Protein is everywhere. From supermarket shelves and drinks fridges to products that arguably have no business advertising their protein content in the first place, food brands are increasingly making the nutritional claim a front-and-centre feature of their packaging.
In Australia, the influx has become particularly hard to ignore, with the word ‘protein’ appearing in increasingly large fonts, sometimes at the expense of almost everything else on the label.
And while the protein boom has been building for several years, 2026 has seen the category reach another level, with brands seemingly racing to capitalise on consumers’ growing appetite for protein-packed products.
Part of that growth has been attributed to the increasing popularity of GLP-1 weight-loss medications, including Ozempic and Wegovy. With healthcare professionals reportedly recommending higher-protein diets to help people preserve muscle mass while losing weight, the medications have helped create another significant consumer audience for protein-rich foods.
But is protein becoming an overused marketing claim, or has it earned its place as a permanent fixture of the food industry?
Nick Sheridan, founder of Australian plant-based protein brand 99th Monkey, believes the answer is the latter.
“I think the protein thing has gone from being very niche for people who are really fitness focused 10 years ago, to now becoming a thing that has a halo effect where people who don’t even really know what the purpose of the protein is, or don’t necessarily have a lifestyle where they need extra protein are interested.”
“They see protein on the label, which tacitly indicates that it’s a healthier option, which obviously is not the case for a lot of those products,” he said.
“It is definitely the most sought after and recognised attribute on food labels nowadays. So when I look at protein now, I view it as a business, it’s no longer a trend, it’s a staple now.”
Sheridan founded 99th Monkey after experimenting with nut butters in 2012 while training for a marathon in London. He launched the business in 2013.
The brand has since expanded its plant-based protein offering beyond nut butters, most recently moving into protein drinks. Its latest smoothie builds on an existing 20-gram protein drink, increasing the offering to a larger bottle containing 30 grams of protein. The product is aimed at both plant-based consumers and flexitarians looking for an alternative to traditional dairy-based protein drinks.
The move also reflects a broader shift in the category, with protein no longer exclusively targeting gym-goers and hardcore fitness enthusiasts.
Instead, brands are increasingly catering to consumers who want to incorporate more protein into their everyday diets, whether that is through breakfast, snacks or an on-the-go drink.
“It’s still misunderstood by a lot of people, but more and more people are understanding what it means and what it’s for,” Sheridan said.
However, he is also conscious that the rush to put protein on packaging has started to become somewhat excessive.
“With the Milo incident, calling out protein when in fact it’s the milk that goes into it that makes the difference is a bit ridiculous,” he said.
In 2023, Nestlé’s Milo Pro faced backlash after social media creators and nutritionists questioned its front-of-pack protein claims, arguing that the advertised protein content relied heavily on the milk used to prepare the drink, rather than the powder itself.
Sheridan said examples like this demonstrate how brands risk exhausting consumers when they lean too heavily on nutritional claims without providing the full picture.
“People get tired of things like that,” he said.
He admitted that while the notion of brands ‘protein-maxxing’ has become “a little bit ridiculous and people are getting tired of it”, he believes businesses still need to capitalise on the opportunity while consumer demand remains strong.
Brands, he suggested, have to “strike the iron while it’s hot”.
For 99th Monkey, that thinking has also influenced how it presents its products to shoppers.
The brand has recently reworked its packaging to make nutritional information more prominent, clearly displaying calorie and protein values on the front so consumers do not have to turn the product around to find out what they are getting.
It is a particularly relevant move in a category where protein content has become a major purchase consideration, with shoppers increasingly comparing products based on their nutritional credentials.
But Sheridan believes there is a distinction between brands communicating a genuinely useful nutritional benefit and those simply jumping on the latest marketing bandwagon.
While protein is becoming increasingly embedded in the food industry, he expects other nutritional attributes to compete for consumer attention.
“Obviously, the next trend is already here. As I said, the fibre thing is happening, creatine, other attributes that people are trending that will come and go, but I think the protein thing is here to stay,” he said.
He added that he still believes a proportion of consumers do not necessarily understand why they need additional protein, but expects that to change as nutritional awareness grows.
“I still think there’s a percentage of the market who probably doesn’t understand why that is, but will consume it anyway. But I think more and more people are learning the whys and wherefores of it.”
Selling protein in an increasingly crowded market
For a business such as 99th Monkey, which has protein at the centre of its product offering, the marketing challenge is slightly different to that of brands adding protein claims to products that have traditionally been associated with other nutritional benefits.
Rather than simply using protein as a new selling point, the brand needs to communicate why its particular protein offering is worth choosing.
That has included targeting consumers beyond the traditional plant-based audience, with its latest smoothie also looking to appeal to flexitarians who may otherwise reach for dairy-based protein drinks.
On the marketing front, 99th Monkey works with Pop Digital on creative work and advertising, Picos on email marketing, and DBZ PR on public relations outreach and influencer engagement.
The business only began investing more seriously in paid advertising late last year, making the channel a relatively new area of focus.
Its current out-of-home activity includes digital screens inside Woolworths stores, gyms and shopping centres, with media placements managed by an external media buyer.
As for the suggestion that protein could eventually lose its appeal, Sheridan is not convinced.
“Let’s wait and see, but I’m not seeing it dying.”
