{"id":626853,"date":"2026-10-11T00:30:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-11T00:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/626853\/"},"modified":"2026-10-11T00:30:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T00:30:11","slug":"food-news-lifting-the-lid-on-the-multi-million-dollar-supermarket-protein-boom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/626853\/","title":{"rendered":"Food news: Lifting the lid on the multi-million-dollar supermarket protein boom"},"content":{"rendered":"

Exclusive: You\u2019re not the only person who feels like every grocery item<\/a> suddenly has a \u201chigh-protein\u201d counterpart sitting right beside it.<\/p>\n

From protein-dense cheese to cereal, the \u201cproteinification\u201d of everyday groceries has become a multimillion-dollar industry, with brands making the most on shoppers willingness to pay extra for added nutrition<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"AFR<\/p>\n

Australian supermarket shelves have become lined with high-protein options.\u00a0Louise Kennerley<\/p>\n

According to a 2024 Euromonitor study, protein and energy bars have surged in popularity across Australia<\/a>, commanding a market value of more than $300 million, with expectations that their popularity will only keep rising.<\/p>\n

Accounting for roughly one-third of all sports<\/a> nutrition sales nationwide, it stands as the sector\u2019s second-largest category.<\/p>\n

Founder and director of Sydney<\/a> City Nutritionist and Food Intolerance Australia Jennifer May called it \u201cone of the biggest marketing trends in food\u201d, while highlighting the functional benefits driving consumer demand.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt supports muscle maintenance, recovery, satiety and healthy ageing,\u201d May told nine.com.au.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut just because a product has added protein doesn\u2019t automatically make it a healthier choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Good<\/p>\n

According to national health data, about 98.5 per cent of Australians get enough protein in their diet.\u00a0James Brickwood<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s with the protein boom, and, more importantly, are these nutrient-dense products actually worth the price tag?<\/p>\n

\u2018The option of a guilty pleasure\u2019\"Vavitis<\/p>\n

Vavitis approached Muscle Nation at a gym expo in 2018 and a highly popular collab began shortly after.\u00a0Nick Vavitis<\/p>\n

Following the success of CHOCLT\u2019s protein collaboration with Muscle Nation, founder Nick Vavitis<\/a> told nine.com.au he expects the high-protein boom to keep rising as macro-minded shoppers seek out sweeter, nutritional snacks.<\/p>\n

Today, the collaboration pushes high six-figure units monthly across supermarkets, pharmacies, and petrol stations<\/a>, paving the way for more products like protein yoghurt pouches and caramel biscuit cheesecake slices.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure the best way to get your protein is through whole foods<\/a>, like meat and vegetables, but I also have a sweet tooth, so I love the option of a guilty pleasure,\u201d Vavitis told nine.com.au.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe in the 80\/20 rule.\u201d<\/p>\n

CHOCLT\u2019s collaboration with fitness empire Muscle Nation to create a caramel cheesecake bar became the top-selling protein bar in Coles<\/a> for nearly three months shortly after its release.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the best thing about our Muscle Nation collaboration and the reason it\u2019s so successful is that it crosses the boundaries of both a protein product and a full tasting dessert,\u201d Vavitis said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve found every product we\u2019ve done has skyrocketed in sales as it\u2019s really indulgent but also helps hit protein goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The protein bar became an instant bestseller in Coles stores.\u00a0Nick Vavitis<\/p>\n

He noted that consumers are far more attuned to calorie intake and understand that adequate protein intake can significantly improve overall health.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are now living in an age where shoppers are more calorie-conscious and really taking the time to learn how a healthy protein target plus hitting the gym can make some really good changes to your health overall.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u2018protein premium\u2019 tax<\/p>\n

While high-protein products like CHOCLT\u00a0show how well-formulated treats can thrive commercially, shoppers are being urged to make sure they are not paying extra for empty marketing.<\/p>\n

In a YouTube<\/a> video that has amassed almost one million views, fitness influencer Andrew Fox sifted through the abundance of high-protein junk food on US<\/a> shelves to determine whether it truly offered any benefit.<\/p>\n

He told nine.com.au that after eating only snacks claiming to be nutritionally beneficial, including high-protein Pop-Tarts and protein Doritos for 100 hours, he felt lethargic and bloated.<\/p>\n

\"Andrew<\/p>\n

Andrew Fox said he did not notice any improvements in his strength over the 100 hours of eating high-protein snacks.\u00a0Andrew Fox<\/p>\n

Living solely off these snacks isn\u2019t a healthy diet, nor is it one Fox recommends, but he questioned whether the protein premium some brands offer makes sense for the average shopper.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost wouldn\u2019t benefit from the extra three grams, especially considering the other negatives of some of these products,\u201d he told nine.com.au.<\/p>\n

\u201cProtein Pop-Tarts, for example, while high in calories, only offer six more grams of protein and are full of sugar.\u201d<\/p>\n

He pointed out that while a \u201cdouble protein\u201d yoghurt might sound impressive, doubling the intake from two grams to four delivers very little actual nutritional value despite the higher retail price tag.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d quite literally be better off just eating the regular junk food and then slamming a protein shake,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou would be spending the money on protein powder instead of the extra cash on something with protein on the label.\u201d<\/p>\n

Please note the information in this story is general in nature. Please always consult your GP or health professional for advice that is tailored to your specific health concerns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Exclusive: You\u2019re not the only person who feels like every grocery item suddenly has a \u201chigh-protein\u201d counterpart sitting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":626854,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[134,111,139,556,69],"class_list":["post-626853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-health","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nutrition","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=626853"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626853\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/626854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=626853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=626853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=626853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}