Consumers Reach for Protein-Rich Products

Food manufacturers find that products marketed as having protein are grabbing consumer attention.

April 01, 2013

NEW YORK – It wasn’t too long ago that consumers might have associated protein with building muscle. But today, food manufacturers are touting protein on packaging for its energy-boosting and overall health-enhancing qualities — and consumers are responding.

The Wall Street Journal reports that protein is the hot buzzword on food packaging, attracting more of the moms and dads taking their kids to soccer practice and the office worker looking for an extra energy boost to get through the day. And for Kraft Foods, Kellogg and General Mills, protein on products such as cereal, energy bars and nuts and seeds are proving to be a powerful marketing tool.

"It's one of those rare things that has a lot of different meanings to a lot of different people and they are all positive," Barry Calpino, vice president of breakthrough innovation for Kraft Foods Group Inc., told the newspaper.

Getting a good daily does of protein doesn’t require consumers to eat a ton of red meat and poultry. The newspaper writes that much of the protein added to foods like cereal, drinks and bars is soy protein isolate — soybeans that are processed to remove fat and carbohydrates.

Food labels have a history of buzzwords that attract consumers who want to eat better, whether for dietary or lifestyle reasons: organic, gluten-free, no high-fructose corn syrup, high fiber, low fat, lite, hormone free, no MSG, no cholesterol etc. As for protein, food manufacturers believe it is part of a larger food trend toward healthy food options: "Protein isn't a faddish type thing," said Calpino.

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