WATCH: Sports nutrition brands reveal the top trends and their innovations

The mass market is showing a strong interest in sports nutrition that offers soft textured and lower calorie protein bars, indulgent-tasting treats, BCAA’s, high fibre and new formats made for baking.

These are a few of the insights gleaned from the sports nutrition brands exhibiting at the National Convenience Show - one of four food shows run in conjunction with The Ingredients Show – at the Birmingham NEC this week.

Grenade exhibited its new protein bar flavours, including the firm's first vegetarian offering – the dark chocolate and raspberry bar.

Bulk Powders showed their range of Macro Munch bars which the firm argues offer a much softer texture than others on the market, along with plenty of flavour innovations, including an on-trend ‘birthday cake’ addition.

Vitamin Well AB, producer of Nocco (the No Carbs Company) BCAA drinks and and Barebells protein products, displayed its protein bars and milkshakes as well as its newly expanded range of NOCCO drinks which aim to tap into the increasing consumer awareness of the importance of BCAA's. 

Sci-MX Nutrition exhibited its new and revamped Pro2Go range which aims to offer ‘something for everyone’, from big protein flapjacks, to vegan raw bars, to light savoury crisps.

Scitec Nutrition showed off it’s trendy ‘fibres and enzymes’ mix for consumers jumping on the gut health band wagon, as well as lower calorie protein bars for female shoppers and protein cake mixes for those who like to bake with protein shakes. The firm also exhibited its new vegan protein shakes which promise to provide a more creamy and and tasty drinking experience than other vegan shakes on the market.

Oatein, a comparatively new company that has built a loyal following after its appearance on Dragon’s Den earlier this year, revealed to delegates their ‘hot off the press’ protein and oat millionaire slices which aim to appeal to the increasingly health conscious mass market.