands compete fiercely in this premium snacking segment, but demand remains strong, particularly for high-protein-to-calorie offerings such as David Protein bars, which – despite debate over its ingredients in the US – is projected to generate $100m in revenue in its first year.

But as manufacturers race to increase protein content to remain competitive, there’s a key formulation challenge to resolve: the hardening of the bar’s texture during its shelf life. Protein suppliers are responding with new ingredient mixes.

“High protein bars (30–40% protein) tend to harden over time,” explained FrieslandCampina Ingredients’ Sophie Molenaar. “We use a specific ingredient, which helps keep bars soft.”

Mickael Le Denmat, ingredients application manager at Lactalis Ingredients, identified the same formulation challenge. “The typical protein mix that we find in protein bars is a combination of WPC and caseinate, and there is a well-known technical issue, which is the hardening of the bar over time,” he told us.

“We tested a mix of rennet casein and acid casein and observed that that’s a solution to avoid this hardening.” The formulation can be used in other products that require high-protein fillers, he added.

According to Arla Foods Ingredients’ Jeppe Sand Laursen, offering specific protein fractions that address this issue is a key objective for the company. “The main challenge is that rising demand for protein – and the need for even higher protein levels – creates significant issues with texture, taste, and other factors.

“As a result, the need for specialized functional proteins is also increasing. Take, for instance, a protein bar: if you add too much protein, the bar becomes dense. It will not be as soft as you would like it to be, and therefore you need a specific kind of protein.”

And so, the protein bars of the future will inevitably pack more protein content per portion but also benefit from improved texture: and that can be delivered all through natural dairy protein ingredients.

Indulgence meets nutrition: The rise of protein cookies

If something could disrupt protein bars’ grip in the snacking space, that may well be cookies, some ingredient suppliers think.

A bakery product that’s at home in retail and foodservice alike, cookies are just as strongly linked with indulgence, but in a more ritualistic way – think sipping milk or tea and enjoying a cookie as your afternoon pick-me-up, or opting for a protein-fortified cookie in a café before a long walk.

New Zealand dairy major Fonterra is betting on the category to expand in the near future and presented a protein cookie concept that contains microparticulated WPC. “The challenges to formulations is mainly the flavor,” said Gemma Scown, technical solutions manager. “To overcome that, we didn’t cut down on sugar, so it’s still a sweet treat; whereas if you try to formulate a high-protein cookie with just a little bit of sugar or a little bit of fat, you may run into texture problems.”

She added: “Cookies aren’t ‘healthy’ products per se, but this way, you do get some protein, which adds value to a product. If people are choosing between a regular cookie and this one, well, this gets you something that tastes good but is also a source of protein.”

From coffee to soda: How protein elevates drinks

Similarly to bars, the high-protein drinks space continues to expand on the back of growing demand for convenience and nutrition. In 2020, protein accounted for almost a third of functional ingredients used in the beverage market as protein shakes and waters proliferated the sports and active nutrition market.

More recently, there’s been a boom in protein sodas – but making carbonated drinks that are high in protein can be tricky. Arla Foods Ingredients recently presented a zero-sugar soft drink concept with 10g of whey protein that packs just 40 calories per 250ml can. “Normally, if you have a whey protein and you lower the pH and carbonate it, the protein doesn’t really work, but we’ve designed an ingredient that does work for this application,” the company’s Jeppe Sand Laursen told us.

Big brands from Coca Cola Co. to PepsiCo are also eyeing expansion in dairy-based protein drinks: with Coca-Cola ramping up production of its market-leading fairlife brand and PepsiCo set to expand its Muscle Milk range in the US in 2026 being just two examples.

In dairy-based protein shakes, it’s a race for how much protein a drink can deliver – with a focus on reducing pack sizes while increasing protein concentrations. Shakes also remain among the most popular formats for protein consumption, we were told.

“Right now, the most trendy and convenient options for consumers are fortified products like shakes, drinkable yogurts, and gummies,” FrieslandCampina Ingredients’ Sophie Molenaar explained. “These formats are simple, accessible, and fit well with current lifestyle needs.”

“Hydration is another key trend, and we’re seeing new product types emerge, like protein‑enriched coffee. Even major brands such as Starbucks are innovating in this space. We also have coffee‑based products that combine energy from coffee with protein from milk.”

In coffee, the opportunities go far beyond protein, as Vita Actives’ Omar Ahmed explained. “Functional beverages have evolved to include a wide range of ingredients. From pre‑ and post‑workout formulations to hydration products, the category has exploded.

“Today, drinks often incorporate vitamins, minerals, and specialty ingredients – even functional additions like mushrooms. Coffee is also getting fortified with mushrooms or ashwagandha.”

The evolution of yogurt

“Yogurt is evolving – it’s not just a traditional product anymore; it’s becoming a drinkable, snack‑like option that consumers actively seek out,” Véronique Lhommet, senior product manager at Ingredia, told us. “Yogurt is increasingly positioned as a convenient snack, and demand is booming. We’ve seen innovative products emerge, such as drinking yogurts fortified with lactoferrin for specialty nutrition.”

Yogurt pouches are also not going away – instead, they are coming out of the fridge. In the Netherlands, ambient yogurt pouches are becoming something of a mainstay, Fonterra’s Gemma Scown told us. “We’ve seen it on shelves quite a lot,” she said as she presented Fonterra’s ambient yogurt pouch concept at FiE. “This one in particular is targeted for children – it’s quite good for just putting it in their backpack, sending them off to school and not worry about spoilage.”

Whether potted or drinking yogurt, it’s a category primed for growth for years to come, as FrieslandCampina Ingredients’ Nadia Ustinova told us.

“Yogurt is a versatile carrier that appeals to a wide range of consumers,” she said. “Kids enjoy it as part of breakfast or as a school snack, adults consume it between meals or around workouts, and elderly people often choose it for digestive comfort. It’s something light that sits well in the stomach.

“This versatility makes yogurt suitable for many categories and consumer needs. Its natural structure fits well with health‑focused concepts, offering protein plus fiber for digestive and blood health.

“Yogurt is also strongly associated with gut health because of its live bacteria, so consumers already perceive it as a healthy choice.”

Trends such as weight management are bound to propel the category further in 2026. “We see strong growth in the GLP‑1 segment,“ Ingredia’s Lhommet told us. ”In the US, these products are driving increased yogurt consumption, three times more than before.”

FrieslandCampina Ingredients’ Sophie Molenaar agreed. “It’s huge right now,” she said. “I was in the US [in November], and the demand is everywhere. It’s still very new, so you can’t call it mainstream yet, but it’s even being promoted by the government.

“These medications are really driving protein demand because consumers are becoming more proactive about their health and nutrition, and they’re getting more educated.”