Your 'proteinmaxxing' is creating a whey shortage that's ratcheting up prices and leaving snack companies to eat costs or make recipes worse

A man holds a grocery basket and walks down the aisle of a store. (Credit: George Frey/Bloomberg—Getty Images)

When David Protein began selling its bars in late 2024, the whey protein used in the products cost $7 per pound. Today, that figure has nearly doubled to $12 per pound.

Peter Rahal, David’s founder and CEO, said a wave of demand for high protein foods—dubbed “proteinmaxxing” is behind the skyrocketing prices.