More per Bite: Turn wellness into market success
21 Apr 2026 | Valio
As wellness becomes a lifestyle driver, consumers expect more from every bite. Gut health, high protein and GLPI-1 medications are reshaping food choices – accelerating demand for nutrient-dense, multifunctional products that deliver tangible benefits in compact formats.
In this webinar Valio’s Consumer Insight Manager Sara Helminen explores the forces behind the “More per Bite” phenomenon and what they mean for product development. The presentation dives into why food is increasingly more than just food, how smaller portions must deliver higher value, and why the protein boom is shifting from quantity to quality. She also highlights how gut health is entering the mainstream and the resulting opportunities this creates for FMCG brands.
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Hello and welcome to today's webinar titled More Per Byte Turn Wellness into Market Success by Valio.
Valium is a Finnish dairy company known for its high quality, innovative products that prioritize health and sustainability.
My name is Josh Chapaul and I'm the senior editor of Food Ingredients First, a world leading B2B news and insights website published by CNS Media.
So I'm pleased to introduce today's expert speakers, Sarah Helmann, who is consumer insight Manager at Valeo, and Dennis Van De Veer, head of customer development at Valo.
So as wellness becomes a key lifestyle focus, consumers expect more from every bite.
Gut's health, high protein and GLP1 medications are transforming food choices, driving demand for nutrient-dense, multifunctional products and offer tangible benefits in compact formats.
In this webinar, Sarah will examine the forces behind the more per bite trend and their impacts on product development.
She explores why food is evolving beyond basic sustenance, how smaller portions must provide greater value, and why the protein may be shifting from quantity to quality.
She also discusses how gut health is going mainstream and the opportunities this creates for FMCG brands.
Meanwhile, Dennis will help us understand how to turn these insights into commercial applications.
It will answer questions like what do these shifts mean for food manufacturers, how will they be reflected on the shelf, and how can multifunctional dairy ingredients help brands develop high value concepts across categories.
So welcome to both Sarah and Dennis.
A short Q&A session will follow our speakers' presentations, and before we get started, I'd like to remind all our listeners that they can submit questions to our speakers through the Q&A engagement tool.
Any questions that we don't have time to respond to today can be answered via email.
This webinar will also be available on demand, and, and a link to view the on-demand webinar will be emailed to you after its conclusion.
With that said, let's begin today's webinar with our speaker's presentation before we round off with a Q&A session.
So, hello, everyone.
It's really great to be here today.
My name is Sarah Helminen and I will be one of your hosts.
And I have to be, this feels quite exciting, almost like being in a talk show, but hey, let's do it and I really hope you will enjoy this day's presentation.
And I said, my name is Sarah Helminen and I come from the Consumer Insight team of Valo, which is Finland's biggest dairy and food company, and we have also exported to over 50 countries globally, but my lovely colleague Dennis will tell you a bit more about Valio in his presentation after my part, so please stay tuned.
In our consumer insight team, we focus on understanding how people's food habits and expectations are evolving over time, and over the past years, one message has come through clearly across all the research, reports and signals we have followed.
The health and -being trend just keeps on growing and becoming a stronger driver of people's food choices.
At the same time, consumers are looking for the, for more value, which means food that delivers something meaningful.
And that's why my presentation today is called More per bite, and I will tell you a bit later what does it mean and how does it look from the consumer perspective.
But hey, I think we should start by looking at our agenda for today.
I will start by looking at why wellness has become such a strong everyday lifestyle driver.
Then I will explain that what the more per byte phenomenon really means for consumers and for FMCG companies.
After that, we will look at how the protein landscape is evolving, why gut health has gone mainstream, and finally, what all of this means for FMCG companies in practice.
And I said, I'm not your only host today.
My Lovely colleague, Dennis, again, will take you then after my part into the practical side and show you some concrete and inspiring examples of how this evolving consumer needs and expectations are met in real life and in real products.
But hey, I think it's better to start and let's take a look at the bigger picture and what consumers value the most today and why wellness has become such an everyday lifestyle driver.
Consumers are increasingly making choices with their future health in mind, which means that wellness is no longer something people think about only when something goes wrong.
Rather, it has become an everyday practice.
And the goal is very simple.
People want to stay , not just get.
And the shift from the reactive to a more proactive mindset has changed everything, and consumers aren't looking for any big and complicated lifestyle fixes, but rather those simple daily habits that help them feel good and stay balanced.
At the same time, -being is seen as a truly holistic concept, which means that consumers no longer separate the physical part and the mental part of health.
