Baking&Snack - October 2013 - 45

TRENDS
Mintel

by Chris Brockman

High-protein claims gain ground on high fiber in the bread aisle.

Across the Western world, interest in protein-enriched
foods and beverages is blossoming. No longer just the
preserve of bodybuilders and athletes, it has broadened its
appeal to everyday consumers. Awareness of dietary protein in the US is particularly high, with nearly six out of
10 Americans considering protein when selecting foods.
Some of the best-selling food and drink products
of recent years in the US have strongly promoted high
protein content. These include Nature Valley Protein
snack bars, launched in 2012, along with a plethora of
other mainstream snack-bar brands shifting to a protein
platform. The explosion of Greek yogurt in the US, and
increasingly internationally, is also largely built on its
high-protein positioning.
Protein imbues a healthy “feel good” factor to food
with its association with power and energy. It appeals to
men on the muscle-building front as well as increasingly
to women on a satiety front.
As well as a booming US market, there are signs that
the interest in protein is already building in Europe.
The high-protein Dukan Diet, for example, reportedly
has 10 million followers in France. Yogurt products in
Europe, including Greek yogurt brands, are also increasingly talking about protein. For example, London-based
Danio Greek yogurts were launched in 2013 with a
prominent high-protein front-of-pack claim.
High protein as a claim in new launches of bread is
small scale in comparison to the snack bar or yogurt
segments and, on a global basis, is not growing in use.
However, recent buzz accompanying some of the latest
launches suggests there is more potential, especially in
the European market where most of the recent activity
has occurred.
In the US, “high in protein” as an attribute of influence in bread purchasing is approaching that of high

in fiber with 60% of
consumers rating the
former as an influencing
attribute vs. 75% the latter. Given the relatively
low level of bread introductions making highprotein claims in the US,
this is significant and reflects the growing interest in protein in general
in the market.
The interest in high-protein breads in the US does not
drop off significantly with age as it does in other categories using protein claims such as snack bars. This makes
bread one of the more effective product formats to target
high protein content to older consumers.
Many of the new US products with a high-protein
claim have combined high-fiber and high-protein messaging, building on the long-term consumer appeal that
high fiber content has demonstrated. Indeed, launches
of 5/5 products (5 g fiber per serving, 5 g protein per
serving) started to appear a few years ago, although
many recent new items are using higher amounts of protein than just 5 g. High-fiber and high-protein ancient
grains, which are also gluten-free and thus very much
“on-trend” such as spelt, chia or quinoa, have been used
in some cases.
The Energus 10 brand launched in France, meanwhile, contains 22 g protein per 100 g of bread. It has
achieved listings at mainstream retailers and is promoted as a rich source of protein comparable to meat. As
with many new high-protein and high-fiber breads coming onto the market, it is also promoting the inclusion of
omega fatty acids and low carbohydrate content.
Indeed, the combination of fiber,
protein and omega-3 in a low-carbpositioned bread product looks to be an
2013
increasingly powerful proposition that
10.9%
health-conscious consumers are likely
to be very receptive to. Furthermore,
3.2%
it is a proposition that can be achieved
0.4%
through the increasing use of added
seeds and grains to deliver superior
nutritional properties.

Breads promoting high protein content often piggyback
on other health claim trends
such as high fiber, omega
fatty acids and low carb.
Energus 10

High-protein claims penetrate food product launches
Category
2010
Snack,ce real
10.8%
and energy bars
Yogurt
1.0%
Bread and
0.5%
bread products
Mintel

2011

2012

9.7%

7.6%

1.3%

1.8%

0.4%

0.7%

•

October 2013 / Baking & Snack / 45

Baking&Snack - October 2013

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