Protein invades the comfort-food aisle
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Protein is coming for your comfort food — from tortilla chips to mac and cheese, ice cream and cereal.
Why it matters: Food companies across categories are racing to meet demand for higher-protein diets — without asking shoppers to give up the foods they already love.
- Instead of reinventing the snack aisle, many brands are simply adding extra grams of protein to familiar favorites.
Driving the news: Kraft Heinz announced Tuesday it is rolling out Kraft Mac & Cheese PowerMac, a new version of the classic boxed meal with 17 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber per serving. The product hits shelves nationally in April after an early debut at Sam's Club.
- Caroline Boulos, president of hydrations, desserts and meals at Kraft Heinz, told Axios the company saw an opportunity as consumers increasingly look for more protein without giving up foods they crave.
Dig in: Kraft spent nearly a year developing the product to ensure it didn't change its iconic taste.
- "The cheese powder is exactly the same. The only thing we changed was the noodle," Boulos said.
Zoom out: The protein push — fueled by GLP-1 weight-loss drugs and shifting eating habits — is showing up across nearly every grocery aisle, with new items like:
- Doritos Protein, rolling out this month, with 10 grams of protein per serving.
- SuperPretzel Protein Soft Pretzels, delivering 7-10 grams of plant-based protein.
- Protein Pints ice cream, packing 30 grams of protein per pint.
- Ghost Protein Cereal, developed with General Mills brands like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Lucky Charms, has 17 grams of protein per serving.
Fun fact: Some consumers are taking things into their own hands, using products like Jell-O to flavor homemade high-protein ice creams made with Ninja Creami machines, Boulos said.
The trend is also rejuvenating the beverage aisle. Startups like Proda are introducing protein sodas, while Starbucks is rolling out bottled Starbucks Coffee & Protein drinks with 22 grams of protein and 5 grams of prebiotic fiber.
- Premier Protein is expanding coffeehouse-style shakes like Mocha and Caramel Macchiato, offering 30 grams of protein.
- Plant-based brands are joining the trend too: Silk Protein, a refrigerated plant-based milk, delivers 13 grams of protein per serving.
By the numbers: Mintel pegs the U.S. protein market at $114.4 billion as of 2024, growing about 1.9% annually through 2028.
- 86% of Americans say they are adding more protein to their diets, according to research cited by PepsiCo.
- 60% of frozen snack shoppers say protein influences purchases, according to SuperPretzel research.
The bottom line: Adding protein doesn't automatically make ultra-processed comfort foods healthy.
- Still, for brands facing changing consumer expectations, fortifying familiar foods offers a simple way to modernize products without asking consumers to change what they eat.
- "People don't want to give up comfort foods," Boulos said. "They want those foods to work harder for them nutritionally."
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