They see mood, stress, sleep, energy, and even their appearance as part of the same one system.
And unfortunately, in this very uncertain world we are living in, many feel anxious and stressed, which is why mental -being has become just as important, if not more important than the traditional physical health.
So feeling calm and emotionally balanced is the new definition of being healthy for many.
And I think this is good news for all of us working in the FMCG industry as food is at the heart of this shift.
Food is seen as an everyday tool for feeling better and functioning better at every stage of life, and that's why those functional benefits have truly entered the mainstream.
And I think most importantly, consumers, or more and more consumers are looking for those benefits outside of supplements.
They expect those tables, everyday foods like snacks, drinks, beverages, yogurts, and smoothies to do something for them, to help them relax, to help them sleep better, to help them stay focused, or to keep their digestion balanced.
So, when wellness has become the baseline, and not just some bonus, consumer expectations have risen, and that's why.
Increasingly, people want to understand why a product works, what's inside it, and how it supports their wellness goals, their individual health and wellness goals.
So you could say that consumers are more demanding and more curious than ever.
And when it comes to food, you should not forget the golden rule of everything.
No health benefit matters if the product doesn't taste great.
But hey, mm, let's move on to the more per byte term and what's behind this more per byte phenomenon.
One of the biggest forces that shape people's eating habits today is the so-called GLP-1 effect, but what does it mean?
Over the past year, these different GLP1 medications, for example, like Ozempic, have moved from an emerging topic to an increasingly mainstream weight management tool, especially in the US but also now with rising popularity in Europe.
But what is the logic behind these medications and why do they matter?
Firstly, They reduce appetite and help people feel full sooner, and the logic is that when people are eating less, their expectations rise, and that is why every bite has to count.
But I think the most interesting part of this whole phenomenon is that as these GLP-1 medications have entered the mainstream everyday conversations, they have started to influence how people think about food in general, meaning that even the non-users of these medications have adopted the same mindset, which is smaller portions and higher value.
And we really should not underestimate the potential influence this GLP-1 effect may have, as up to 20% of people in some regions have already reportedly used these medications.
So, consumers are becoming more mindful of portion size, satiety, and the nutritional value of their choices.
And that's why food is no longer judged just, just by how much there is, but what it delivers.
And this is why nutrient density has become essential.
And more and more people are asking very simple, very practical questions like, is this food worth calories?
Does it nourish me?
And will it actually keep me satisfied, and for how long does it keep me satisfied.
So, the new baseline for food is quite clear, less volume and more value, and all these food and drink products really need to live up to that expectation.
And when it comes to ingredients, protein and fiber are central to this conversation.
Protein is the one that helps people feel full and also supports their muscle maintenance during the possible weight loss phase, and fiber, which was once seen as a worthy but a bit boring ingredient or at worst was not considered at all, has finally stepped into the spotlight.
Fiber has actually quite a strong health halo, but it's not the star ingredient alone.
It works best as a supportive benefit, especially alongside protein, and together they form a true power pair for fullness, for digestion, and for gut health in a way that feels both natural and functional.
So, to put this slide on this whole phenomenon simply, the GLP1 effect will not just change how much people eat, but what they look for in food.
And when portions get smaller, expectations get bigger, and you need more bang for your bite.
OK, let's see how the protein landscape is evolving.
I could start by saying that protein is the king and the cornerstone of everything, but consumers' understanding of protein quality has grown quickly.
People are learning that not all protein feels the same or tastes the same, and that protein quality can, for example, affect their digestion.
As a result, the conversation has shifted, and people aren't just chasing the highest protein grams per serving.
Rather, they want to know where does this protein come from, how natural is it, and how does it make me feel.
So nutrient density and the protein source now matter more than the quantity alone, and this shift strongly benefits those naturally protein-rich foods, especially dairy proteins stand out for their quality, their taste, and their digestibility, and of course for being considered as a familiar and real food.
In addition, and I think this is maybe the key, most consumers already perceive dairy as an excellent source of high quality protein, and they know that dairy works across formats people are already using every day, like yogurts, puddings, drinks, smoothies, hot beverages, even snacks.
So you don't have to explain or teach them the goodness, the benefits, or the usage of dairy proteins.
But it should also be remembered that eating today is very flexible and people aren't choosing their side.
So, although, also those plant-based proteins have a role in this game.
People might, for example, choose plant-based proteins during the week and then switch to animal proteins at the weekend, and this all happens without turning it to any identity statement or whatever.
So eating is eating today is all about balance, mood, and what just feels right in that specific moment.
