Trend for 2026: Protein Plus-One

 

Protein will remain a wellness powerhouse in 2026, according to Lu Ann Williams, global insights director at Innova Market Insights, The Netherlands. Globally, three in five consumers are actively including more protein in their diet, per the Innova Trends Survey 2026. 

Over the past year, milk and milk drinks ranked as the number-one product with protein claims that consumers said they had purchased. (Great job marketing this powerhouse nutrient!) But protein will not be enough this coming year. It’s all about protein and at least one health claim, an attribute that has experienced noteworthy growth in food and beverage launches this past year.  

Williams believes the biggest opportunity is marketing weight management with new protein-centric innovations, a claim that has increasingly started to appear this year on product introductions. While this may have been fueled from the rise in popularity of GLP-1 weight loss medications, the claim resonates with non-users as well. 

To supporting any weight management claims, many marketers will be leaning into the “plus-one” being fiber. Like protein, fiber satiates. It also supports gut health.

“Consumers increasingly see gut health as the gateway to holistic wellness, sparking demand for benefits across body and mind,” said Williams. “Consumers globally see a strong connection between gut health, weight and stress. They are increasingly turning to functional ingredients like probiotics and prebiotics to address benefits across the body and mind.” 

These are Innova Market Insights’ top-two food and beverage trends for 2026. Dairy foods owns both categories. 

This week, Midwest Yogurt Inc., a division of Lactalis USA, Minneapolis, rolled out its first line extension in the :ratio line since acquiring Generals Mills’ yogurt and cultured dairy business. 

New :ratio Pro-Fiber is a functional dairy snack that provides 20 grams of protein, 10 grams of fiber and zero grams added sugar. Formulators stacked two fiber ingredients—soluble corn fiber and chicory root fiber—into the product. The product comes in Blueberry, Lemon Meringue, Piña Colada and Vanilla flavors. 

“Protein and fiber are two of the most top-of-mind nutritional macros for consumers,” said Shea Allred, head of North America sales at Midwest Yogurt, “With :ratio Pro-Fiber able to deliver on both, we’re seeing lots of excitement from retailers.”

The Protein Plus-One trend is booming in the shelf-stable, ready-to-drink dairy protein beverage space. 

I wrote about this trend for Food Business News. You can read more HERE. 

This trend is very noticeable at Costco. Just a little more than a year ago, Failife’s Nutrition Plan and Core Power drinks were the sole ultra-filtered milk shakes sold at the club store in the ambient nutritional beverage aisle. Then Nurri entered the scene, as an exclusive to Costco. 

Today, Premier Protein also has a very strong presence. And plant-based brand Orgain now plays in this space with the introduction of Orgain Milk Protein Shake. Water is the first ingredient in this shelf-stable beverage, followed by milk protein isolate and milk protein concentrate. One 11-ounce box contains 160 calories, 3 grams of fat, 2 grams of fiber, 1 gram of sugar (no added sugars) and 30 grams of protein. The beverage is sweetened with monkfruit and stevia. 

The shakes are marketed as delivering all nine essential amino acids and naturally occurring branched chain amino acids “to help stimulate optimal muscle protein growth and to repair and rebuild muscle fibers.”  A box of 18 sells for $29.99 at Costco. 

Expect to see more dairy innovations featuring protein and fiber content claims on product labels in 2026.   

Following are the other top-eight food and beverage trends for 2026 from Innova. Williams said that “an emotional lens is shaping the trends. Formulators are designing for how people feel.”

Trend 3: Layers of Delight

“Indulgence is evolving into a multi-dimensional experience; elevating the moment and mood and combining sensory richness with wellbeing,” according to Williams. “Both familiar sensations and novel inventions win indulgent seekers.” This includes elevated flavors and textures and products that provide permission to indulgence.

Trend 4: Beverage with Purpose

According to Innova’s consumer research, beverages are leading innovation in wellness, as consumers are increasingly favoring products for hydration, convenience and functional boosts. The global food and beverage market has seen a +18% CAGR growth in new launches with hydration claims, and dairy-based products are being perceived as healthy snacks. This trend highlights the role of beverages in delivering health benefits to consumers.

