Among the top 10 evolving food trends, "More is in store for protein: source and quality of proteins become key" was a theme highlighted by LuAnn Williams, Innova Market Insights' director on innovation.
"Chobani has been a game changer. It packs a lot of protein," she said to those attending the U.S. Dairy Business Conference on April 17 in Singapore. "Greek yogurt sales have quickly grown to account for 20 percent of all yogurt sales."
That sales growth isn't done, predicted Williams. "Sixty percent of all yogurt launches in 2014 were Greek-style yogurts. Again, that growth was driven by protein," she said.
"Remember food is still about the eating experience, and that is where Greek yogurt wins," said the American-born Williams who has been based in Europe for over two decades. "Greek yogurt's success has been the combination of health (protein and fat content) along with indulgence (creamy and thick texture)."
Yogurt isn't the only trend in the protein category.
"We think this on-the-go protein beverage category is going to grow tremendously," said Williams, as she showed pictures of Muscle Milk, Fairlife and similar products on the screen. Many of these are whey-fortified products.
"For the past five years, new product claims with ‘whey' have grown 32.9 percent annually," said Williams. "In fact, if you total all the ‘whey' protein claims on products, they outweigh all other protein sources."
There is a good reason for this, Williams shared with those attending the US Dairy Export Council's conference in Southeast Asia. "Protein sources will matter in product claims. We think this is a developing food trend," she said.
This is also good news for marketers. "Typically, there has been a threefold price premium for protein-fortified dairy beverages compared to conventional milk," explained Williams.
(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2015
April 20, 2015
