General Mills Takes Epic Brand Into Meat Sticks With 2027 Rollout

General Mills is moving its Epic meat snacks brand into meat sticks, with a nationwide shelf rollout planned for 2027. The sticks are available now on Amazon and at Sprouts in four varieties: original beef, Wagyu beef, rotisserie chicken and hot honey chicken.

Each stick carries up to 10 grams of protein. General Mills makes them with 100% grass-fed beef or free-range chicken.

The launch comes a decade after General Mills bought Epic, a brand best known for its meat bars. It puts the maker of Cheerios and Nature Valley bars into direct competition with Chomps, Archer and Jack Link's — rivals that have expanded production as demand surges.

Why protein, why now?

The move tracks a broad shift in how Americans eat. PepsiCo noted earlier this week that 86% of Americans are actively adding protein to their diet. More than half prioritize protein during snacking occasions.

Meat sticks themselves have rehabilitated their image. Consumers once shunned them as unhealthy and laden with artificial preservatives or additives. Portability and better-for-you reformulations changed that. Cargill's research adds another data point: 74% of consumers say eating meat is a key part of their diet.

General Mills framed the launch as a natural extension of what Epic has always done. Scott Baldwin, vice president and business unit director of bars at General Mills, said in a statement: "We knew EPIC had to do what we've always done and bring something different to the snack aisle."

What does this change for the meat stick aisle?

It raises the competitive stakes. Chomps, Archer and Jack Link's have already scaled production to meet rising demand. PepsiCo has entered the space too, launching meat sticks under a new brand called Good Warrior, and earlier this week it doubled down on protein by expanding Good Warrior into bars.

General Mills now joins that race with an established brand, a national distribution machine and a clean-label pitch built on grass-fed beef and free-range chicken. The limited launch at Amazon and Sprouts gives the company a year-plus to test demand before the 2027 nationwide push.

For retailers and competitors, the signal is clear: protein snacking has pulled another cereal-and-bars giant into the meat case, and the shelf fight through 2027 will likely hinge on which brands can hold the better-for-you claim while scaling supply.