So, if you ask me, I could say that yes, protein is absolutely still booming and it's going to be booming, but now the focus is on quality, the origin, and the whole eating experience, how the product tastes, how it digests, and how easily it fits into your everyday routines.
OK, now let's see how gut health is doing.
Gut health has moved from niche to mainstream and become everyday logic for many consumers, and people now understand that gut health isn't just about digestion, it's linked to immunity, energy, mood, and even their mental resilience.
As a result, gut health is seen as the foundation of our overall -being.
And this means that those gut-friendly choices are becoming daily habits, and more and more consumers regard probiotics, prebiotics, fiber-rich foods, fermented foods as very simple and proactive tools to feel good.
And products like kefir or yogurt and sour milk combine what people want most today, which is real and familiar foods with meaningful functional benefits.
And for example, if you take kefir or sour milk, they combine the high quality protein with gut health benefits in a familiar and real-life format, and that's why they work.
And it's also interesting to see that even those long established gut-friendly options such as lactose-free dairy are gaining new relevance as people seek comfort and balance, and many no longer see that, lactose-free as some special diet.
It's just an easy and very natural way to support your digestive comfort.
Gut health is also increasingly linked to our mental -being, and many believe that what supports your gut also supports your brain, and that influences your mood, your focus, and your emotional balance.
And this actually drives a more meaningful way of eating, with people choosing foods that help them maintain steady energy and also mental clarity throughout their day.
But hey, why is this digestive health landscape so powerful?
Because people can feel the benefit and they really want to feel the benefit.
And if a product can deliver real comfort and real confidence, it builds trust, loyalty, and also those repeat purchases that we all want to have.
Hey, we are almost at the end, so let me sum things up.
I said, wellness has moved from a trend into an everyday lifestyle, and that raises consumer expectation across every food and drink category.
And consumers of today want food that delivers health, delivers enjoyment, and real value in every bite and every sip.
So what does this all mean to FMCG brands?
If you ask me, I think that the opportunity is quite clear.
You have to raise the bar across the whole product experience.
Winning brands can offer nutrient-dense receipts, high-quality protein, gut-friendly benefits, convenient formats, and of course, that great taste, it reaches everything.
And I think that every element of the product should deliver people the feeling that they are getting more with less.
And secondly, we are seeing a strong momentum behind those small but powerful products, which means compact formats with a real nutritional payoff and full of flavor, of course, too, and products where people can really feel the benefit.
In other words, that the product works for them.
Thirdly, quality matters more than quantity, which means using fewer additives, more natural ingredients, and benefits that feel authentic and also backed by science.
And finally, and I think that this is actually just as important as the product itself, and it's communication, which is crucial.
Those benefits need to be explained clearly and simply, without hype or any feeling of wellness washing, because I think that credibility is only built when brands are realistic and transparent about what their products contain and what they can truly deliver.
So, in conclusion, the future belongs to brands that can deliver more with less, and consumers in 2026 and beyond expect more health.
They expect more enjoyment, they expect more value and more trust, and trust me, they are willing to pay for products that can truly deliver that.
So, if there's one thing I want you to remember from this day's show, is that when portions shrink, value must grow.
Thank you.
That was all on my side.
I really hope you, enjoyed this presentation and maybe got some new fresh ideas or, actionable insights out of this.
And as you can see, there is the QR code that directs, like, , goes directly to my LinkedIn profile, so let's connect there.
I hope you have a great day ahead, and I think now it's the time for Dennis to take the stage.
Hello everybody, thank you Sara for, for the introduction.
We basically now go following Sara's, discussion towards how to actually implement everything that Sara has, has mentioned.
So.
Today we will.
Discuss the brands, how they deliver on these, , matters in every bite in order to support basically the consumer's proactive -being goals.
So within this topic, I shortly cover then delivering more on function, taste, and nutrition.
The new, eating pattern patterns shaped by LGLP one, what Sarah mentioned, and then we're gonna look at some mini cases on how Vo has tackled more a bite.
And how other companies can benefit from our learnings.
We then also show equivalvant concepts that you can produce with VO ingredients, for example, but we will start with a short introduction of Valo.
Walio was founded in 2005, so we celebrated our 120th anniversary last year already.
Valo is a multi-category food company with a focus on dairy and is the market leader in dairy products in Finland.
As as the biggest exporter of foods.
As Sarah mentioned, we export around 50 countries worldwide, but we are still owned by the Finnish dairy farms through 13 cooperatives.
