Rising global demand and supply shortages are causing protein powder prices to surge, leading consumers like Jennifer Mason to cut back on purchases. Major food manufacturers and fast-food companies are incorporating whey protein into their products, contributing to the shortage and price hikes. For instance, the cost of whey protein concentrate (WPC80) increased by 60% in 2025 and another 76% by June 2026. The U.S.-Canada trade war is exacerbating this issue with tariffs adding further to the costs for Canadian companies dependent on American imports, such as Daryl's Bars, which has had to raise prices significantly to stay afloat.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Whey up: Protein powder prices soar as global demand grows
Consumers, companies feel squeeze of supply shortage
Jennifer Mason is trying to eat more protein and has supplemented her diet with whey protein powder over the past few years.
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Mason → whey → years
But lately, soaring prices are giving her sticker shock.
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prices → soar → shock
And as a new mom with rising expenses, she's rethinking her shopping list.
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she → rise → list
"I'm just cutting back.
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I → cut → ?
I'm trying to find protein in whole foods that I'm eating rather than actually getting products," she says.
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she → try → products
To meet growing demand, food manufacturers and fast food companies are putting whey protein into everything from snacks to drinks.
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manufacturers → meet → drinks
That's contributing to shortages of the ingredient and pushing prices to record highs.
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Now whey protein is also caught in the U.S.-Canada trade war, increasing costs that may end up being passed on to consumers.
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that → catch → consumers
Protein on the menu
From chips and Pop-Tarts to candy, protein-packed foods are popping up on grocery store shelves.
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foods → pack → shelves
Khloé Kardashian recently launched protein popcorn.
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Kardashian → launch → popcorn
Starbucks is offering protein cold foam, catching up with the whey protein shots on the menu at Booster Juice.
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Starbucks → offer → Juice
Major brands are adding whey protein to their products to appeal to health-conscious consumers.
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brands → add → consumers
Fitness influencers are pushing protein-maxxing, a trend of consuming dietary protein at every opportunity.
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influencers → push → opportunity
And as more people take weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, some are also eating more protein to prevent muscle loss.
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some → take → loss
It's all eating into the global supply of whey protein concentrate, one of the most popular ingredients used in high-protein foods.
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John Murray manages marketing for Daryl's Bars, a protein snack manufacturer in Tecumseh, Ont.
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He says as major companies secure large orders of whey, "that leaves the little guys like us scrambling to try and secure enough for our operations."
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that → say → operations
Canada imports most of its whey protein concentrate from the U.S., where prices have more than doubled over the past year and a half.
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prices → import → year
The U.S. Dairy Export Council says "domestic demand for high-protein whey has been insatiable" — so much so, that less whey is available for export.
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whey → say → export
That demand has also driven up prices.
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demand → drive → prices
Whey protein concentrate, known as WPC80, rose 60 per cent in 2025.
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concentrate → know → 2025
By June 2026, buyers were facing another 76 per cent increase.
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buyers → face → increase
To keep up with rising costs, Murray says his company has been forced to raise prices on its protein snacks.
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company → keep → snacks
"We absorbed as much as we could, but over the last year it's just been impossible.
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it → absorb → year
It's been outstripping our margins completely," he said.
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he → outstrip → margins
Most of the company's whey protein comes from Wisconsin, and Murray says there are few alternatives.
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Murray → come → Wisconsin
"If we could source 100 per cent of everything that we needed from inside Canada, we would opt for that.
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"
Caught in the trade war
The trade war is further squeezing food manufacturers.
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war → catch → manufacturers
In retaliation for a fresh round of U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods, the federal government imposed 50 per cent tariffs on imports of American whey on Sept. 8, pushing prices even higher.
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government → impose → prices
Canadian businesses can apply for relief through Ottawa's tariff-remission program, though they must demonstrate that the goods cannot reasonably be sourced domestically or from non-U.S. suppliers.
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goods → apply → suppliers
It will be difficult to boost supply quickly, said Mike von Massow, a food economist at the University of Guelph, because whey isn't produced on its own.
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whey → boost → own
It's a byproduct left over from making cheese.
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The liquid whey must be dried and turned into a powder, a complex process that requires special equipment.
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that → dry → equipment
"It's very expensive to dry something that is 95 per cent water and a little bit of protein," he said.
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he → dry → protein
The U.S. produces a lot of cheese, which is why it's also a major producer of whey protein.
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it → produce → protein
But von Massow says Canada has limited processing capacity.
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Canada → say → capacity
"We can't produce milk just for the whey.
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Even though the price is up, the rest of the milk would be a byproduct," he said.
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he → say → milk
The Dairy Processors Association of Canada says that with tariffs increasing the cost of U.S. imports, it expects Canadian companies to pivot toward New Zealand — though that comes with significant shipping costs.
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that → say → costs
Stretching their dollars
Von Massow predicts higher prices could be passed down through the supply chain.
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…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