Trend 5: Authentic Plant-based

This trend reflects the evolving perception that consumers have toward plant-based foods. When selecting from protein options, 40% of global consumers point to “natural or minimally processed” as a key consideration. Consumers are embracing natural plant proteins for their added benefits, underscoring how plant-based is shifting from imitation to nutrition.

Trend 6: Made for Moments

Occasion-based innovation—think products for specific dayparts, seasons and life stages—is expanding through diverse formats in snacks, fresh meals and single-serve offerings. 

Trend 7: Worth Every Bite

“With economic pressures rising, affordability and accessibility are becoming key drivers of loyalty and choice,” said Williams. “Shoppers prefer simple, straightforward foods and are prioritizing foods that feel familiar and safe. Private label continues to be a strong solution.”  

Trend 8: Mind Balance

According to consumers, stress is the top mental health area that they seek to improve. As a result, consumers are turning to natural food and beverage solutions for energy, brain health and stress relief. Comfort foods and drinks also help ease stress and rekindle joy. 

Trend 9: Crafting Tradition

“Food heritage is driving choice by offering comfort, identity and authenticity in uncertain times,” said Williams. 

Trend 10: Justified Choices

Sustainability remains a tiebreaker. It wins when it feels tangible, transparent and truthful. “Consumers are more acceptable of premium prices for sustainable products when brands demonstrate support for local farmers and communities, environmental protection, sustainable packaging and improved product quality or taste,” said Williams.

 

Dairy complements all 10 trends. This is the era of dairy. Get busy in this space. 

The 2025 IDF World Dairy Summit: News from Chile

 

PICTURED: Gilles Froment, president of the International Dairy Federation (IDF), and senior vice president of government and industry relations at Lactalis Canada.

NOTE: The website builder for BerryonDairy.com was down the past 48 hours. To view details of the featured product from Oct. 23, 2025, please link HERE. 

“Nourishing a Sustainable World” was the theme of the 2025 World Dairy Summit, which was held this week in Santiago, Chile. Organized by the International Dairy Federation (IDF), the summit brought together farmers, processors, suppliers, academia and organizations from the global dairy industry to explore new pathways for innovation and sustainability. In all, 48 countries were represented at this annual event, which will next take place Nov. 15-20, 2026, in Auckland, New Zealand. (Mark your calendars!)

The program had many great takeaways. What was really impressive was the dairy departments in the Chilean supermarkets. These people know how to keep dairy relevant with innovation!

Chile is home to around 6,000 dairy farmers, who annually produce a total of about 2.2 billion liters of milk from about 500,000 dairy cows. And, on a side note, Chile also boasts the largest robotic dairy farm globally, with 5,800 cows milked by 90 robots.

The 20 million consumers who live in Chile love their dairy. And the industry is responding with constant innovation. This past week you saw a number of recent entries to the Chilean marketplace. This coming week, more will be featured as a Daily Dose of Dairy.

The biggest takeaway from the event was that “dairy is booming” across the world. The challenge, however, is that supply does not, and will continue to not meet demand unless changes are made, according to Gilles Froment, president of IDF and senior vice president of government and industry relations at Lactalis Canada.

“We are operating in deficit territory,” he said. 

Claudio RodrÍguez-Huaco, a member of the board of directors of Grupo Gloria, which is headquartered in Peru and has a presence across Latin America with an extensive range of Grupo Gloria branded dairy foods, said, “We need to modernize every link in our supply chain in Latin America in order to ensure nutritious dairy products are available to all.

“There’s a huge opportunity to innovate,” he said. “We need to continue to have an emotional connection with our consumers.” 

Technologies to improve yield are critical to move forward. This includes advancements in genetics. 

“We are using natural variation in the population to select and breed from the best. We help farmers do more with less,” said Matt McCready, CEO, Semex. “Genetics are one of the lowest input costs on farms, and it’s a cost farmers already incur. We are breeding for immunity and disease resistance, as well as for cows to be more tolerant of heat [as the planet warms up.] 

