Three charts on what is changing in the snack aisle, with sources.
Why formulators are taking a harder look at plant protein.
Full citation: New Hope Network, "Consumer demand drives whey protein shortage, price increases," citing Bryan Morin, brand manager at NOW Sports.
Why it's happening: the same reporting notes US raw milk supply has stayed fairly stable, while downstream processing capacity for whey protein concentrate and isolate is maxed out. The constraint is filtration and drying capacity, not milk. New capacity is not expected before late 2026.
Who the large food companies are reformulating for.
Roughly a 3.7x increase in two years. Nestlé has said it is reworking recipes for this group, including flavor profiles built around the taste changes these drugs are reported to cause.
Where growth sits in a category that is flat overall.
Category totals $11.7B. Frito-Lay $6.4B (−1.3%), Kellanova $1.5B (−2.5%), private label $1.1B (−0.8%). The three players growing are all smaller and flavor-forward.