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Protein at a Crossroads: Mass Adoption Meets Market Saturation

Protein has evolved beyond sports nutrition as demand grows for better-tasting, cleaner-label products that align with the needs and lifestyles of consumers everywhere.

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By: Sean Moloughney

Editor, Nutraceuticals World

Protein

Photo: Valerii Apetroaiei/stock.adobe.com

Consumers have a healthy appetite for protein. Food, beverage, and dietary supplement brands have been developing and delivering a diverse range of products to meet demand. The U.S. protein supplements market alone is valued at about $10 billion, while the protein-fortified food and beverage market is worth tens of billions of dollars globally.

According to the 2025 Food & Health Survey from the International Food Information Council (IFIC), “good source of protein” is the number one measure used to define a healthy food, followed by “fresh” and “low in sugar.”

“This protein boom is being driven by media attention and increased consumer interest in topics such as GLP-1 medications and weight management, fitness, energy, and healthy aging,” the IFIC report noted. “In parallel, some nutrition researchers are both questioning and further investigating protein recommendations to support optimal health outcomes.”

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When asked about perceived health benefits of protein, muscle health/strength was the most recognized (by 51% of respondents), followed by energy/less fatigue (45%), and overall well-being (35%).

The percentage of Americans trying to consume protein has been on the rise. In 2022, 59% said they try to consume protein, 67% in 2023, 71% in 2024, and 70% in 2025.

Despite all the interest and demand, 8 in 10 Americans said they are unaware or unsure of the amount of protein they should consume daily, IFIC noted.

“Today’s protein marketplace, across supplements and functional foods and drinks, is broader, more mature, and far more consumer-driven than it was even a few years ago,” said Tyler Lorenzen, CEO of PURIS Proteins. “Protein has moved from a niche performance ingredient into a daily nutrition staple, showing up across beverages, snacks, and everyday foods as consumers prioritize muscle health, satiety, weight management, and overall wellness.”

Innovation Overkill?

In the past, as the protein market was developing, powders and bars prioritized function over enjoyment, said Lorenzen. “Today, the category is evolving toward better taste, cleaner labels, and more convenient formats, especially in ready-to-drink beverages that fit seamlessly into daily routines.”

Consumers can find protein marketed as the hero ingredient in everything from Starbucks coffee to pasta and Pop-Tarts.

“While I think getting most people to eat more protein is a positive for health, I think we’ve jumped the shark and have taken the ‘proteinification’ of our food a bit too far,” said Todd Spear, vice president of sales and marketing for Protein Research.

“As a result, I think we are very close to ‘peak protein.’ Over the next few years, I think some of the protein-fortified foods will start to disappear,” he added, predicting a shift from focus on protein toward fiber, a nutrient the vast majority of Americans don’t consume enough of.

“I don’t think fiber will supplant protein,” Spear added. “Protein is going to still be a big selling point and a big market in 5 years, but I do think it will decline somewhat, and for a period, consumers and developers will be focused on fiber.”

New Audiences

Protein appeals to virtually all consumer groups today, as brands have broadened their target markets.

“Protein is no longer just for bodybuilders or elite athletes,” said Lorenzen, “it’s become a daily nutrition staple for a much wider group of consumers. We’re also seeing protein reach consumers who were historically underserved by traditional formats, including Gen Z, flexitarians, people focused on GLP-1–friendly nutrition, and those looking for lighter, easier-to-digest options that fit naturally into their routines.”

This shift is pushing protein beyond post-workout shakes and into everyday beverages, snacks, and functional foods, he added. “That’s exactly why we design our pea proteins for application-specific formats. Not all pea proteins can, or should, be treated equally. Different beverage and food applications require different functionality, whether that’s a creamy RTD, a clear and refreshing drink, or a high-protein formulation pushing higher inclusion levels.”

“Everyone and their mom is adding protein to their diet,” said Spear. “I mean that quite literally. Increased protein consumption is unquestionably good for seniors. Many studies have shown that they need higher protein intake due to reduced anabolic response and a greater risk of sarcopenia.”

Quality Questions

Reports about heavy metal contents of protein products have gotten attention of late. For example, in 2025, Consumer Reports published results from an investigation that the nonprofit said found more than two-thirds of protein powders and ready-to-drink shakes from popular brands contained high levels of heavy metal contamination.

The Clean Label Project has also published reports on protein powders that identified “high” content of heavy metals and other contaminants.

