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How chicken wins the high-protein trend battle
217 Plays9 days ago
Take a look at the factors motivating the high protein trend and how chicken can stand out in this episode from Elizabeth Doughman, editor, WATT PoultryUSA and Poultry Future, and Kevin Ryan, founder and CEO, Malachite Strategy and Research.
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Transcript
Introduction and Summit Overview
00:00:00
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Future of Poultry podcast series.
00:00:12
Speaker
Hello, I'm Elizabeth Duffman, the editor Watt Poultry USA and Poultry Future. This future poultry podcast is brought to you by the 2026 Chicken Marketing Summit, scheduled for July twenty seven through 29th at the Innesbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida.
00:00:29
Speaker
This one of a kind event will feature the theme, the protein moment. Attendees will discover how protein-first eating, clean label preferences, and GLP-1 drugs are transforming consumer demand and how the chicken industry can win.
Guest Introduction and Protein Trends
00:00:43
Speaker
Registration is now open at chickenmarketingsummit.com. In today's episode, my guest is Kevin Ryan, founder and CEO of Malachite Strategy and Research and keynote for the 2026 Chicken Marketing Summit.
00:00:57
Speaker
Thanks for joining me today, Kevin. Great to be here. First, what's driving the shift towards high-protein diets for consumers? Yeah, that's a really big question. And probably one that a lot of people want to know. I think there's a lot of factors driving high protein. I mean, protein in general, I think is being driven by the fact that it is the one macronutrient, you know, not carb, not fat, that you are never told to not eat in a sense, right? you Eat less of like everyone always is like, well, maybe we should eat less fat or, you know, eat less carbs. No one has ever said eat less protein because protein is always a positive. It's adding more. versus fat and carbs have always been a kind of subtract. So ah protein has always been that kind of add it because i can do something good with it. And by that, I mean, is add muscle, tone, all that. And it really kind of speaks to where consumers are at the moment, which is about optimization. I always like to think that we're on a
00:01:57
Speaker
trajectory as for consumers about optimization. And what I mean by that is your body is a project. Everyone is, you know, working on something, you know, it's either you're working on your sleep or working on whatever, but protein kind of fits into a lot of things like that. It's, it can help me tone, it can help me get bigger, it can help me, um you know, some people say that, it you know, it helps me slim down, it helps me, it it does a lot of things. So When people are looking to um you know add protein, it often is, well, I'll add protein, it'll make me more satiated, it'll make me look better, it'll take out all the bad things. So that's why I think protein is such a popular nutrient is because it hits on so many buttons for people.
Consumer Perceptions of Protein Sources
00:02:41
Speaker
How does the ultra processed foods backlash intersect with the high protein trend? Yeah, so I think the the way to think about it is ah we need to separate out ultra processed or what processing means, I should say. ah you know The idea of ultra processed is not completely there for most U.S. consumers. I would actually say that some UK, EU consumers are actually more on board with it, but you can see it coming.
00:03:09
Speaker
You can see it coming within the U.S. consumer. Right now, I think for most consumers, the ultra processed is more about, I know it when I see it kind of thing. So when they see something that is in their mind, quote unquote, junk food, they'll say that's ultra processed. But at the same time, some of them will be saying, well, I eat protein bars or i eat protein shakes. And in the technical sense, that is ultra processed. I mean, it kind of fits a lot of the the technical ultra processed. So but from a consumer point of view, the idea of process is more to do with not manipulating it too much. And I think that's where that high protein kind of comes together with ultra processed. And you're starting to see this. You're starting to see people kind of look toward whole protein or identifiable sources of protein, because that is kind of the opposite of
00:04:06
Speaker
ultraprocesed ultra Ultra processed is about breaking things down into powders and slurries and making them almost anonymous. Whereas the high protein trend, and especially like a whole protein trend like chicken, really speaks to less anonymous, right? I know what a chicken breast is. I know what chicken thigh is and all that. So I think that's how you're seeing the intersection taking place. It doesn't mean that there aren't people out there who aren't, you know, backlash against ultra process and also eating a high protein diet that is mostly protein bars and protein shakes. But you're seeing the movement more toward identifiable protein in this trend.
00:04:48
Speaker
The example I always like to give, and I think I read it in your newsletter, actually, of the the ultra processed high protein is the idea of a Pop-Tart with protein in it. yeah You know, if you are looking for high protein, especially as a way to get healthy, maybe that's you're not looking at a Pop-Tart with protein. right I know personally when I buy Pop-Tarts, that's not my priority is is health. Yeah. yeah and I've often thought you know that's how we've seen that the protein trend is. I wouldn't say it's its it's jumped the shark in that sense. right It's more about the idea that it's got an inflection point when you start seeing high-protein Pop-Tarts. It's in at an inflection point. And I think the ultra-processed aspect of it and the idea of the move toward whole whole you know hole identifiable protein is probably that pivot point that we're at right now.