And the profits go back directly to the dairy farms.
Something unique to notice is that Walio has received a Nobel Prize in the 50s.
It was awarded to the founder of our R&D center for his great work in chemistry.
He developed new ways to preserve silage in the winter and also how to extend the shelf life of butter.
R&D has always been a priority for us to address the changing consumer needs.
So how these consumer needs have changed, we can cover that in our next section more per bite and how to implement that also for, for you.
Food is no longer just fuel, it's becoming a strategic tool for long-term -being as consumers demand more nutrition, more functionality, and more taste in every bite.
Food manufacturers are now navigating a totally new expectations from consumers.
High quality dairy proteins, phospholipids, but also gut-friendly solutions are emerging as essential building blocks for products designed for different lifestyles and life stages.
From supporting proactive health to complementing new habits shaped by GLP-1 driven portion shifts, but let's dive a little bit deeper into these building blocks, and we can have a look at the upper three blocks and discuss how your consumer business, can change as , and we showed them some cases of how your ingredients can help manufacturers create products that meet the needs of today's and tomorrow's consumers.
Wellness starts within is becoming everyday logic.
Consumers increasingly understand that gut health is a cornerstone of overall -being, linked not only to digestion but also to immunity, energy, and even mood.
This keeps demand growing for probiotics, fiber, and especially lactose-free options as people build daily routines around feeling good and functioning.
So how have we implemented this at volume?
Overall, Mao has different value propositions in white milk category, and we have earlier recognized the need for a fortified white milk that is higher in protein.
The idea was launched at the beginning of the protein boom and supported active lifestyles in different life stages.
A Volos milk is suitable for the whole family and is a particularly good choice for exercisers, the elderly, and growing young people.
Milk is naturally rich in essential nutrients, yet many people avoid it due to digestive discomfort caused by lactose sensitivity.
As digestive health is becoming a top global priority, Vo is helping dairies to enter the gut comfort space with an excellent tasting lactose-free milk.
That is produced with our fast track technologies.
It allows dairies to easily produce a high protein milk that all consumers can enjoy.
Demand for protein continues to grow, and while consumers increasingly understand that protein is good, the conversation is shifting towards the best sources and forms of protein.
People want protein that is nutritionally complete, high quality, and great tasting, but especially easy to digest.
As portions get smaller, the feeling of being full becomes more important.
Consumers don't just want protein, they want a better protein, and they pay attention to how it performs.
As mentioned earlier, Walio recognized the protein trend early on and launched in 2013 a protein range.
However, that didn't go without any problems as the consumers had different understanding of proteins at that time.
Also, our target group has shifted completely.
At the beginning, we focused mostly on bodybuilders, but we soon learned that they actually didn't care for profile at all.
This made us shift to communication from bodybuilders to active lifestyle and snackification.
Currently we have again some folks on trainings and fitness in our communication, but it's a, a little bit different and it has a little bit more of a playful twist as the category has become mainstream.
Protein can be transformed to a guilty free indulgence.
And that's what makes it appealing for mainstream consumers as.
So Profile products offer lovers of flavored snacks, a delicious alternative that is rich in protein without too many carbohydrates or high amounts of fat.
It can be enjoyed as part of a balanced and varied diet and a delicious, healthy lifestyle.
Naturally, we also help our customers to develop great tasting high protein concepts with our ingredients.
Our concepts are tested in the market and gives you a head start with developing your own products.
The example, for example, on the right is a high protein drink that is made with our Vo Ala MPC 65.
Overweight and obesity now affect a large share of the global population, and it significantly increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.
As a result, consumers are actively seeking foods that help manage weight in a realistic and sustainable way, but without sacrificing the taste.
High quality proteins play a key role here as it supports the feeling of being full and it helps to maintain the muscle mass during the weight loss process.
The rising popularity of the GLP-1 medication is expected to reduce the demand in many food categories.
However, yogurt stands out to be one to protect it to grow, and life is sometimes a little bit of a, you know, quite of a balancing act.
You would like to make good choices in everyday life in terms of eating, exercising, and recovery, but in practice this can be actually very difficult to implement.
For example, many consumers want an easy, quick snack that would be very good in terms of both taste and nutritional value.
However, balancing between different criteria in the supermarket can become very complicated.
It's a lot of choice.
So Walio launched last year Balance.
It's a concept that is very suitable if you are watching your weight.
It is high in protein and fibers, low in fat, and has no added sugars.
Blanche's product range makes everyday choices a little bit simpler.
