Arla Foods Ingredients is presenting three new clear shake solutions at SupplySide Global (October 28–30, Las Vegas), each engineered to deliver distinct nutritional and sensory profiles for consumers seeking individualized functional beverages.
Clear protein beverages have gained significant traction across sports nutrition and lifestyle segments, where formulators are increasingly challenged to maintain clean, transparent liquid aesthetics while hitting meaningful protein targets — typically 20–30 grams per serving — without the opacity or mouthfeel associated with traditional whey concentrates. Arla Foods Ingredients' portfolio of whey protein isolates and hydrolysates is well-positioned for this application, as these fractions solubilize cleanly at low pH and remain stable through high-temperature short-time (HTST) and UHT processing.
Personalization as a Formulation Brief
The three concepts are positioned around individual taste and nutrition customization — a formulation strategy that reflects broader market demand for products tailored to personal health goals, dietary preferences, and flavor expectations. For co-manufacturers and contract manufacturing partners working on ready-to-drink (RTD) or powder-format applications, clear shakes present specific technical considerations: particle size control, pH buffering, flavor masking of dairy-derived off-notes, and chelation management when added minerals are in the specification sheet.
Whey protein isolate (WPI), the likely base ingredient across Arla's showcased concepts, typically delivers 90%+ protein on a dry-matter basis with low lactose and fat content — attributes that support a clean-label positioning and align with non-GMO and allergen-labeling requirements under U.S. FDA guidelines. Depending on final formulation, products in this category may also target Kosher and Halal certification, both increasingly standard for ingredient-level supply in the functional beverage channel.
Market Context
The global functional beverage market continues to expand, with protein RTDs and powder formats among the fastest-growing subcategories. Personalized nutrition — driven by direct-to-consumer brands, app-linked supplement platforms, and retailer private label — is creating new brief types for ingredient suppliers that go beyond commodity volume toward solution-selling. Arla Foods Ingredients' trade show presence at SupplySide Global positions it competitively alongside other major dairy-derived protein suppliers targeting this white space.
Formulators and procurement teams attending SupplySide Global can engage Arla's technical application specialists directly to discuss specification sheets, COA standards, minimum order quantities, and co-development pathways for clear beverage projects. Further coverage of the functional beverage ingredient space is available in our plant-protein and dairy ingredient coverage and across sports nutrition supply chain reporting.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