Antonia Wanner, chief sustainability officer at Nestlé, said, “ We are helping farmers [around the world] become more resilient. Our ambition is to advance regional food systems at scale. 

“Dairy is part of our portfolio,” Wanner added. “It is not replaceable.”

Dr. Federico Harte, professor of food science at Pennsylvania State University shared highlights from the many research projects taking place in academia that focus on making more from milk. This includes everything from isolating and purifying milk bioactives to advance human nutrition to converting side streams and milk macronutrients into functional ingredients.  

Here are five trends fueling dairy innovation in Chile.

1. Lactose Free. Almost everything new to the marketplace includes the lactase enzyme to render the product lactose free. This keeps lactose-sensitive Chileans consuming dairy and not wandering over to the alternative department, which by the way, is very, very small compared to the real deal.  

2. A2 Milk. As Chilean farmers convert to A2 herds, brands are starting to build their A2 dairy offerings. 

3. Dairy Drinks. Dairy drinks, including those based on liquid whey, are gaining traction in Chile and Brazil, especially among younger consumers. This is proving to be a favorable outlet for the whey side stream from cheese and Greek yogurt production. It’s more economical than drying whey for use as an ingredient in Latin America. 

4. Made in Chile. Touting the fact that dairy products are made with 100% Chilean milk is everywhere. It’s the country’s take on terroir in dairy. It’s very common with yogurt and shelf-stable fluid milk, and gaining traction in cheese, as the country tries to grow its cheesemaking industry. (Currently most aged cheeses in Chile are imported, with many from the U.S.)

5. Functional Nutrition. Chileans are on-trend with functional nutrition. Protein, probiotics and prebiotics are in everything, including ice cream. There are yogurts with magnesium for muscle function and relaxation. 

This shelf-stable beverage from Colun is described as an on-the-go breakfast beverage. It is milk fortified with milk proteins and oats for heart health, satiety and fiber, as well as galactooligosaccharides, which are prebiotic fibers derived from milk. 

Added lactase breaks down the lactose in the milk, contributing some sweetness, which is further enhanced through the addition of stevia and sucralose. The beverage is also fortified with vitamins A, D and E. It comes in chocolate and white, with a 330-milliliter drink box containing 90 calories, 5.5 grams of protein, 2.5 grams of fat, 4 grams of fiber and 10 grams of total sugar.  

NACS 2025: The Next Decade is all about Gen X

It appears that the “forgotten generation,” those of us born between 1965 and 1980, are finally getting the recognition we deserve in the world of consumer packaged goods marketing. It’s about time. 

There are 1.4 billion Gen Xers navigating the globe today, according to Wolfgang Fengler, chief executive officer of World Data Lab, who spoke alongside Marta Cyhan-Bowles, chief communications officer and head of global marketing at NielsenIQ, at NACS 2025, the c-store conference and expo that took place this week in my amazing home city of Chicago. (We are a resilient city and taking care of ours during these insane times.) 

“They’ve got trillions and you’ve got blind spots,” said Fengler, when describing Gen Xers. “In 2025 alone, Gen X will drive $15.2 trillion in global spend.”

Most Gen Xers are or getting close to being empty nesters. Yet, they are the sandwich generation, as they still influence the purchases their parents and their adult kids make. 

“Gen X’s unique identity is as the CFO of three generations,” said Cyhan-Bowles. “Gen Xers spend on elder and dependent care, and education, have clearly positioned them as ‘caretaker consumers.’”

Most Gen Xers are at the peak of their careers and energized. They’ve made it this far and refuse to be forgotten anymore. Gen X wants to have fun!

“They straddled both analog and digital domains,” said Cyhan-Bowles. 

And dang, we are resilient and flexible when it comes to navigating how we spend our money. For the record, I’m Gen X, and proud of it. We grew up independent, many of us as latchkey kids with both parents working. We witnessed the rise of MTV, grunge culture and personal computing. We are just as comfortable inserting a floppy disc into a computer as we are a memory stick, and now just saving to the cloud. 

