Costco is selling wild amounts of protein as whey shortages loom

• Protein-packed foods and drinks are a huge hit at Costco, the company said last week.
• The popularity of GLP-1 drugs is fueling a broad demand for added protein in just about everything.
• At the same time, a looming shortage of whey concentrate is driving ingredient prices higher.

The boom in protein demand is also being felt all across the economy as ingredient prices spiral higher.

The US Department of Agriculture said last week that prices for whey protein concentrate — the stuff that adds nutrition to otherwise ordinary food — are getting higher thanks to high demand and low supply.

“Production remains limited, and inventories are extremely tight,” the agency said.

That’s causing problems for some smaller brands trying to compete with giants like Starbucks and Mars for enough powder to make their recipes, Bloomberg reported.

Still, Costco members might not see the price impact for a while yet. Scott Dicker, senior director and head of research and insights at market research company Spins, told Bloomberg it takes around 12 to 18 months for protein costs to show up in shelf prices.