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Protein demand accelerates in the US and Europe
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US 🇺🇸
The following graphs come from an annual survey of 3,000 US consumers from the New Consumer study (already referenced in the previous Watch on health and GLP-1 adoption).
Google searches for “protein” in the US have steadily increased over the past two decades, reaching a new all-time high in 2025.
In line with the strong interest in tailored nutrition and services among GLP-1 users (90%), 29% of respondents say they aim to increase their protein intake this year, and around one quarter believe their current intake is insufficient, particularly Gen X and younger consumers.
Younger consumers (Gen Z and Millennials) view protein fortification as more natural and show greater interest in trying protein-enhanced products than Gen X and older consumers.
Europe 🇪🇺
The following data come from a survey of 20,000 European consumers conducted in mid-2025:
51% of consumers would like to eat healthier, making health the primary dietary priority across Europe.
31% of respondents say they aim to increase protein intake, while 62% consider their current consumption sufficient.
Younger consumers (18–35) are twice as likely as those over 55 to want to increase protein intake (44% vs 22%).
Comment: US consumers show stronger engagement with protein innovation, while European consumers, despite a similar age effect, perceive less need to change their diets.
**Consumer Trends & DairyReporter (PDFs available below)**
Consumer Trends 2026 Food Beverage.pdf
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Taste remains the key driver of plant-based dairy adoption
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Plant-based reaches $28.9B as alternative proteins face funding slowdown
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The Good Food Institute published its latest State of the Industry reports across plant-based, fermentation and cultivated proteins in 2025, with the following key trends:
Fermentation advanced in innovation and scale-up, supported by growing public investment, but faced declining funding, cost and infrastructure constraints, and uneven commercial maturity.
Cultivated proteins gained regulatory momentum, and the sector saw increased consolidation amid funding challenges and scale-up difficulties.
Plant-based showed modest global sales growth, reaching $28.9B (+3%):
Europe drove growth, while the US declined (–2%), with strong global performance in meat analogues (+8%).
Dairy alternatives dominate (77.5% of total sales, $22.7B), led by plant-based milk ($18.2B), while cheese remains a small segment (<$1B).
Prices remain higher than conventional products, although the gap narrowed in 2025, with some categories approaching parity (beef).
Public support expanded globally (notably in China and the European Union), but remains fragmented and insufficient to fully support scale-up.
**The Good Food Institute (see the full reports in PDF below)**