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Insight by Gama Compass
MANCHESTER – 12th June 2024: The notion of ‘food as fuel’ (especially via protein enhancement) is accelerating in consumer goods innovation, the latest Insight by Gama Compass can reveal. This all fits within a wider trend for positioning that targets ‘performance’ and the ‘everyday athlete’, as the distinction between food and supplements becomes ever more blurred. Meat and dairy (not to mention meat and dairy alternatives), together with pasta and bakery, are some of the categories that have been driving this trend since 2023.
Read the full Insight By Gama Compass in the latest issue of Gama News
The trend for protein enhancement is long established in FMCG – predating, for instance, other long standing megatrends such as plant-based foods. As Gama explored as far back as 2016, interest in protein content was in large part driven by in-vogue dietary trends such as paleo and the Atkins diet which espoused the benefits of protein over carbohydrates, as well as embodying the ‘snackification’ of food and drink that mirrored consumers’ increasingly informal eating habits and less regimented lifestyles.
The higher prevalence of high protein claims is echoed in the rise of their associated slogans, with the proportion of new launches reported on Gama Compass offering “performance”, “energy” or “fuel” stepping up from 3.6% in 2021/22 to 5.4% in 2023/24. Indeed more than a quarter of all launches since 2013 bearing a high protein claim have also touted “performance”, “energy”, “power” or “fuel”, underlining the direct association in the mind of the consumer between protein and physical stamina or mental alertness.
“The intensification of the high protein and ‘food as fuel’ trend can be seen in the context of wider concerns around health & wellbeing, accentuated by the Covid-19 pandemic, where the boundary between food and supplements becomes less distinct, and foods are more and more required to take on almost medicinal properties”, commented Gama insights director Tom Warden. “Increasingly, it seems, food and drink innovation will need not only to deliver on taste and nutrition, but also chime with these more complex and multi-faceted attitudes to both mental and physical wellbeing”.
Source: Gama Compass
About Gama Compass
Take a more informed approach to product strategy, increase profitability and reduce costly mistakes with Gama Compass, Gama’s premium subscription service for the FMCG sector.
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To learn more about Gama Compass, contact Tom Warden, Gama insights director, at info@gamaconsumer.com.
About Gama
Gama is a global provider of business information and services specializing in product innovation and international trade. Through our worldwide network of over 100 experts in more than 50 countries, we offer high-quality news, research, analysis and partnering services. We deliver actionable insights, enabling you to make more informed decisions and supporting you to unlock new business opportunities.
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