To many consumers, getting that daily protein fix is like a riddle wrapped in an enigma—many are clueless about how much protein they actually need.
Convenience-store retailers and their food-company partners think they have some solutions: Forget the riddle wrapped in an enigma; how about meat snacks or jerky wrapped in a 3.25-ounce package of 12 grams of lean protein?
According to becomehealthynow.com, the average adult requires 0.6 to 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight. A consumer can eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and net 19.6 grams. Wash it down with a 12-ounce can of beer—OK, work with us—and that fetches another 10 grams.
And while they don’t know how much they need, consumers continue to demand types of protein other than traditional center-of-plate lunch and dinner options. Much of this is fueled by the trend toward on-the-run consumption and mini-meals throughout the day.
“You have animal protein, eggs, dairy and cereal, which are all household staples,” says Darren Siefer, a food and beverage industry analyst for Port Washington, N.Y.-based The NPD Group. “At a retailer with so many snacking options in the store, you have to wave your hands in the air and say, ‘We’re over here, too.’ The challenge is getting noticed among the surrounding protein sources in large categories and household staples.”
Siefer told Convenience Store Products that consumers often just wing it with protein intake, never sure if they are getting their daily share. “Seventy-one percent of primary grocery shoppers are not up to speed on the daily amounts of protein needed,” says Siefer. “But the interesting thing is that a lot of people actually meet or exceed the daily recommended value—and don’t know it. They look at their food and say, ‘Here’s an 8-ounce steak; this the protein I need for this meal occasion.’ ”
Hello, meat snacks: Statistics from Nielsen indicate that the household penetration of the product is only 25%, offering a huge market for retailers and suppliers to take advantage of. To get momentum going, Minong, Wis.-based Jack Link’s has created a variety of retail programs around healthy snacking, with protein communication at the forefront. Its Smart Snacking display rolled out during first-quarter 2014 places a finer point on healthy eating, but is also designed to communicate protein values, says Kevin Papacek, director of marketing for the company.
“Smart Snacking tries to keep health top of mind with consumers,” says Papacek. “Protein is always spelled out front and center on our packaging as well.”
The company recently reformulated its turkey jerky line with a package tweak, plus a new color scheme so it stands out from other core products. “It has changed some perceptions where more people now perceive our turkey jerky as a lean source of protein,” Papacek says.
CONTINUED: Day-Part Decisions
Day-Part Decisions
It’s true that many consumers put an emphasis on getting an energy boost in the morning, but protein is often not in the conversation. Suppliers are seeking to turn that around with an emphasis on products such as meat snacks, yogurt and nut- and seed-based snack bars.
“The interesting thing is that most people consume the most protein at dinner time. I am not a dietitian, but most will tell you it’s far healthier to stagger protein consumption throughout the day. It’s better for the metabolism,” says Siefer of The NPD Group. “In that context, I actively listen to what consumers on social media are indicating about jerky and coffee being a great combination in the morning day-part.”
Jack Link’s recently launched a marketing campaign called “Hangry Moments” that centers on “the feeling people get when hunger consumes them, and makes them not themselves,” says Papacek. The campaign expresses how Jack Link’s varieties can fit into different day-parts, starting with the morning, when a dose of protein is essential but not always considered by consumers.
Indeed, other meat-snack companies are taking this approach through morning day-part opportunities and beyond. Seattle-based Oberto believes that c-store retailers are eager for greater support in creating more prominent better-for-you snacking sections, including a strong protein message.
Retailers appreciate the support. “We do not have anything that screams ‘protein’ in our snack aisles,” says Dave Caldwell, customer fanatics director, Taking Care of Me, for North Salt Lake City, Utah-based Maverik, who oversees candy, snacks, tobacco, grocery and general merchandise for the chain of 264 stores.
“There’s no store data that can inform us that protein is a motivator for buying a jerky variety any more than it is about being an on-the-go snack with great taste and bold flavor. Or a product that caters to people seeking an exotic taste,” says Caldwell, whose meat-snack jerky varieties grow at 8% a year, well above the industry category average.
In most Maverik stores, jerky products—including the chain’s own private-label brand—are positioned in four merchandising hot spots. “We get customers coming and going in all directions,” he says.
Mike Ginal, director of marketing for Oberto, says the brand in May launched the largest advertising campaign in its history. Dubbed “You Get Out What You Put In,” the message imparts that “when you put in the best stuff, you will get the best out of it,” says Ginal. Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman and U.S. soccer star Clint Dempsey are both part of the campaign.
This effort follows up on 2013 updates to the brand’s Oh Boy! Oberto All Natural Jerky line. It represented the largest brand overhaul in company history, and it features a new mantra to “Eat Excellent. Be Excellent.”
Oberto also offers a retail-centric program called “America’s Protein” that stresses its American-made values. “We call out the fact that our products are formulated with lean natural protein containing no artificial ingredients,” says Ginal.
For years, Maverik has featured a prolific meat snack and jerky marketing program for customers, and Caldwell doesn’t see the movement slowing down: “Jerky is huge for us. It’s a perfect grab-and-go snack that caters to the prototypical Maverik customer who lives a very active lifestyle.”
At the transaction counter, the chain positions Maverik-brand jerky—the top-selling in-store brand—with other jerky brands, as well as Maverik Bonfire chips. Depending on the store size, each location assembles at least 2- or 3-foot racks by each check stand, says Caldwell.
Stores also have a bulk jerky and single-serve endcap display adjacent to the checkout, and a back-of-store jerky section that triggers cross-promotions of beer and soft drinks. In addition to endcap displays, larger stores feature in-line jerky sections, Caldwell says.
Pushing its own propriety brand, which usually has a more attractive price point, Maverik recently introduced a hot-and-spicy variety to the line. The new item was done with consumer focus groups building the consensus so Maverik could “get exactly what we wanted in flavor and taste quality,” Caldwell says.
CONTINUED: Why Protein, Why Now?
Why Protein, Why Now?
“There is always something in the food industry that pushes the envelope on a certain health value, be it low-carb, whole grains, gluten-free, low-fat and more,” says Siefer of The NPD Group.
It’s time to shine the light on protein—portable snack protein, particularly.
“I think that protein is part of the mentality to eat something that performs a function, and you don’t have to think about it. It’s become part of the vernacular of nutrition management.”
“Protein is something consumers are not that knowledgeable about, so more manufacturers are calling out protein grams on their packaging,” says Kristen Hamby, snacks category manager for Temple, Texas-based McLane Co. Inc. “Consumers shop by day-part, so we encourage them to choose a protein snack in place of a meal. Stats show consumers eat healthy at the start of the day, so retailers should merchandise according to that and pinpoint what snacks they are looking for tied to [that] day-part.”
Siefer believes c-store retailers should capitalize on consumers who align best with what they have to offer.
“Stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s are where people go for the gold standard of protein,” he says. “I think you have one ‘in-between’ group where protein is important but not a big deal. These folks are likely to be found in dollar, drug and c-stores. So c-store should go after that in-between group that’s a bit indifferent."
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