In the first quarter of 2025, whey prices experienced significant upward pressure driven by multiple economic and market factors. One of the main contributors was the escalating trade tensions triggered by President Trump's new tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China. Since whey is often imported or relies on global dairy trade dynamics, the 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods directly influenced costs, squeezing supply chains and pushing up prices. At the same time, retaliatory tariffs from these countries worsened the situation, further straining cross-border dairy flows.
Market sentiment also played a role. Glanbia, a key whey producer, suffered a major drop in investor confidence, with shares tumbling sharply after the company warned of profit hits due to high-end whey input costs. This signaled that prices were already high and possibly climbing further, fuelling concerns across the industry.
Compounding the issue, broader inflation trends and volatility in other protein markets increased demand for dairy-based products like whey. Consumers and food companies turned to whey as a stable protein source amid surging egg and meat prices, increasing pressure on already tight supplies.
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Whey prices were observed to be growing for the majority of the discussed time period. Whey has been observing increasing demands for some time now, especially as a protein source from the fitness and bodybuilding industries.
These demands pushed the price trajectory upwards. As per USDA a reduction in the number of cattle and milk yield is also driving these price hikes. Since whey is the protein directly sourced from milk, the prices are usually found fluctuating in a corelated manner.
In the European market too, the supply chain interruptions and reduced yield drove the prices up. India is a global supplier of milk and milk products, but because of the rise in domestic demand, the prices increased both in the local market and in the international markets. Since both the upstream and downstream factors supported the inclined trend, the market prices for whey inched up throughout the second half of 2023.
Whey, a byproduct of the cheese or casein production, is the liquid left after milk has been curdled and strained. Sweet whey is a byproduct formed during the production of rennet types of hard cheese, such as cheddar or Swiss cheese. Natural whey protein is emerging as a key ingredient for a healthy lifestyle as it is a high-quality dairy protein. It is naturally rich in essential amino acids- particularly leucine, a branched chain amino acid.
Food industry, Dietary and nutritional supplement, Processed food, Animal feed, Cream and butter
Arla Foods Amba, Fonterra Co-operative Group, wheyco GmbH, Carbery Group, Valio Ltd, Lactalis Ingredients, Saputo Inc
CurrencyUS$ (Data can also be provided in local currency)
Supplier Database AvailabilityYes
Customization ScopeThe report can be customized as per the requirements of the customer
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During the cheese production, when milk is coagulated by adding edible acid to the heated milk, whey is left over and includes everything that is soluble from milk after the drop of pH to 4.6. After this, fat is removed from the whey and it is further processed, by simple drying, removing lipids and other non-protein materials, for human consumption.
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This report provides the cost structure of whey powder production from the reverse osmosis and drying processes. Using reverse osmosis, the dry content of whey is increased.
This report presents a detailed cost analysis of 2-hydroxypropanoic acid production from carbohydrates using the fermentation process.
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