General Mills Expands Epic Into the Growing Meat Stick Market

Four varieties, with a wider rollout ahead

General Mills is extending Epic from meat bars into meat sticks, placing the brand in a protein snack category where Chomps, Archer and Jack Link’s already compete. The company is adding four varieties: original beef, Wagyu beef, rotisserie chicken and hot honey chicken. Each contains up to 10 grams of protein and is made with 100% grass-fed beef or free-range chicken, according to the product details in the announcement.

The sticks are currently available on Amazon and at Sprouts, with a nationwide retail rollout planned for 2027. That schedule gives Epic an initial presence in online sales and a named retail chain before a broader launch. It also means the brand’s reach will depend, for now, on shoppers finding it through those channels rather than encountering it across the country in stores.

“Up to” matters here: it describes a ceiling, not a guarantee that every variety delivers the same amount. The product’s appeal will also depend on how shoppers weigh protein against flavor, price and ingredients, details the source doesn’t provide. Four flavors give Epic several ways to test interest, but the lineup alone can’t show which, if any, will earn repeat purchases.

Epic takes a familiar brand into a different format

The launch comes about a decade after General Mills acquired Epic. The company is best known for brands including Cheerios and Nature Valley, and it’s now extending Epic into a format built around portability and convenience. That move draws on the identity of an existing brand while placing it in a product form associated with quick, on-the-go snacking.

Meat bars and meat sticks share an emphasis on protein and portability, but they aren’t identical products. A stick’s shape and format may suit different occasions or preferences than a bar; whether that distinction matters to shoppers will depend on their habits. General Mills is betting that Epic’s brand recognition can carry across the change in form.

That’s a practical way to extend a brand, but it doesn’t automatically make the product distinctive. Epic will need to give shoppers a reason to choose its sticks among other options, and the company’s stated focus on different flavors and ingredients is part of that pitch. Here's the thing: a familiar name can help a new product get noticed, but attention at launch is only one part of building a durable place in the snack aisle.

Protein demand draws new competitors

Consumer interest in protein is helping reshape the snack aisle. PepsiCo said earlier this week that 86% of Americans are actively adding protein to their diets, and more than half prioritize it when snacking. Cargill reports that 74% of consumers consider meat a key part of their diet. These figures point to broad interest in protein and meat, though they don’t establish how many people will choose meat sticks specifically.

For food companies, the category offers a way to connect a familiar nutritional message with a portable product. But protein content is only one part of a purchase decision. Flavor, ingredient claims, availability and the fit with a shopper’s routine all shape whether a product is worth buying again. If you're working in this space, the distinction between general interest in protein and demand for a particular format is the one to watch.

Meat sticks were once associated with artificial preservatives and additives. Brands have since gained traction by emphasizing simpler ingredients and protein content, giving shoppers a different way to think about a product category with an established reputation. That change in positioning helps explain why companies are competing for attention here. It doesn’t, on its own, tell us how shoppers assess the products or whether their perceptions have changed across the category.

Scott Baldwin, General Mills’ vice president and business unit director of bars, said in a statement: “We knew EPIC had to do what we've always done and bring something different to the snack aisle.” The comment frames the launch as an effort to differentiate Epic, though the product details offer the clearest basis for assessing that claim: four flavors, specified meat sourcing and up to 10 grams of protein per stick. The range may stand out to some shoppers. Whether it does enough to win a regular place in their shopping routine is another question.

A crowded category raises the stakes

PepsiCo is also building out its Good Warrior brand, which it recently expanded into protein bars. Epic’s entry therefore adds another major food company to a field where established players are expanding and a competing brand is already taking shape. More companies pursuing protein snacks can give shoppers additional options, while making it harder for any one launch to hold attention.

This is more significant than it looks: General Mills is testing whether Epic’s existing position in meat bars can support a move into a neighboring format as competition grows. The company has a clear route to an initial audience through Amazon and Sprouts, followed by a planned nationwide retail rollout in 2027. That gap between current availability and a broader launch leaves time for the company to learn how the products perform in their initial channels, though the source doesn’t say what changes, if any, will follow.

And yet, a national rollout won’t answer every question. The source doesn’t provide pricing, sales results or details about how the four varieties are performing, so there’s no basis here for judging demand beyond the broader consumer figures. The planned expansion will show whether Epic can secure wider distribution; shopper response will show whether distribution turns into sustained interest.

The shelf rollout in 2027 will show how far the brand can carry its meat bar following into a more crowded format. For now, the launch is a measured extension: a known brand, a small set of products and an initial presence in two named channels. More competition in protein snacks is clear. Which brands earn repeat buyers remains to be seen.