The Greek yogurt brand recruited research firm Edelman Data X Intelligence to poll 1,000 US adults and 66 registered dietitians and nutritionists between October 25 and November 1.
The aim was to better understand consumer perceptions and knowledge around protein intake, consumption occasions and dietary requirements.
Unsurprisingly given the popularity of high-protein claims in the US (see sidebar), the vast majority of consumers surveyed (85%) said they wanted to increase their protein intake next year, and 24% said they did not currently consume enough of the macronutrient.
On trend
According to Circana, high-protein was one of the top label claims in the US throughout 2023, generating $2.36m in sales (+8.8% YoY).
However, around a quarter (26%) of the consumers polled admitted they did not know how much protein they should consume – and less than half (42%) said they did not know the difference between complete and incomplete protein, spotlighting nutritional knowledge gaps.
At the same time, four in five dietitians thought that knowing the difference was ‘important’ for consumers – suggesting an opportunity for food brands to raise awareness around protein intake and protein types in an authoritative way.
How much protein does one need?
Roughly 1g per kilo of body weight, according to 40% of the dietitians surveyed by Chobani.
Their assessment chimes in with WHO’s recommended level of protein intake (0.8g per kg of body weight; meaning that someone who weighs 60kg (9.45st) should consume 50g of protein per day).
Taking yogurt beyond breakfast
Another opportunity for food brands lies in widening yogurt’s appeal beyond the breakfast occasion.
According to the research, only 1 in 8 (13%) US consumers claim they eat Greek yogurt to increase protein intake throughout the day – suggesting there’s untapped potential for yogurt, particularly if it’s marketed as a high-protein, affordable and clean-label snack.
At the same time, the majority (60%) of the dietitians surveyed agreed that yogurt is ‘a great protein-rich option for a snack’.
Yogurt consumption
Per capita yogurt consumption increased in 2023 according to USDA data; with Americans eating around 13.8lb (6.2kg) in 2023, up from 13.5lb in 2022.
More on this here.
Beyond yogurt, the US market for high-protein dairy has propelled the popularity of cottage cheese – with US consumers getting through 2.1lb (around 1kg) of the stuff per capita during 2023 according to USDA data; levels have not been seen since 2019.
See also: Trends and opportunities in cottage cheese
Four key considerations
Positioning high-protein dairy such as yogurt as an affordable, on-the-go snack makes good business sense, the dairy firm’s market research suggests.
According to the findings, a quarter of the shoppers polled state they do not have the time to prepare protein-rich meals or snacks; and convenience was top-of-mind for 60% of them.
All these strategies could falter, however, if producers don’t get their products’ taste right. For 87% of those polled, flavor is the most important attribute; followed by protein (74%) and sugar (71%) levels.
Cost also remains a key consideration – with the majority (51%) of consumers surveyed stating it is the biggest barrier to increasing their protein consumption.
Balancing flavor, protein content, convenience and affordability will therefore remain of major importance to dairy brands; and broadening consumer knowledge around protein’s nutritional value could further contribute to growing the food trend.