Everyone’s Chasing Protein. The Original Protein Category Is Still Winning.

Protein is everywhere right now.

Cereal. Popcorn. Soda. Everything seemingly has a protein callout on the front.
But while brands race to reinvent protein, the original protein category has been here the whole time quietly doing the work.

Meat snacks.

At the most basic level, this category does not need a story invented for it. Meat equals protein. And from an ingredient standpoint, it remains one of the most honest and efficient ways consumers get it. No reformulation required.

What has changed is how the category shows up.

Meat snacks used to be dominated by jerky. Today, it is a much broader ecosystem. Meat sticks have exploded. Single-serve formats have multiplied. New brands are entering from club to grocery to c-store, each bringing different flavors, sourcing stories, and price points. You can now find everything from value packs to premium offerings sitting on the same shelf, sometimes in the same store.

From a consumer standpoint, demand is not the issue. This is a repeat-purchase category. When shoppers find something they like, they come back for it again and again.

That is exactly why execution matters so much.

Across stores, what I consistently see is not a lack of innovation but a lack of discipline on shelf. Out-of-stocks that linger. Empty facings that go unfilled. Products designed for pegs placed on shelves with no peg option available. When the cardboard tray or shipper gets damaged or tossed, bags end up lying flat, hidden from shoppers, from AI, from everything.

Those small misses compound quickly.

Phantom inventory starts to creep in. The share of shelf erodes quietly. Premium impulse placements near self-checkout sit empty for days or weeks. And when a loyal buyer reaches for their go-to option and it is not there, they pivot. Often permanently.

I have done this myself. I was a loyal buyer of a specific brand, only to repeatedly find it out of stock. I switched to an alternative and never went back. That is not a dramatic moment. It is a common one. And it happens hundreds of times a day.

What makes the meat snacks category especially challenging is how many places it lives. The main aisle. The front-end transaction zone. Endcaps. Race track displays. Each location serves a different purpose and a different shopper mindset. Meat sticks, in particular, thrive in fast, grab-and-go environments. If those spots are empty, the impulse opportunity disappears instantly.

This is where always-on retail intelligence changes the game.

Visibility allows brands to move from anecdotes to patterns. To understand which SKUs are consistently out of stock. Where packaging is failing to support execution. How pricing varies from gas stations to grocery to club. Who is gaining share of shelf and who is quietly losing it.

It also fundamentally changes how brands show up to buyer meetings. Instead of talking in generalities, teams can walk in with proof. Real photos. Real patterns. Clear examples of what is working and what is not, by channel.

There are incredible brands in this space. Innovative flavors. Thoughtful sourcing. Local and regional players that deserve the empty placements currently sitting unused. But shelf space does not stay open forever. If one brand is not using visibility to stay a step ahead, another one will.

Meat snacks have had a glow-up, but the ceiling is still much higher. If this category wants to fully participate in the protein renaissance, execution has to rise to meet the opportunity.

Because the original protein category is not struggling for relevance.

It is waiting for brands to treat the shelf with the same seriousness they treat innovation.