Demand for protein supplements and fortified foods is outstripping supply, driving sharp increases in dairy ingredient prices and squeezing British consumers, BBC Business reports. Manufacturers face expensive, time-consuming capacity expansions, while some are changing recipes or turning to cheaper protein sources to limit the impact on their products.
Figures from market intelligence provider Expana, cited by BBC Business, show that the European price of one commonly used high-protein whey ingredient was 130% higher in late August than a year earlier. It stood at more than four times its level three years previously. Another whey protein variety rose 60% over the year, while a milk protein concentrate increased by 80%. Expana has no comparable UK measure, but says British prices are closely connected to mainland Europe, where some UK businesses buy their whey.
The customer base has broadened beyond bodybuilding, with manufacturers adding protein to products ranging from bagels to water. Weight-loss medicines including Wegovy and Mounjaro have provided another source of demand: people using them generally eat less and are often advised to maintain protein intake to help preserve muscle. Expanding high-protein whey output, however, requires specialised processing and drying equipment, making a rapid supply response difficult and costly.
UK sports nutrition business Warrior has raised the shelf price of its whey powder from £12.50 last year to £17.99. Founder Kieran Fisher told the BBC that other parts of the business were still helping to cover its costs. The company is introducing a product made with alternative protein sources that Fisher says cost roughly half as much as whey. Expana also links higher dairy protein costs to increases in infant formula prices.
Consumers are adjusting their purchases. London banker Amarpreet Singh said a 4.5kg bag of his usual whey powder cost about £60 in 2020; faced with a £170 price, he is moving to a brand costing around £100 a bag. There are tentative signs of relief upstream: wholesale high-protein whey prices have stabilised over the past couple of months, according to the report, although they remain well above levels seen a few years ago.