Gen X is brand loyal, especially when it comes to the few brands that have marketed to them. If Jennifer Aniston endorsed it, I’m buying it. 

Eleven percent of Gen X says, “I am able to spend freely,” while 44% say “I love comfortably and am able to buy things just because I want them.” These are your customers! This is the majority of Gen X. 

“This is the Gen X decade,” said Fengler. “While there are more Millennials in this world, they have much less money to spend. Gen X is the number-one spender and growing. By 2033, their global spending power will reach $20 trillion, and approximately $7 trillion in the U.S. alone. 

“[If you are not marketing to them], you’ve not missed the train, just the opportunity,” said Fengler. 

He explained that currently the countries with the largest Gen X populations are in Europe and Asia. In the next year or two, it will be the U.S. 

“These are your most overlooked and most valuable customers,” Fengler said. 

Cyhan-Bowles added, “And they don’t need Costco anymore.”

They want convenience and portion control. She said that Gen X is less about clean-label foods—we were the first generation to grow up with Tab and other diet sodas—and more focused on calories and health. 

This likely explains why the plethora of dairy-based, high-protein beverages that have recently debuted in the market use artificial sweeteners to better deliver on taste, mouthfeel and price, as compared to like products that only use natural sweeteners. 

“This presents a unique opportunity for convenience store retailers and brands that can successfully capture Gen X, and their high degree of brand loyalty,” said Cyhan-Bowles “The intersection of ease of use, convenience and function positions c-stores (globally) to win with Gen X. They’re willing to pay a premium for products that assist or complement their stretched realities.

“Within c-stores, Gen X is the highest-penetration generation across the three leading c-store categories (which are non-alcoholic beverages, salty snacks and candy/gum/mints,” she said. She recommends that brands consider new formats and claims for caregiving, longevity and convenience.

Congrats to all the many brands who exhibited at NACS 2025. Dairy rocked the expo. If you are not marketing to Gen X, now’s the time to consider. And when considering, keep portion control and nutrient density top of mind. 

That’s because, “GLP-1 is not a killer of convenience. In fact, I would argue that convenience is a big friend to GLP-1 consumers,” said Sally Lyons Wyatt, global executive vice president and chief advisor of consumer goods and foodservice insights at Circana. “When you look at the categories that have gained positive shifts in convenience among these customers, it screams that the portion-control convenience offers by having single-serve sizes works.” 

Dairy Innovation Ideas from Europe

 Anuga, the biennial global food exposition that took place this week in Cologne, Germany, , showcased numerous innovations that will influence what fills supermarket shelves in 2026. I scoured the halls of the expo and also visited a number of German retailers to see what’s already out there in order to bring back dairy innovation ideas to inspire the global dairy industry. Enjoy! 

For starters, Euromonitor International recently identified the key trends driving innovation in dairy around the world. Kefir, and similar fermented milk products for gut health, are leading the way, especially when fiber, botanicals and/or nootropics are included. 

Check out this new brand from Arla Foods UK. The Cultura range is all about gut health. The mildly flavored fermented dairy drinks and cup yogurts are lactose free, and loaded with probiotics, vitamins and fiber. The products were designed to deliver “accessible, science-backed nutrition” to British consumers. 

The debut includes six products: three 500-milliliter gut-health milk drinks in Original, Raspberry and Blueberry flavors, and three 450-grams yogurts in Original, Strawberry and Blueberry flavors. The drinks are slightly effervescent, while the yogurts provide a smooth, creamy texture.

Labels indicate the drinks are 89% milk and contain soluble corn fiber and lactase. Key probiotics—all supplied by today’s blog sponsor, Novonesis—include Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5, BB-12 Bifidobacteria and F-19 Lactobacillus casei. The benefits of consuming these cultures are backed by many clinical studies from the past few decades. 

“Our ambition is to become the most trusted, accessible gut-health brand on shelf and to do that we’re launching a major marketing campaign from September 2025 and throughout 2026,” said Stuart Ibberson, Arla brand director. “We want to simplify complex science so consumers can feel confident about ‘giving their gut more’ every day.” 

