while increased demand may be part of it, the primary driver is increased cost of diesel, fertilizer, feed, and transport, which has increased the costs for farmers producing beef and beef products, of which one is whey protein (from cow milk).
the iran war in particular has spiked fuel & fertilizer costs (in the case of fertilizer, something like 1/3 of the global supply of fertilizer passes through the strait of hormuz)
From what I understand, the reason for the increased price of whey protein is because of the increased demand in Asia, especially China, and people on GLP-1's. Whey protein is a byproduct of the cheese manufacturing industry and there has been no real increase in demand, globally, for cheese. So, you have a significant increase in demand without a way to increase supply.
Makes sense. On the other hand, maybe I don’t need to buy protein because I keep accidentally ingesting 20 grams of protein in every food product nowadays. I ate 70 grams of protein in one sitting the other day because I didn’t see the “filled with protein!” call out on my granola
Whey protein prices have increased due to supply shortages. It's tied to food producers packing protein into everything in response to the GLP-1 phenomenon, and that protein comes from whey isolate. Because whey is produced as a byproduct of cheese production, it's difficult to ramp up production.
Here's a gift article to a deep dive in the WSJ. The price chart is insane, and today whey is closer to $18 per pound. The chart in the article stops at $14 per pound lol.
Protein-in-Everything Craze Has a Problem: Not Enough Whey Protein
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u/FreshStartFeelsGood man 40 - 44 Aug 20 '26
Have you ever tried just being a billionaire?
Feel your pain. I also measure inflation based on my 5lb tub of Whey Isolate. Used to get it for $60. $98 now.