Future of Chicken Consumption and Marketing Strategies
00:05:39
Speaker
So what are these trends, both of high protein and moving away from ultra processed, what does this mean for the next 18 months of chicken consumption? I mean, i I do think that what you'll see is definitely a move toward more, as I said, identifiable aspects. And I think chicken wins in that sense, because of that. I, you know, I i want protein that I know, i want protein that I can identify, and I know that chicken is high in protein. So I think it really speaks quite well to where chicken is going because it really does fit that moment and affordability. You know, as people look toward trying to, you know, avoid ultra processed or highly processed, whatever definition they use and eat more protein, they're going to move toward chicken just because it's, you know, it's one of the the least expensive protein, whole protein options that they can afford.
00:06:29
Speaker
Are there lessons from how other industries have positioned themselves in the high protein space that you think chicken producers should adopt or avoid? If anything, I think avoiding bland notes are ah bland benefits that can't be differentiated. And what I mean by that is just, you know, calling out just grams of protein. I mean, yes, that always works. And for for a consumer that's not paying tons of attention that, you know, they're not, but To differentiate, it's hard. I mean, going back to the Pop-Tart example, you know, yes, you called out six grams or eight grams or whatever, how many grams of protein they put on there. But in a space that's full of protein already, and a lot of these categories, and especially the meat case is going to be all protein, right?
00:07:15
Speaker
you've got to think a little further out. So I think that one thing to avoid is thinking a little bit deeper about what chicken could kind of do. So I think that's one. And then the other is just think a little bit deeper about what else you have going.
00:07:32
Speaker
So it's always going to be protein and something. In some categories, not chicken probably, but in some categories, you're seeing ah protein plus fiber becoming a really big ah differentiating point. or protein plus probiotics or prebiotics is becoming a thing. I think for chicken, they're really going to have to think about what it is else you can own ah own as the protein plus part of it. And I think that there's definitely a category benefit when you just think of chicken in general, but I think that there's probably ownable things that each producer could probably do in different ways that could that could you know make them stand out when they think about how they could think about protein in a different way.
00:08:15
Speaker
Well, so what can chicken producers do to differentiate themselves in this high protein marketplace? A lot of the things that they were doing before probably speak to it, but now thinking about it from ultra-processed angle or other things, you have to start thinking about how, again, you can do that protein plus. So I'll give you example.
00:08:37
Speaker
you know, you can definitely call out the protein that you have, you can talk about, you know, complete protein and all of that. But then from the ultra process side, adding that piece in can give you a sense of how you produced it, who produced it, all the things that you think of from the transparency sense that you've seen for about a decade. If you add that on this sense of ultra processed, not ultra processed in this sense, that actually can make a difference. Because what you're doing is you're saying, you know what, we're real chicken.
00:09:07
Speaker
We were made on this farm. You know, we were made in this way. And this is all that went into it. That kind of stuff, that kind of story can really kind of, you know, help folks. Another story that you could do is the protein and then what it can do for you. um One thing we haven't talked about so far is GLP-1. And I think in this world of high protein, GLP-1 is definitely, you know, one of the drivers as well, because people are looking for very nutrient dense.
00:09:37
Speaker
And what that means is high satiety, high protein items. And I think that really speaks to what chicken can win as well. And so you put that together. And I think that's a differentiator for chicken, because I think you're able to say, It's less expensive than a lot of the other things on the market, especially now as beef prices are extremely high.
00:09:57
Speaker
You can see how, you know, it could be and a win saying we're protein. Plus, we're here for these benefits, whether or not it's less processed than some of the other proteins that could be out
Health Benefits and Summit Registration
00:10:08
Speaker
there. We're less processed, we're available for you know high satiety for for those who are on GLP-1, good source of protein.
00:10:16
Speaker
There's also benefits from the protein perspective that GLP-1 users are looking for. So for example, like loss of muscle mass, that's why they need protein, you know, and you see some GLP-1 users, you know, like hair loss and all of that kind of stuff. So there's benefits to kind of play into here to differentiate in the sense of we're a good source of protein and, you know, so it's that protein plus.
00:10:40
Speaker
Thanks again, Kevin, and thanks to you for tuning in. To hear more of Kevin's insights and learn more about the consumer behavior and trends impacting today's chicken consumption, register to attend the 2026 Chicken Marketing Summit at chickenmarketingsummit.com.
00:10:55
Speaker
For more episodes of the Future of Poultry podcast, please like and subscribe on wattpoultry.com or wherever you access podcasts.