Manufacturers’ unbridled enthusiasm for the protein trend is hardly surprising when one considers that the saintly substance isn’t being vilified by anyone. Plus, there is still plenty of capacity for packaged foods to integrate more protein, although it may be worth examining the most suitable categories carefully, as they differ from country to country.

Two potential sticking points to watch out for are sustainability and that, by showcasing the protein content, manufacturers may be accused of glossing over the true nature of a product and making it seem healthier than it really is.

Protein, Protein Everywhere
The high-protein trend keeps surging its way through the packaged food and beverage domains. Not a day goes by without a new product launch touting an offering’s protein content. Virtually no category has remained untouched, be it ice cream, confectionery, bakery or ready meals. Pacific Foods even launched an organic Bone Broth in the U.S. in October 2014, sporting 9 grams of protein per serving. This is not only an example of yet another product that was never previously considered a protein food leaping on the bandwagon, but it also shows that the organic category is not in the least averse to embracing the concept.

One can hardly blame food manufacturers for employing this tactic. Fats, carbohydrates, sugars, salt—these major food constituents are under constant fire, and consensus on which types are “good” or “bad” and for whom, in what quantities and under what circumstances, seems to be constantly changing.

Protein is one of the very few nutrients that has remained unscathed by health controversies. No one is scared of protein. Besides people with kidney disease and those unfortunate individuals afflicted by rare genetic disorders involving a faulty amino acid metabolism, protein has never done anyone much harm. Therefore, reducing protein intake is blissfully absent from public health agendas.

Some nutritionists even believe that protein calories behave differently in the body from carbohydrate calories and that the former are less likely to end up as excess body fat, though this theory is far from widely accepted. However, there is some evidence that protein may aid weight management in other ways (e.g., by lowering the glycemic index of meals and by affecting the biochemical pathways that regulate the satiety response).

Protein from Packaged Food
Manufacturers that want to capitalize on this trend and add more protein to commonly consumed types of packaged food need to be aware of the fact that it is not the same category of packaged food that makes the greatest contribution to consumers’ daily protein intake in every single country.

Our new database Passport Nutrition, which maps the purchase of eight nutrients from packaged food and soft drink products in 54 countries, shows, for example, that in Australia, it is dairy that contributes most to consumers’ daily protein consumption. Of the 42 grams supplied by packaged foods, around 36% came from dairy in 2014. In India, dairy also takes the leading slot, although it has to be noted that the daily protein derived from packaged foods is a comparatively miniscule 3 grams per capita at present.

In a number of other countries, such as Mexico, Brazil, the U.K., France and Germany, it is bakery, and not dairy, which is the leading packaged food contributor of protein. In Mexico, a whopping 68% of the daily 44 grams comes from bakery. Hence, it would make sense for manufacturers to focus on the best-selling categories and types of packaged food products in each market when deciding on the most suitable vehicles for their value-adding protein. For consumers wanting to increase their protein intake, it is much easier to opt for a high-protein product within the same category rather than switching to another category altogether.

Watch Out for Sustainability & ‘Healthwashing’
At the moment, protein is as safe as houses. There are only two conceivable issues that could draw criticism, and sustainability is one of them. So, wherever possible, manufacturers may want to choose vegetarian proteins to get around this issue. Plant proteins are generally far less resource intensive to produce than animal protein. In addition, keeping a product vegetarian usually serves to broaden its appeal, and not just with health and wellness-orientated consumers, but also for those who avoid certain types of animal proteins for religious reasons.

The second issue manufacturers could potentially fall foul of is being pulled up on their marketing inherently unhealthy products under the new-found “protein halo.” Some products, particularly confectionery, ice cream and some bakery items like biscuits and cakes, tend to contain formidable quantities of sugar and fat.

This is also somewhat of a danger zone for makers of organic indulgence products, For example, many offerings leveraged on their fruit content, which on closer inspection turn out to contain a negligible quantity of some processed fruit derivative, have fallen into this trap. Think Fruit Roll-ups law suit, with General Mills eventually having to agree to drop the wording “made with real fruit” on packaging last year.

Of course, a product’s protein content is a product’s protein content, and printing the number of grams it contains on the front of the pack is not misleading in itself. However, there is still the risk of being viewed by some eager consumer watchdogs as a “healthwashing” tactic, so a degree of caution is advised.

For further insight, contact Ewa Hudson, Global Head of Health and Wellness Research at Euromonitor International, at [email protected].