Health-conscious Gen Z consumers and Ozempic users looking to maintain muscle mass are expanding past protein powders, pushing the packaged-food industry to pack every food with protein—and the trend is just getting started.
With the fortified-protein market set to hit more than $100 billion by 2030, according to Grand View Research, Big Food is diving into a category previously defined by more specialized brands. The global market size for protein-fortified food products was about $67 billion in 2023. Its latest entrant: Pop-Tarts, the toaster-ready icing-covered pastries produced by Kellogg’s since 1964 (and now owned by spinoff Kellanova).
The company is releasing Pop-Tarts Protein starting in early November, Bloomberg reported, with the goal of catering to consumers who want to consume more protein without giving up their favorite snacks. But the company is not stopping there, K.T. Mccann, vice president of research and development and innovation for Kellanova North America, told Bloomberg.
“There’s probably more to come around protein, and not just from us, but across the board,” she said. “It’s going to keep coming.”
The new Pop-Tarts will have 10 grams of protein per serving in different flavors such as brown sugar cinnamon, strawberry, and blueberry. The filling, as well as the sprinkles and the frosting, will remain the same. The difference lies with the dough, which may have “a bit of a toasty flavor,” Mccann told Bloomberg. Pop-Tarts Protein will cost slightly more than their counterparts at $3.99, compared with $3.49 for the regular version.
