search
en
At the same time, increasing protein content can present formulation challenges, often affecting taste and texture. Explore high-protein dairy solutions that taste sweet, creamy, and indulgent - while delivering full flavor and mouthfeel.
Yogurt
Ice Cream
Flavored Drinks
Desserts
Cheese
Today’s consumers pay great attention to their health and increasingly consider how their diet influences overall well-being. According to the 2024 Euromonitor Health & Nutrition Survey, 61% of global consumers are actively working to improve their diets. As a result, functionality is trending with protein and high protein products at the centre of this trend. (FoodNavigator, March 2025)
Protein is widely recognized for supporting muscle health, immune function, cognitive performance, and weight management, partly because high-protein foods naturally stimulate GLP-1 secretion. This makes high-protein dairy products an effective way to support appetite and glucose regulation in consumers.
A growing demand
As a result, dairy is re-emerging as a health and wellness powerhouse - with a projected CAGR of 6.6% in value until 2029 across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Its naturally high protein content, minimal processing, and inherent health properties make it especially attractive to nutrition-savvy consumers.
In fact, protein content now ranks as the second most-checked nutritional attribute on dairy packaging - closely following sugar content.
FMCG Gurus, 2024, top 3 types of information consumers checking when buying dairy
High protein content
Consumers are actively seeking dairy products with high protein content. High-protein yogurts and milk-based protein drinks have recently gained significant traction, capturing the attention of health-conscious buyers. These categories present strong opportunities for innovation, with more than 50% of consumers purchasing these products in the past six months (FMCG Gurus, 2019/2023).
While protein's functional benefits - particularly for muscle development - continue to drive consumption, today’s consumers also want indulgence. They have abandoned choosing between nutrition and pleasure; they expect both.
FMCG Gurus, 2019/2023
Consumers are seeking healthy indulgence – they want to enjoy a delicious treat without feeling guilty about eating something unhealthyEmmanuelle Moretti, Sr. Category Manager Dairy, EAME
Besides innovative high-protein formats such as ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages and dairy-free alternatives, high-protein yogurts continue as a staple in the dairy markets of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The share of products featuring high or added-protein claims continues to grow, reflecting rising consumer demand for functional nutrition. Additionally, high-protein claims are often associated with additional health-related claims, such as “low/no fat” or “no added sugar”.
Then again, increasing or reformulating protein content can impact key sensory attributes – including taste, texture, mouthfeel, and flavor release – in products like yogurts and milk-based beverages. This presents a formulation challenge, making it essential to carefully balance sweetness perception, acidity, and astringency to deliver on the growing demand for healthful indulgence.
Discover how we can help you develop high-protein dairy products tailored to your consumers’ needs – from breakfast bowls to indulgent evening treats.
Your product.
Tailored to market & consumer needs.
Our in-depth research and proprietary marketing tools, i.e. trendscope™, help you translate insights into actionable strategies. We analyze how shifts in the market environment shape consumer preferences and decode the latest food and beverage trends - so you can stay ahead of demand with confidence.
Your taste.
Balanced, healthy, & indulgent.
Our technical experts support you in optimizing recipe development by analyzing the taste profile of your base and selecting the best flavor fit adapted to your base. Ensuring your products meet consumer expectations for both health and indulgence. With advanced analytical tools like ProtiScan™, excellent taste-balancing solutions like symlife™ and a broad flavor portfolio - including options like vanilla, strawberry, yellow fruits, and chocolate - we help enhance taste profiles, mask off-notes, and balance sweetness, texture, and mouthfeel. Our solutions are designed to meet every budget, from premium to affordable.
Your innovations.
Validated, future-ready, & market-aligned.
Our advanced consumer and sensory insights capabilities help you validate product concepts across key markets with confidence..
With our proprietary trend prediction tool Symvision AI™, we identify emerging opportunities early – helping you anticipate what’s next and launch breakthrough innovations ahead of the curve. In addition, our deep expertise in dairy alternatives can support your expansion into new growth areas - especially in the evolving world of high-protein innovation.
Your claims.
Clear, compliant, & confident.
Our regulatory experts guide you through complex compliance requirements and provide support at every stage of your product development – making your health and nutrition claims both credible and market-ready.
Read more about how we help you stay ahead in innovation for dairy-free products.
We’ve analyzed the high-protein dairy yogurt market and understand how it differs from regular products. By mapping the sensory profiles of existing offerings, we’ve identified the specific parameters to adjust to create the ideal creamy texture that delivers healthy indulgence in high-protein dairy products.Aurelie Zentz, SCI Project Leader, Dairy EAME
