Protein bars continue to trend upward, says Kerry in new white paper

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Kerry's (Naas, Ireland) new research whitepaper, "Choosing the Right Protein for Your Snack Bar," examines the expanding market for protein-rich snack bars, consumer preferences in regard to ingredients and bar tastes, important trends and regional regulations in formulation, and the application of plant, dairy, and mixed protein in new bar concepts.

“We believe the upward trend in demand for protein-fortified snacks will continue over the long term, driven by rejuvenated consumer interest in healthy eating and underpinned by dynamic innovation in the category,” said Mindy Leveille, strategic marketing manager – proteins, Kerry, in a press release. “With new sources of protein being discovered continually and new tastes/delivery formats constantly being innovated, snack bars’ fortunes have taken a noticeable turn upward. Sales of snack bars with high/added protein claims continue to rise as consumers respond to a ‘feel good’ factor around purchasing snacks that pack an added nutritional punch.”

Kerry named a few key considerations for complex bar challenges:

• Alternative plant protein sources with a growing trend toward flexitarian proteins bars — hybrids of both plant and animal protein. 
• Clean label – the advent of new and alternative proteins provides an opportunity for snack-bar manufacturers to benefit by adopting simpler, clean label formulations. This also applies to sugar content.

“There are many emerging ingredients and flavors to apply in protein snack bars, ranging from coffee cold brew to mango to tomato & basil, with the latter being a savory alternative to sweet cereal bars,” said Leveille. “Our white paper presents a number of protein bar concepts to provide inspiration to bar developers for their next new product development.” 

The white paper is available for download here.