Just earlier this year, the United States unveiled a “historic reset” of dietary guidelines for Americans, with the very first item being “prioritising protein”.
In Singapore, figures from Euromonitor International showed that the sports protein product market here grew from S$106.8 million in 2020 to S$141.5 million in 2025 – an increase of about 33 per cent over five years.
The protein supplements market grew by 18 per cent over the same period, from S$5 million to S$5.9 million.
Although these product categories do not encompass snacks and everyday items with a “high-protein” label, they are indicative of Singaporeans’ growing appetite for the macronutrient.
Dr Low believes that the trend has more staying power than its predecessors.
He drew a distinction between the protein wave and earlier food trends such as plant-based milks or chia seeds, which were anchored to specific foods or categories.
Protein is different because it is a macronutrient that “can be found everywhere, or even added into snacks and other processed foods”, he said.
“That potentially makes the protein trend more durable.”
Ms Fazira sees the same pattern playing out in the data. Protein has spread far beyond its traditional home in dairy, with dairy’s slice of the high-protein packaged food market in the Asia-Pacific region shrinking from 47 per cent in 2020 to 41 per cent in 2025.
The macronutrient is now showing up in snacks, drinks and categories that never used to carry a protein claim.
As for longevity, Ms Fazira expects the current trend to ease off due to “protein fatigue”, as the market gets crowded and products that do not deliver fall away.
However, with wellness priorities among consumers continuously evolving and brands increasingly adopting a health and wellness-first strategy, “it will not be the last we see of it”, she predicted.
For self-professed “carbohydrate-lover” Joy Ong, 27, learning to add more protein in her diet was never about following a fad.
Many of her meals used to consist of potatoes and rice without much meat, so when she started to exercise more often last year, she found herself feeling constantly hungry, which made her eat more and put on more weight.
“This defeated the whole purpose of me working out,” Ms Ong, who is unemployed, said.
After replacing some of her usual carbs with eggs, Greek yoghurt and high-protein milk, she said that she felt “fuller for a longer time” and turned less to snacks.
“Since then, I’ve made a conscious effort to incorporate more protein into my diet, and I don’t see myself going back.”