Growing awareness of the significance of a ketogenic diet for weight loss and weight management is driving consumers to read labels and ingredient lists when shopping for food and drinks. Brands are therefore focusing on innovations to keep up with changing consumer demands for high protein products, says to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Parthasaradhi Reddy, Consumer Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Health is an important motivator for Asian shoppers when buying food and drinks, given the high obesity levels and the need for weight management for better health. As many as 60% of Asian respondents stated that they are always/often influenced by a product’s impact on health and wellbeing when choosing food and drinks.*.”

Consumers are looking to increase the amount of protein in their diet as substantiated by 36% of Asian consumers who concurred that they consume a high-protein diet for 2 to 3 days every week**. In line with this trend, food and beverage brands are focusing on high protein content in their launches. For instance, in mid-January, Epigamia launched a new Turbo line of milkshakes with 25g protein and zero added sugar in India, while Plento, a Singapore-based innovative insect-foods company, unveiled an array of snacks in December 2023 made with cricket flour and pea protein to combat nutrient deficiencies in plant proteins.

Tim Hill, Key Account Director, GlobalData Singapore, adds: “Growing evidence of the effectiveness of high protein intake with carb-restrictive diets on weight management is driving consumers to read labels on nutritional information when choosing a product. As a result, 64% of Asian shoppers are always/often influenced by labeling on protein/carbohydrate/sugar/fibre content when choosing a product^.”

Reddy continues: “Protein content is increasingly seen as an indicator of a product’s health quotient among shoppers amid the growing preference for a ketogenic diet. As many as 40% of Asians claim to look for protein content on packaging when deciding on a product**.”

Hill concludes: “Growing environmental concerns among an increasingly eco-conscious population across Asia are also driving the shift in favor of insect proteins, which is seen as more sustainable with 28% of Asians asserting they have a positive perception of the ingredient**. Moreover, with a rise in health concerns, especially those related to obesity, an increasing number of consumers are expected to opt for high-protein diets, and this can lead to the evolution of a new niche for these products.”

*GlobalData 2023 Q3 Consumer Survey – Asia & Australasia, published in August 2023, 6000 respondents

**GlobalData 2023 Q1 Consumer Survey – Asia & Australasia, published in August 2023, 6000 respondents

^GlobalData 2023 Q2 Consumer Survey – Asia & Australasia, published in December 2023, 6000 respondents