So how concerned should consumers be about heavy metals in protein products?

“Consumers should not be concerned,” according to Spears. “Despite sensational reporting from groups that make their living scaring people, heavy metals in protein is by and large a non-issue for all but the heaviest users of plant protein.”

The U.S. protein market is largely broken into two major categories, he said, plant and dairy. “Dairy proteins simply do not have a heavy metal issue. The dairy proteins available in the U.S. market are quite low in heavy metals. That is well established in peer-reviewed research.”

Broadly speaking, plant proteins typically have higher heavy metal levels than dairy proteins, he noted. “Plants naturally absorb heavy metals from their environment, and those levels can increase in processing. Plant protein is dominated by pea protein, with two major sources: the U.S. and China. In my experience, domestic pea protein has consistently lower heavy metals than the Chinese options. Chinese pea protein is frequently above Prop 65 levels.”

Spear said he suspects most of the issues identified by the Clean Label Project and Consumer Reports could be corrected through sourcing. “It should not come as a surprise to anyone in our industry that heavy metals are an issue in cocoa,” he added. “All of that is to say, if you are a consumer and concerned about heavy metals, choose a vanilla dairy protein.”

However, brands marketing protein products should be concerned about heavy metals because consumers care, and because “if your product exceeds Prop 65 levels and you don’t have a Prop 65 warning, the trial attorneys are going to find you,” said Spear. “And that is going to be expensive.”

Showing up in a report with high heavy metals could also be devastating to a brand, Spear said.

So how can manufacturers mitigate heavy metals and other contaminants in protein products at a time of increasingly stringent standards?

Spear said brands should be testing raw materials before production and each lot of finished product before release. “Heavy metal testing is both inexpensive and quick. It needs to be part of your standard release.”

“Consumers care deeply about heavy metals, and they should,” said Lorenzen. “Our data shows, time and again, that pea protein isn’t usually the culprit. When we dig into the formulation, it’s often the other ingredients, things like cocoa, flavors, and mineral blends, that drive heavy metal levels.

Brands should assess their products “holistically,” he added. “If you only test the protein, you miss the real story. The path forward is full system transparency: test everything, trace everything, and build products where every ingredient meets the standard consumers expect. Consumers and brands should continue to push all of us toward better, more transparent food systems.”

Delivering truly “clean” products starts long before processing, Lorenzen said. “It begins at the farm gate. That’s why we work directly with growers, using contracted acres, verified practices, and rigorous testing of raw peas before they ever enter our facilities. This closed-loop approach from field selection and soil testing to multi-stage contaminant checks gives brands clarity and confidence. When manufacturers look holistically at every input, not just the protein, they can build formulas that consistently meet the high expectations consumers have today.”

As protein innovation accelerates, key trends are emerging around new formats, higher protein density, and multifunctional formulations.

“Clear protein beverages are rapidly gaining momentum,” said Kushal Chandak, vice president of R&D, PURIS. “Consumers are increasingly looking for alternatives to traditional creamy protein shakes, and clear proteins provide a refreshing, fruit-forward format that feels more like a hydration beverage than a heavy shake.”

This shift is driving strong growth in RTD and functional beverage applications, he added. “At PURIS, we are supporting this trend with ClearP, our clear pea protein platform, which enables brands to deliver high-quality plant protein in light, thirst-quenching beverage formats without the traditional sensory challenges associated with plant proteins.”

Chandak also noted the rise of “protein maxing,” where brands aim to increase the amount of protein per serving across everyday foods and beverages.

“Consumers are actively seeking higher protein levels for satiety, muscle health, and overall wellness,” he said. “At PURIS, we help customers achieve these higher protein targets through innovations like P2.0, our next-generation pea protein platform designed to maximize protein inclusion while maintaining excellent taste, solubility, and functionality across applications.”

Additionally, protein bars and snackable formats continue to gain traction. Bars remain one of the most convenient delivery systems for protein, said Chandak, and the category continues to expand with new textures, formats, and functional benefits.

“As protein moves beyond traditional sports nutrition into everyday wellness, we are seeing strong demand for portable, high-protein snacks that deliver both nutrition and great taste,” he said.

In addition to protein-packed snack foods, Spear said one of the growing trends in powders is “Protein +,” or combination products that feature protein alongside nutrients like fiber, creatine, collagen, and “anything low-cost and high-value.” 

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