Blurred lines: Confectionery and sports nutrition collide in snacking revolution

Convergence of confectionery and sports nutrition – summary

• Sports nutrition products increasingly mimic indulgent confectionery formats to boost appeal
• Collaborations between major confectionery and protein brands accelerate hybrid product growth
• Consumers seek snacks combining familiar flavours with functional high‑protein benefits
• Category blurring enables confectionery brands to enter health‑focused snacking spaces
• Functional confectionery trend drives long‑term innovation opportunities across both sectors

The line between confectionery and sports nutrition is disappearing fast.

And granted, they’ve never been that far apart.

In fact, the very first sports bars of the 1980s looked like chocolate bars, and were certainly sweet enough to pass as confectionery, even if they were notoriously dense and chewy.

But they always existed in separate lanes – confectionery in the treat aisle and sports nutrition in the health-food section – and they very deliberately marketed themselves as different.

Until recently, when sports nutrition brands like Clif, and confectionery brands like Mondelēz International suddenly realised the potential in bars that did both – tasted delicious AND powered a gym session.

So began a new wave of snacking – a wave that very quickly turned into a full‑scale category shake‑up. Consumers no longer want to choose between flavour and function – they expect both.

This shift has sparked a rush of innovation in which indulgent formats – caramel‑layered bars, truffle‑like centres, cookie‑style textures – are being recreated with protein boosts, reduced sugars and functional add‑ins. What began as a quiet convergence has become a competitive surge, as brands race to create snacks that satisfy a sweet craving, fit a fitness routine, and slip seamlessly into everyday eating.

The result?

A rapidly evolving landscape where treating and training are no longer opposites.

Confectionery and sports nutrition combine

“Our bars do more than fill a gap,” says a spokesperson for British protein chocolate bar brand Misfits. “They’re chewy, goo-ey and chocolate-y with drizzle of caramel.” In other words, taste, texture, and treating are a priority.

Similarly, US brand FitCrunch says it makes, “getting protein more enjoyable than ever before” with bar flavours including Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Chocolate Brownie, and Strawberry Strudel.

Then there are the big-name collaborations, bringing some of the biggest confectionery brands in the biz together with top-flight sports nutrition companies.

Mars recently teamed up with Myprotein to launch Snickers Impact Whey Protein and Snickers White Impact Whey Protein.

“We’re incredibly excited to be strengthening our partnership with Mars,” says Neil Mistry, CEO of Myprotein. “This collaboration brings together two trusted brands: combining Myprotein’s expertise in sports nutrition with Mars’ iconic flavours that customers already know and love.”

Elsewhere, we’ve seen Mondelēz actually buying up a majority interest in performance nutrition brand Grenade, leading to the launch of Grenade Creme Egg and Grenade Oreo in an iconic brand mashup.

“This is another exciting opportunity to deliver on our strategy to be a global leader in broader snacking, including in the important area of wellbeing,” says Mondelēz CEO Dirk Van de Put.

And this isn’t just a fleeting trend.

Industry professions believe the sports nutrition and confectionery hybrid world is here to stay, driving innovation in products that blur the boundaries even further – high‑protein cookies, low‑sugar peanut butter cups, collagen‑enhanced gummies, and nougat‑filled bars.

“We believe functional confectionery is the future,” says Wilbert Heerspink, national key account manager at Dutch confectionery and snacking brand Hellema Hallum BV.

The future of confectionery and sports nutrition

All of this raises an important question – what does the convergence of confectionery and sports nutrition mean for both sectors?

For confectionery, a sector already worth over $220bn (€186bn - market insight firm Fortune Business Insights), it signals a profound opportunity to boost its relevance in a health‑conscious age.

Consumers who once viewed chocolate bars and sweets as occasional indulgences are increasingly interested in products that offer both pleasure and purpose – whether that’s added protein, functional ingredients, or reduced sugar.

The success of collaborations like Myprotein and Mars shows just how powerful brand equity becomes when nostalgic flavours meet modern wellness expectations.

The confectionery industry, long reliant on flavour heritage and emotional connection, now has a viable path into the “permissible indulgence” space.

For the sports nutrition sector, a sector worth over $59bn (Fortune Business Insights), the blurring of boundaries opens the door to mass‑market expansion on a scale previously unthinkable.

No longer confined to gyms and specialist retailers, brands can now compete directly in mainstream snacking aisles by offering products that look, taste, and feel like a treat. As Misfits, FitCrunch, and others emphasise indulgence as much as macros, they are redefining sports nutrition from a functional necessity to a lifestyle choice.

This shift not only broadens their consumer base but also creates room for premiumisation, flavour innovation, and cross‑category experimentation.

Together, the two categories are effectively co‑creating a new segment – one that captures the cultural momentum of wellbeing without losing the joy of traditional treats.