No Whey: The Protein Craze Is Driving a Whey Shortage

The Trend: Looks like proteinmaxxing has officially broken the supply chain. Whey protein, which is a byproduct of cheesemaking that gets dried into a powder that ends up in your supplements and protein bars, has surged in popularity. In turn, U.S. inventories have dropped by half since 2023, and prices have surged more than 50% since January. Some suppliers are already sold out for the rest of the year, per the USDA.

What People Are Saying: Experts attribute the shortage to a few converging forces. For instance, GLP-1 users often increase their protein intake to prevent muscle loss while taking the drug. Plus, there’s also a broader wave of people getting more conscious about what they eat. Now manufacturers can’t keep up, so many are reformulating products and exploring the use of alternatives like soy and milk protein.

What to Know: Over the last two years, the price of mid-grade whey protein concentrate has gone up nearly 83%, so if your go-to tub hasn’t gotten more expensive yet, it probably will soon. Soy protein is a good alternative to have on your radar, as it has a complete amino acid profile comparable to whey’s, so you’re not really losing much by making the switch.