It's designed to support long-term balance in eating and brings ease to snacks decisions by combining excellent taste with good nutritional content.
So we also do this for our customers.
We support our customers with similar concepts, for example, in the special nutrition and yogur categories.
On the right side, you see on the slide, you see an example of a concept that is made with V NPC 50.
Across segments, the direction is clear, smaller portions, higher pay of preserving, nutrient density, and a renewed focus on high quality protein.
Winning brands will build wellness into the full experience, what's inside, how it's portions, and how it tastes and feels, but especially how clear the benefits are communicated.
Walio helps our customers with development of their products in different product categories, and we have a dedicated team to assist you in how you can use our ingredients.
For example, our lactose-free milk powders and protein powders are excellent in dairy, ice cream, and nutritional applications and can really elevate the products in terms of taste and texture.
And that was it also from my side, it was very short, but I hope these cases give you some insight of how you can implement it in your own product development.
Yes, so a big thanks to Dennis and to Sarah for those very insightful presentations.
Once again, this is Joshua Paul from Food and Grins First, and I'm pleased to take us into our Q&A session.
So many great questions have already been submitted, and we're gonna dive straight in.
Our first question, which is a good one for Dennis, so lactose-free products appear to be gaining traction as you mentioned in your presentation.
How can manufacturers effectively tap into this growing segment?
It is, I know that you have a short time, but it's a little bit of a complicated, answer.
Indeed, the lactose-free is growing in a lot of markets and in some markets it's even growing with double digits, but there's a lot of things possible in lactose-free, especially if you talk about also about digestive wellness that makes it a little bit broader, but it's very good to keep in mind that taste is what Sara said also actually earlier is definitely the key of success.
And that can be sometimes a little bit of a problem with lactose free because if you use enzymatic hydrolyzation, you can get a lot of sweeter profile tastes that you actually do not want, so depending on what your taste profile would like to be, we can help our customers indeed in.
Making lactose-free milks, for example, that are tasting like normal milk, but also in other categories we help there to help the texture and taste profiles, so it's, it's fairly easy by swapping out dairy ingredients to lactose-free dairy ingredients.
Yes, it makes sense, thank you, Dennis.
So, Sara, are consumers interested in products that provide multiple functional benefits simultaneously, or does this complexity make them less suitable for everyday use?
OK, thank you.
That was a great question, and yes, I really think that consumers are increasingly interested in products that can combine more than just that one benefit, as long as the benefits feel natural together.
For example, protein plus fiber or protein with heart, gut health benefits.
Perfect sense and are easy to integrate into your everyday life, but what consumers don't want is a long list of promises that feel artificial or too good to be true.
When a product tries to be everything at once, it can start to feel like wellness washing, and consumers are actually quite quick to sense that and it can easily reduce trust rather than build it and it's also important to understand that always when we talk about consumer understanding.
Their perception is their reality, whether it's right or wrong, and that's why those benefits need to be communicated clearly and sparingly, always considering the consumer need, the right context, and the role that those everyday products like dairy play in their routines.
So that was quite a long answer to your question, but simply put, winning combo is a small number of benefits that are truly relevant to your real life needs.
And when a product is easy to understand and feels meaningful, I think that people will absolutely love it.
Yes, exactly.
And that leads me to my next question actually.
So how do you communicate value when the portion gets smaller but the price stays the same, Perhaps you can both tackle that one together.
Hm, I can start, Dennis, if you want.
Yeah, please.
Yes, yes, that's true.
Smaller portions don't automatically mean or require lower prices, but they do require a stronger value logic behind them, meaning focusing less on how much you get and more on what the product gives you back.
And I, I said, I said, I think that the benefits should be stated very clearly.
What the product can actually do for you.
For example, it can keep you full for longer, and you also have to give strong reasons to believe, in other words, the proof of why the product can do what it promises to do for you.
And this can be things like high quality ingredients or protein or fiber levels or the probiotics that are used in the product.
Because when the benefits are easy to understand and the proof points feel trustworthy, consumers are more likely to see why each bite or why each sip is worth the price.
And maybe Dennis, you can add something if.
No, I, I think you covered it pretty , yes, thanks.
OK, I'm afraid that's all we have time for today, but I'd like to offer a big thank you to Sarah and Dennis for sharing their insights.
And also a big thank you to all our viewers around the world for joining us today.
Goodbye for now.
Thanks.
Thank you, bye bye.
Head of Customer Development
Consumer Insight Manager
Dennis van der Veer
Head of Customer Development
Sara Helminen
Consumer Insight Manager
