Foods high in proteins: how much do we really need?

The food supplements market has grown to $46 billion in the U.S., riding on the recent trend of integrating more nutrients and protein into the diet. According to the Fi Europe’s report Trend in the protein Market, this wave is driven by the popularity of diets such as Keto or Flexitarians, leading manufacturers to focus on more protein products. Between 2018 and 2020, we noted a 12% increase in the number of products developed labelled “high protein” as an attribute that impacts consumers’ purchase. This is because well-established manufacturers and brands started underlining the protein content in such products, no longer confining such information to nutritional labeling, but instead making it a claim to be highlighted on the packaging. Such products, which have always been targeted at sports consumers, have grown in appeal to everyday consumers who are looking for a quick and convenient way to improve their health.

Increasing protein intake is an important concern for consumers around the world, especially those who are looking to lead healthier lifestyles. According to Fi Europe’s Global Consumer ‘Trend in the protein Market”, a total of 73% of consumers worldwide say they plan to eat and drink healthier as a result of COVID-19, and 37% of these say they plan to increase their daily protein intake. In recent years, high-protein diets are among the most popular options, whether protein is taken as a supplement through protein shakes and protein bar or simply by consuming naturally protein foods.

Why and how many proteins do we need to take?

Proteins are essential to life because they are a component of every human cell and are involved in the biochemical functions of the human body. They are one of the three major macronutrients, along with carbohydrates and fats, and particularly important in the growth, development and repair of muscle tissue. Protein is considered by consumers to provide several health benefits, including satiety, weight loss and weight maintenance, and to support muscle mass both during development and in old age.

However, the ideal amount of protein to consume each day remains uncertain. According to Harvard Health Publishing, common recommendations are 56 grams/day for men, 46 grams/day for women. Based on the percentage of calories for an active adult, about 10% of calories should come from protein.

Protein can be taken naturally from a variety of foods, including meat, fish, dairy products, eggs, but also legumes (e.g., lentils, chickpeas, edamame) seeds (e.g., pumpkin, sunflower, flax), grains and nuts. In particular, plant-based proteins are perceived by consumers as intrinsically healthy and with a clean label.

Then, protein can be taken in by consuming protein-fortified foods, generally the most popular ones are protein bars and protein shakes. But as the market is becoming more and more differentiated, you can find different categories of fortified foods, such as breakfast products, baked goods and ice cream. Among the proteins most commonly used for food fortifiers we can find whey protein, soy, peas and eggs.

Nevertheless, protein deficiency is very rare in the population of developed countries, unlike micronutrients such as calcium and iron, so why do consumers feel the need to add more protein into their diet?

Who will buy high protein foods?

The main target group for these high protein products has always been athletes who are keen to maintain a balanced protein diet to support their performance. However, the trend of high protein products will be driven by two new groups of consumers: those who pay attention to a balanced diet and the so-called healthy and sustainable minded consumer, who follow vegan, vegetarian or flexitarian diets. To meet this new demand, manufacturers will need to develop products that are not only high in protein, but also high quality, healthy and sustainable. Currently, the fastest growing high-protein ingredients are in bakery products, blends (e.g. ready-to-mix drinks), milk, ice cream, yoghurt and baby food. In conclusion, taking the right amount of protein per day is a fair thing to do, but at the same time we need to take into account other factors, such as the quality of the protein. Dietary supplements and protein products can help to introduce more protein into the diet. However, it is still recommended to choose foods that are natural source of protein, or a combination of different foods (e.g. cereals and legumes).

If you are interested in finding out what type of protein you need to make your new plant-based product, fill out Protilla Finder, it will suggest the perfect protein for your formulation!