After the trend in such fermented dairy drinks, Euromonitor cites premium refrigerated creamers that deliver barista-style experiences and trendy flavors as a booming business. Fresh cheeses—everything from cottage-style to feta to grillable formats—are also doing well because of their high-protein content and simple, clean labels.

Innovation in dairy snacks also shows no signs of slowing down. Many of these snacks are targeting specific demographics. 

ERU, for example, has a new cheese spread for children. It contains 40% less fat and 53% less sodium than ordinary cheese spreads. ERU Kids is rich in calcium, mild in flavor and suitable for children over the age of 6 months. 

Bakoma, a dairy processor in Poland, is adding a shake to its MEN Skyr line, which includes cup yogurts and refrigerated snack bars. The brand is all about building and maintaining muscle mass. It is a mixture of yogurt and fruit with live bacteria cultures that are beneficial for the digestive system. The brand emphasizes the branched-chain amino acid content, flagging it on front labels. 

The company also has new Maxi Meal, which is described as a milk-based liquid meal. Each 500-gram bottle provides 34 grams of protein along with 26 essential vitamins and minerals. All of this is communicated in detail on the bottle, a trend that is gaining momentum in beverages intended for every day meal replacements. 

Kerry Dairy Consumer Foods, which launched an oat and dairy hybrid product range last year under the Smug brand, is pivoting. The hybrid line has been cancelled, but the brand will live on in a new range of dairy snacks that will launch in January. The products are all about playful branding with a focus on nutritional benefits. 

Smug is redefining itself as an “adult-snacking dairy brand,” with an emphasis on dairy in the logo. It will include two varieties of Cheese & Crunch, which are cheese cubes with either sea salt rosemary crackers or barbecue corn bites. There’s also Quarkies, bite-sized refrigerated quark bites in raspberry and vanilla flavors.

Recognizing that the humanization of pet foods shows no signs of slowing, dairy processors are getting more creative with their offerings. Dogs have had their own ice cream for some time. Now cats have fresh milk, even value-added offerings, such as this new one with omega-3 fatty acids.  

Ready-to-drink protein coffees have become quite prevalent throughout Europe. The latest dairy to join the trend is Emmi. 

And while the effervescent, shelf-stable canned milk beverage known as Milkis first made its debut in South Korea in 1989 by Lotte, the company has plans for rapid expansion around the world. In the U.S., it complements the dirty soda trend and presents an interesting opportunity for beverage manufacturers. 

The same is true of Aryan, a yogurt drink that has been around forever in the Balkans, Turkey and Iran. The traditional beverage is often described as salty sour, and often served with a sprig of mint. A number of Anuga exhibitors are now offering the beverage in convenient single-serve packages and in flavors, such as melon and mixed berry. 

Hope you are inspired! Cheers!

Anuga 2025: Explore Refrigerated, Frozen and Shelf-Stable Dairy Dessert Innovations

It’s the eve of Anuga 2025, the biennial food and beverage exposition that takes place in Cologne, Germany. This year there will be more than 8,000 exhibitors from 110 countries.

Prior to the expo, 608 companies from 53 countries took part in the Anuga taste Innovation competition, the central showcase for the most important new products. It serves as a trend barometer and source of inspiration for global food businesses. 

I was one of the judges and had the opportunity to explore more than 1,900 innovation submissions. We selected 62 outstanding products for their originality, sustainability, market potential and creative implementation. Ten were distinguished as being especially pioneering. 

Two of the 10 are dairy foods. You got a peek at one of them a few weeks ago when I wrote about the trend in formulating with collagen. If you missed that blog, you can read it HERE. 

The product is Collagen Yoghurt from YÖMilch/DBG Deutsches Biogeschäft GmbH of Germany. The other top-10 winner is from Panfruit Ukraine. The product is shelf-stable, crunchy Freeze-Dried Ice Cream. The winning flavor is Blueberry Blackberry. The product line also comes in traditional ice cream flavors of Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla.  

