Sports nutrition 2025: Protein bars surge despite UPF debate

Health campaigner Joe Wicks might want to look away. The reason: sales of protein bars and other sports nutrition products are booming. Overall value sales of what Wicks called a “ticking time bomb of ultra-processed food” in October have surged 16% on units up 5.2%.

Not that everyone’s cashing in. Market leader Grenade has seen value slide 16.2% and unit sales slump 13.1%. Fulfil and PHD have also suffered significant losses.

Part of the problem is the cost of the brands’ lines versus shoppers’ growing price sensitivity, says Warrior founder Kieran Fisher. “Good quality, healthy products shouldn’t only be available to people who are on London salaries. People should be able to live healthy lives without being ripped off. The average consumer who’s on about £30k a year doesn’t want to be spending £3 on a protein bar. But that doesn’t mean demand isn’t there.”

The affordable prices of Warrior Raw Protein Flapjack Bars (rsp: £1.25) and Warrior Crunch Protein Bars (rsp: £2) have played a role in the brand’s 15.8% value and 4.4% unit gains, Fisher contends.

Lower prices aren’t the only way to gain share, though. Huel has seen value sales surge 60.9% on units up 56.7% thanks to distribution gains and NPD.

The most recent innovation was Lite in October. It’s a lower-calorie version of the brand’s bestselling meal replacement drink (see Top Launch, below). Lite was “our next step, helping us to reach more customers who want nutrient-dense, high-protein functional foods with fewer calories,” Huel sales director Natalie Stanton said at the time.

Other players are investing in point-of-sale marketing. “In-store execution has never been more important as shopper behaviours continue to change,” says Tom Sargeant, commercial director at Glanbia Performance Nutrition. It’s achieved 23.9% value and 27.3% unit growth for its Optimum Nutrition brand.

As sponsor of the McLaren F1 Team, the brand offered the chance to win an F1 experience in Las Vegas via an on-pack promotion in the summer, signposting the offer with free-standing display units and Tesco Clubcard Price deals.

Optimum Nutrition has also run bite-size videos about the nutritional benefits of protein supplements on digital screens in Sainsbury’s. “Navigation and signposting have also been improved to create a clear, mission-led layout that supports faster, more confident shopping,” adds Sargeant.

So, Wicks’ proclamation about the evils of certain sports nutrition products – claims that were widely rejected by nutritionists – don’t appear to have dampened market optimism. Whether they’ll dampen growth will be revealed in coming months.