The Product
MET-Rx, the 30-year-old performance-nutrition brand owned by 1440 Foods, is entering the ready-to-drink protein beverage segment with the launch of its 44g High Protein Shake — a 14-ounce bottled product priced at a suggested retail of $3.47. The line debuts in three flavors: Strawberry Shortcake, Vanilla Milkshake, and Chocolate Milkshake, and is available immediately at Walmart, Walmart.com, and Amazon. Additional retail placement is planned for the coming months, though the company has not specified which chains.
The Numbers
Each bottle contains 44 grams of protein, 6 grams of dietary fiber, five key nutrients, and up to 2,500 milligrams of electrolytes. The $3.47 price point positions the product in the accessible mass-market tier of the RTD protein category — well below premium specialty offerings that routinely clear $5.00 per unit — a deliberate move for a brand distributed primarily through Walmart, Target, Kroger, CVS, and Walgreens. That competitive price aligns with the brand's broader strategy of high-volume mass-channel penetration rather than specialty-retail margin play. The RTD protein market has been one of the fastest-growing subsegments in sports and active nutrition, as convenience-focused consumers seek alternatives to powder mixing, driving shelf-space competition at major grocery and club retailers.
Why It Matters
The launch marks a meaningful category extension for MET-Rx, which has historically anchored its portfolio in meal-replacement bars and protein powders. Parent company 1440 Foods — whose stable also includes Pure Protein, Body Fortress, and FITCRUNCH — gains an RTD entry point that competes directly with incumbents such as Premier Protein and Fairlife's Core Power, both of which have established significant velocity in mass and club channels. David Del Pozo, Chief Innovation Officer at 1440 Foods, called accessible nutrition "more important than ever," framing the new RTD as a way to deliver high-protein convenience without a premium price barrier. The company says more innovation is planned for 2027, though no specific pipeline products have been disclosed.
The product's launch is tied to an ongoing multi-year ambassador deal with actor and entrepreneur John Cena, whose involvement in MET-Rx's Level-Up campaign extends here through new animated, video-game-inspired creative. Celebrity-anchored RTD rollouts have become a standard playbook in the sports nutrition segment, but the combination of a recognizable legacy brand and a mass-channel price point gives this entry a different commercial profile than influencer-led challenger brands. For operators and buyers tracking shelf allocation in the functional beverage and sports nutrition corridors, MET-Rx's RTD debut signals intensifying competition in the sub-$4.00 protein drink tier — a segment that has attracted significant private-label investment from major retailers in recent quarters.
For context on how celebrity partnerships are reshaping sports nutrition brand strategy, see our coverage of emerging functional beverage trends and the competitive RTD protein market.
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.