Two additional dairy foods made it into the 62 outstanding innovations. One of them—another shelf-stable product—is Star Candies Freeze-Dried Vanilla Ice Cream with Protein. This high-protein snack breaks the boundaries between indulgence and functionality by combining real dairy-based ice cream with advanced freeze-drying technology and whey protein enrichment. The other outstanding dairy innovation is frozen Kefir Ice Cream with Berries and Chia Seeds. 

Here are some other innovative dairy foods that were part of the competition. 

Bubble Gum Mochi is a throwback treat with a modern twist. The flavor pops with childhood nostalgia. It’s blue ice cream wrapped in chewy pink and white double dough.

Spectaculoos Mochi features a rich, caramelized cookie flavor in the brown ice cream wrapped in a soft dough of the same shade.

Vilkyškių pieninė / VILVI Group of Lithuania has limited-edition refrigerated Murr Quark Snack Bars made with Japanese green tea matcha. There’s original Matcha, as well as Matcha Strawberry. 

Speaking to gut health, a trend discussed in last week’s blog, which you can read HERE, are a number of elevated frozen yogurt products. Chillato Premium Frozen Dessert from Greece is made with real Greek yogurt and marbled with real fruit. Varieties are Strawberry & Raspberry, Mango & Passion Fruit, Forest Berries & Blackcurrant, and Caramel with Salted Caramel Sauce. 

Ice Cream Bowls from Helados Estiu SA of Spain are real coconut shells filled with creamy açaí mango, mango coconut or açaí banana ice cream. They are designed for health-minded foodies who crave a refreshing, better-for-you treat after a workout. They also may serve as breakfast or a guilt-free treat any time of day. 

South Korea’s Lotte Wellfood Company has Joee Greek Yogurt Frozen Dessert Bars. One bar contains more than 50 million CFU of live probiotics. The bars are coated with Greek yogurt to capture the true fermented dairy flavor.

Chilled Ice Cream Desserts from Álvarez Camacho SL of Spain are handcrafted desserts that combine creamy ice cream with delicious cake pieces. What makes them unique is they are intended to be consumed at refrigerated temperature. They have a three-month frozen shelf life and a 20 day refrigerated shelf life. Varieties are Triple Chocolate, Lemon Meringue Pie, Cheesecake and the Spanish specialty: Tocino del Cielo.

France’s Tiliz has Cookie Balls. Sold in bite-sized pieces in cups, the frozen product features artisanal ice cream wrapped with chocolate chip cookie dough. Varieties are Caramel, Chocolate and Vanilla. 

The Dubai Chocolate Gelato Bomb has three luscious layers of taste: chocolate and pistachio gelato with a core of liquid pistachio all wrapped in pistachio crumble and crunchy kataifi. The product comes from Italy’s Emilia Foods. Other flavors in its Gelato Bomb Collection are Cheesecake, Chocolate, Lemon and Pistachio. They are sold in 2- and 6-pack boxes. 

From Lithuania’s Varenos Pienelis comes Dubai Style Pistachio Flavored Glazed Curd Cheese with Kadayıf Pastry Coating. This refrigerated bar features smooth pistachio-flavored curd cheese with a crispy glaze layered with kadayıf pastry, creating a unique contrast between softness and crunch. 

France’s Onoré has new Chocolate Dubai Glazed Mochi. This pistachio plant-based ice cream with kadaif has a hazelnut-flavored flowing center and is coated in a thin cocoa rice dough.

Gukapang from Lotte Wellfood is a “K-style” dessert inspired by traditional Korean street foods. The 100% plant-based frozen dessert sandwich features sweet red beans and chewy mochi inside of a rice cake wafer cookie. To preserve the chewy texture of the rice cake under freezing conditions, proprietary moisture-retention technology is applied, according to the company. 

Emilia Foods also has new Italian Gelato Macarons. These are French-style macarons filled with gelato. The crisp shell gives way to a burst of extra-creamy Italian gelato. The product is sold in boxes of 12 macarons, with two of six flavors. The varieties are: Chocolate, Hazelnut, Lemon, Pistachio, Raspberry and Sea Salt Caramel. 

And lastly, Lotte Wellfood now offers a 100% plant-based frozen dessert bar for pets and pet parents alike.