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New York Times
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Protein Is in Everything These Days. Even Popcorn.
Cereal. Ice cream. Flavored sparkling water. A Snickers bar. Donuts and brownies. Candy. What sounds like the treats table at a child's birthday party is, in fact, a list of snacks that can now be found crammed with protein. Next week, Khloé Kardashian, the reality TV star and entrepreneur, will add her Khloud Protein Popcorn to the list . Her popcorn will come in three different flavors: white Cheddar, olive oil and sea salt, and sweet and salty. It will contain 7 grams of protein per serving, derived from the popcorn's 'Khloud Dust,' which is a blend of milk proteins and seasoning, according to a statement from Ms. Kardashian's company, Khloud Foods. 'I've always been a snacker and constantly on the lookout for options that are convenient, healthy, and actually taste good,' Ms. Kardashian said in an emailed statement. With Khloud, Ms. Kardashian added, she wanted to create a snack that ticked those boxes and was 'something I'd feel good sharing with family and friends.' The introduction of Khloud Popcorn, which Ms. Kardashian announced on social media this week, fits with a broader food trend. Experts call it the 'proteinification' of snacks, or desserts, or basically 'everything,' said Jonathan Deutsch, a professor of culinary arts and science at Drexel University and a trend spotter for the Specialty Food Association, a national organization of food and beverage businesses. The brands hope to cash in on growing consumer demand for protein, which is driven largely by social media. A trend report by Cargill, a company that sources and processes ingredients for food manufacturers, showed that 61 percent of surveyed consumers noted that they were hoping to increase their protein intake in 2024, up from 48 percent who said so in 2019. Sixty-three percent of consumers reported that they were looking for protein in their snacks in 2024. The trend also stems from increased use of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, like Ozempic and Mounjaro, said Dr. Lisa Young, a nutrition consultant and adjunct professor of nutrition at New York University. Those who use the weight-loss drugs report not only a loss in appetite but also a loss of muscle mass, which means that they are likely to try to pack as much protein as possible into the little that they do eat. But, Dr. Young added, even people using GLP-1 drugs need only a fraction more protein than the recommended amount for an adult, which is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. People on the weight-loss drugs, and those who do intense workouts, like weight training, are advised to shoot for 1.2 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Protein-enriched snacks, she added, can also fall under the category of ultra-processed foods, the consumption of which, she cautioned, can add to gut problems. From a marketing perspective, Mr. Deutsche said, there are only three macronutrients that the food industry can try to target in its new product lines: fat, carbs and protein. 'They're not going to have a 'fat popcorn' and they're not going to have an 'extra-carb popcorn,'' he said. 'That leaves one macronutrient, right?' According to Mr. Deutsche, an apple or popcorn 'as God made it,' or even just a glass of water, could be seen as the ideal snacks for most people because, 'when you walk around civil society, you're not stumbling over people with protein deficiencies.'
Chicago Tribune
10-02-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: The price of eggs? Just one sore spot in a food economy that has Americans on edge
It's getting painfully expensive to eat. We realize that's not a news flash, but it's what's on Americans' minds. No wonder. Among the necessities of life, food — sustenance — is close to the top. President Donald Trump took office promising 'on day one' to reduce grocery prices that were a significant factor in voters' unhappiness with the administration of President Joe Biden. Not surprisingly, economic principles such as supply and demand and market competition (not to mention a bird flu that has wreaked havoc on egg supplies) so far have proven stronger than any immediate force Trump has been able to exert to make good on that unrealistic pledge. In some visible ways, the situation has gotten worse in these early days of Trump 2.0. Newspapers nationwide reported last week that Waffle House, the restaurant chain ubiquitous in the Southeast, had imposed a 50-cent surcharge on all eggs used in its meals. Many other diner-style restaurants around the country have done the same, including in Chicago. The causes of stubbornly high food costs are varied, though, many of which have little or nothing to do with politics. We traveled last month to the Specialty Food Association trade show in Las Vegas to talk to some local business folk on the front lines and got an earful. Xcell International in southwest suburban Lemont sells containers of sprinkles, spices and other kitchen stuff. It's a serious business that requires millions of glass jars, acres of cardboard for boxes and labor to get its products on the shelves of retailers like Walmart and neighborhood grocery stores. Wherever he looks, it seems, Xcell President Robert Day sees upward pressure on prices. 'We fight so hard to keep our prices down,' said Day, holding a jar of orange sugar crystals. 'I try to be a positive person, but are we headed for the biggest inflation ever?' Some of Xcell's woes are due to conflicts far from our shores. Ukraine, for example, is the world's leading grower of sunflowers. Before the war with Russia, many of those seeds were pressed into oil in Russian factories and then processed into an ingredient used for Xcell candy sprinkles. When Russia's attack on Ukraine disrupted the market for sunflower oil, that led to upward price pressure on a sweet little product few would have thought vulnerable to geopolitics. Similarly, chocolate prices have soared because of problems thousands of miles away in West Africa. Cocoa beans grow in a narrow region around the equator that has suffered from drought and crop disease as the climate has warmed, cutting deeply into production. Lamenting 'these inflationary times,' Illinois-based Arway Confections & Long Grove Confectionery Co. this fall announced higher wholesale prices, blaming not only cocoa but also 'the continued inflation on other raw materials, overheads and labor.' Trump's saber-rattling on trade is exacerbating these challenges. Consumers braced in recent weeks for sharply higher prices on avocados and cherry tomatoes, among other items, when Trump announced 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada. He paused the tariffs for 30 days after the two nations made concessions on border security that may or may not have been meaningful concessions. But the threat of tariffs on two close allies that happen also to be our biggest trading partners persists. Markets reacted poorly when Trump announced those tariffs and then recovered quickly when he relented. But jittery Wall Street traders aren't the only people paying attention. Consumer sentiment measured by University of Michigan researchers fell this month to its lowest level since July, with consumers expecting sharply higher inflation over the coming year. More than one consumer interviewed by The Wall Street Journal attributed their fears to Trump and the threat of tariffs. Food industry folks in Las Vegas were just as nervous. Agron Kosova of Fine Italian Food in west suburban Bolingbrook told us the potential for tariffs targeting the products he imports leaves him with a helpless feeling. 'If you have a tax on Italy and Spain but not Turkey, it's not fair. It's not right,' he said. 'But until it's done, and you know the numbers, it's guessing.' Some in the industry bear their share of the responsibility as well, at least for the past run-up in inflation that caused so much public angst. While many companies big and small say they have tried to hold down prices, some evidence suggests that gouging has occurred. Profit margins for food and beverage retailers shot up in recent years, outpacing costs, while some manufacturers reduced the size of products while charging the same or higher prices, a phenomenon known as 'shrinkflation.' The bottom line is that food prices have soared about 30% over the past five years, and the situation seems to be worsening. The ripple effects extend beyond household budgets to the beleaguered restaurant and hospitality industries. The egg shortage, caused mainly by a virus decimating the hen population, likely would be happening regardless of the machinations of politicians or business people. Despite Trump's promises to roll back price increases that already have occurred, a president's powers are relatively limited when it comes to market forces, as many Trump predecessors have found to their chagrin (including Joe Biden). But what we can — and should — expect of Trump at the very least is not to make these problems worse. Continued needless economic threats against friendly nations that play a vital role in keeping food on our tables at a reasonable cost is likely to do exactly that.
