Protein is having a serious moment. It's in our breakfast cereals, snack bars, yoghurts, chips and even coffee, and if you've spent any time scrolling Instagram lately, you've probably come across the parody videos poking fun at the trend, with everything imaginable suddenly being marketed as 'high protein'.

The jokes might be exaggerated, but they raise a valid question: has our growing obsession with protein made it easier for food manufacturers to market highly processed products as healthy choices?

Protein is essential for muscle maintenance, recovery, hormone production and many other functions in the body, but as supermarket shelves fill with protein-fortified snacks and everyday products sporting new protein claims, it's worth looking beyond the packaging to understand what we're actually eating.

The Protein Premium – Are We Paying More for Marketing?

A September 2026 investigation by Australian consumer advocacy group CHOICE examined 175 supermarket products and found that those promoting their protein content cost, on average, 50% more per 100 grams than their regular counterparts.

Some differences were striking. High-protein Greek yoghurt cost 86% more, while protein-marketed tortilla chips were an astonishing 886% more expensive than their standard equivalents.

And here's something else worth knowing: a product marketed around its protein content doesn't necessarily contain significantly more protein than the original.

UNSW food scientist Dr Emma Beckett highlighted this in a 2025 analysis, comparing a protein-branded Mini Babybel cheese containing 5g of protein per serving with the original version containing 4.6g.

That's a difference of just 0.4g.
 

Does High Protein Actually Mean Healthy?

In Australia, food manufacturers must meet certain requirements before making protein content claims. Products generally need at least 5g of protein per serving to claim they're a source of protein, or 10g to be described as a good source. An 'increased protein' claim requires at least 25% more protein than a comparable food.

But meeting those requirements doesn't automatically make the product nutritious.

A protein-fortified biscuit, for example, may contain additional protein while still being high in added sugar, saturated fat or sodium.

Nutrition experts refer to this as the health halo effect, where one positive attribute of a product influences our perception of its overall health benefits.

The word 'protein' can be enough to make a familiar snack appear like a healthier choice, even when the rest of its nutritional profile tells a different story.
 

What's Really Inside Your High-Protein Snacks?

Many protein-fortified packaged foods rely on added ingredients such as whey protein concentrate, soy protein isolate or pea protein to boost their protein content.

These ingredients aren't inherently harmful, in fact isolated proteins can be useful for people who struggle to meet their protein requirements through regular meals.

However, some highly processed protein snacks also contain added sweeteners, refined starches, flavourings, emulsifiers and significant amounts of sodium or saturated fat.

What matters is the overall nutritional quality of the food, how frequently you're eating it and what it may be replacing in your diet.

A high-protein packet of chips might provide more protein than ordinary chips, but that doesn't necessarily make it a nutritionally equivalent alternative to a balanced meal or a minimally processed protein source.
 

Why Whole-Food Protein Still Deserves a Place on Your Plate

There's another reason to look beyond protein numbers: whole foods provide a range of nutrients that isolated protein ingredients just don’t.

Eggs deliver protein alongside choline and vitamin B12. Legumes provide protein, fibre and minerals. Fish can supply omega-3 fatty acids, while nuts and seeds offer healthy fats and other important nutrients.

These foods contribute to your overall nutritional intake in ways that aren't captured by a single protein claim.

For most Australians, consuming enough protein isn't necessarily the problem.

According to the CHOICE investigation, most Australians already meet their basic protein requirements through their usual diet, although needs can increase with age, pregnancy, certain medical conditions and higher levels of physical activity.

The goal shouldn't simply be to consume as much protein as possible. It's to consume enough protein as part of a varied, nutritionally balanced diet.
 

Five Things to Check Before Buying a High-Protein Product

The next time you're tempted by a protein-packed snack, take a moment to turn the packet over.

1. Compare protein per 100g. Serving sizes vary between brands, so the per-100g column gives you a more consistent comparison between similar products.

2. Read the ingredient list. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. This helps you identify the main components of the product and understand where its protein is coming from.

3. Check the rest of the nutrition panel. Look at sugars, saturated fat, sodium and fibre, rather than focusing exclusively on protein. Keep in mind that Australian nutrition panels generally list total sugars, not added sugars separately.

4. Compare it with the regular version. You may discover that the difference in protein content is relatively small, even when the price difference isn't.

5. Think about what you're getting beyond protein. Does the food also provide fibre, vitamins, minerals or other valuable nutrients? 

For more guidance, Food Standards Australia New Zealand explains how to interpret nutrition information panels.
 

The Bottom Line

Protein deserves its place in a healthy diet, and convenient protein-enriched foods can certainly have their uses.
But a high-protein label shouldn't be mistaken for a guarantee of nutritional quality.

With more manufacturers capitalising on our appetite for protein, learning to read nutrition panels and ingredient lists is one of the simplest ways to make more informed food choices.

Often, the most nutritious protein options are the everyday foods that don't need a marketing campaign to tell you what's inside.


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