Consumers can’t seem to get enough protein. In its 2025 Protein Profile released in April, Minneapolis-based Cargill reported that 61% of Americans increased their protein intake in 2024 compared with 48% that reported doing so in 2019. The report also found 57% of those who look at nutrition labels are checking for protein content.

When it comes to demographics, Cargill’s report shows that millennials and Gen Z indicated that protein’s importance extends beyond traditional meals with them embracing on-the-go formats like protein bars, shakes and handhelds.

Plant-based nutrition brand Kate Farms, Goleta, Calif., a brand recently acquired by Danone, is helping deliver on this need when it unveiled its High Protein Nutrition Shake.

Catherine Hayden, chief marketing officer at Kate Farms, shares the influence behind developing the new product stemmed from consumer sentiment.

“As with most of our products at Kate Farms, the High Protein Nutrition Shake originated as an ask from consumers who were unsatisfied with the current options available to them as they sought out a high protein, lower calorie nutrition shake,” she explains. “We reviewed those requests and evaluated the current market trends and dynamics and saw the opportunity to bring our wholesome nutrition with clinical precision to a new-to-us segment of the beverage market.”

She says that market trends continue to reinforce that consumers are seeking ways to add more plants to their diet.

“We are currently seeing plant-based beverages contribute an outsized growth rate compared to the total protein beverage market,” she notes. “At the same time, consumers are becoming more discerning — demanding clean-label options with real nutritional value, not just plant-based for the sake of it.”

Although the product first launched in retail, Hayden says the company started the project “like we would a medical product.” This included learning what consumers are searching for and what nutrition support they might need to support muscle health or on a weigh loss journal that might include a GLP-1, she adds.

“We used those inputs to define what an ideal product nutrition profile would be, and then our Product Development team got to work delivering not only the nutritional profile, but a great taste and texture to delight our consumers,” Hayden says.

The final formulas were then tested with consumers who are routine nutrition shake purchasers, she shares, as well as those who are on a GLP-1 to make sure Kate Farms provided a product that delivered against a range of expectations and consumer health goals.

“Importantly, the formula was shaped by direct feedback from healthcare professionals and GLP-1 users, ensuring it addressed real-world needs like appetite suppression, nutrient gaps and protein loss,” Hayden states.

Like other products in the Kate Farms portfolio, the High Protein Nutrition Shake combines wholesome nutrition with clinical precision. It delivers 25 grams of plant-based protein at 160 calories, making it the highest protein and lowest caloric density in the Kate Farms lineup.

“High Protein Nutrition Shake is the only product in the portfolio to use a sweetener blend of stevia and monk fruit to deliver sweetness without added sugar,” Hayden says. “As with the rest of the portfolio, Kate Farms High Protein Nutrition Shake is unique to the market as we uphold the Kate Farms standard: plant-based, certified USDA Organic and non-GMO, free from the Top 9 allergens as well as gluten, and made without artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners, corn syrup or carrageenan.”

She shares the impact GLP-1 users are having on the CPG market.

“Current market trends that appear to be impacted by the increase in GLP-1 user include overall reduced spend on CPG products, and an increased interest in items that include protein as a key ingredient,” Hayden notes. “We’re also seeing demand grow for clean, nutrient-dense options that support satiety, digestive health and muscle maintenance — needs that extend beyond GLP-1 users and into the broader wellness consumer base.

“It’s designed with input from real users and built to support people navigating meaningful health change — whether through medication, diet or lifestyle,” she continues. “And like all our products, it reflects our mission to make clinically precise, plant-based nutrition accessible for all — and to advance the role of food as medicine.”

The Kate Farms High Protein Nutrition Shake is available for purchase online at KateFarms.com and Amazon.