Over the past several years, whey protein prices have become more volatile, and supplement companies have faced increasing pressure to choose between raising prices or changing formulas.
That shift reflects a broader reality: producing clean, high-quality protein has always been costly, and it’s getting harder to do without compromise.
High-quality animal protein has always been resource-intensive. Raising healthy animals, producing real dairy, and maintaining rigorous standards all cost money—and factors like heat stress can reduce dairy cow milk production, further tightening supply. For a long time, whey protein powder appeared relatively accessible—not because it was cheap, but because it was a by-product of cheese production with fewer competing demands.
That landscape has changed. Demand for protein has continued to grow as it’s been added to more foods and beverages, from snacks to ready-to-drink products. Whey, once treated as secondary, is now a valuable commodity. When more industries compete for the same raw materials, costs rise and supply tightens for supplement manufacturers.
When that happens, companies face a familiar decision: charge more for the same quality, or quietly lower the quality to protect margins. Most choose the latter—relying on cheaper protein sources, concentrates instead of isolates, diluted formulas, or processing shortcuts that technically meet label requirements but deliver less nutritional value per scoop. Because protein content is often measured by nitrogen levels, some products can even appear “high protein” on a label without delivering the same nutritional value as complete proteins like whey isolate.
While this is already beginning to happen, the changes in quality can be, at first, easy to miss. A recent Vogue article listing their recommended whey products (unintentionally) highlighted just how common these compromises are: of the whey protein powders they listed as “top picks,” only two actually contained whey protein isolate. The rest were made with cheaper whey concentrate—which typically contains less protein per gram and more lactose and fat—and every single one included fillers, additives, sugars, or artificial sweeteners. Put simply, finding a truly clean, all-natural whey protein powder is harder than it should be. And, as I discussed in a recent podcast episode, it’s also getting more expensive—to learn why, listen to Why Protein Supplements Are Getting More Expensive (And Less Potent) And How To Source The Best here.
That tradeoff isn’t just about performance. As I recently covered in my article on lead contamination in protein powders, lower-quality sourcing and heavy processing—especially in some plant-based proteins—can introduce real safety concerns, making quality about more than just muscle or recovery.
That’s why we make our whey protein supplements (Whey Protein + Creatine Superfuel and Whey Protein Isolate) using grass-fed whey protein isolate, not concentrate, and why we don’t pad formulas with fillers or shortcuts.
The goal has always been simple: to make a clean, highly bioavailable protein I actually want to use myself. Protein powders are everywhere. But truly clean, well-sourced, high-integrity protein is not—and understanding the difference has never mattered more.
Stock up on your favorite flavor of B.rad Grass-Fed Whey Protein Isolate here on the site (Buy 3, Get 1 Free!) or on Amazon.
