We’re all learning the unintended consequences of Covid-19. The butterfly effect of a global pandemic on Whey Protein is quite profound.
Firstly, let’s talk about how our Whey Protein is made. It’s the byproduct of the cheesemaking process. Milk is broken down into the curds and whey, with the curds being used for cheese, and the whey being drained off and used for our whey protein powder production. Initially, liquid whey has about 4-6 grams of protein per litre, and the whey proteins are extracted in a highly purified form, using a cross-flow microfiltration process. This gives us our incredible >90% protein Whey Protein Isolate powder you know and love.
Sadly, Covid-19 changed everything. It shut down farms around the world, forcing us into our homes and into isolation. Food processing plants worldwide came to a standstill, global transport halted, and the world as we knew it went into involuntary lockdown. It prevented us from going out for dinner, which caused many restaurants to close their doors. These are the restaurants we all used to go to for romantic dinners, birthday parties, and family dinners. Take a look at this graph of restaurant reservations during Covid:
One of the unexpected consequences of this was a massive global slowdown in demand for dairy products, with cheese, ice-cream, cream, etc being hard hit. In fact, in many parts of the world, the production of cheese stopped completely with farms being unable to sell milk or cheese anywhere. Millions of litres of milk were dumped as farmers were unable to use it. This has had a terrible impact on whey protein production.
During the early days of the pandemic, we and our suppliers were able to absorb the impact of this reduced supply, as we all had plenty of whey protein on hand, but as time went on, we saw more, and longer, delays in production. We bought as much whey protein as we could from our suppliers, hoping to see us through this time, but while Covid-19 impacted the global supply chain negatively, it also caused more people to start eating better (which is great news), with more people than ever taking supplements to keep their bodies as strong as possible to fight this virus. This started eating away from existing whey protein stocks.
And it’s not just the price of whey protein that’s increased dramatically. The price of packaging has increased too – putting even more pressure on many businesses, including ours.
So here we sit with the price of our top-quality, >90% whey protein going up by almost 50% in the past 6 months. While other companies might simply source cheaper whey protein from China in order to keep costs down, we prefer to keep our product as pure and clean as it’s always been, even if it means we sell less of it, and make less money from it. Our products have always been the very best we can find, and we’re not going to let a global pandemic change that – not for one second!
Whey Protein Isolate is considered by many practitioners to be the premier dietary supplement for protein. It provides the body with the necessary building blocks that are used to build or maintain muscle tissue. In fact, Whey Protein Isolate is a complete protein, containing the full complement of amino acids the body can utilise for optimal physical performance and for increasing glutathione levels. It may have significant benefits on immune function and wound healing, and is the perfect adjunct for bodybuilders, moderate exercisers, dieters, and for those taking steps to support healthy ageing, cardiovascular health, glucose metabolism, or general wellness. Best Whey is a pure and natural high quality protein, rich in amino acids and biologically active lactoferrin (LF), Immunoglobulin (IgG), and glycomacropeptides (GMP). It contains little fat, lactose, or cholesterol, making it an excellent protein choice for individuals of all ages. The Best Whey is free from any form of added sugar, or artificial flavourings and each serving supplies 20 grams of naturally complete protein, making it ideal for low-carbohydrate or metabolically balanced diets. Sally-Ann Creed® Whey Protein is one of the best forms around, containing over 90% protein.
All of this is to give you a little background on why our whey protein is increasing in price. We’ve kept the price increase as low as possible, ensuring that you never get anything less than the absolute best possible whey protein.
Sources:
- https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/food-supply-chains-and-covid-19-impacts-and-policy-lessons-71b57aea/
- https://www.agropur.com/us/news/how-whey-protein-is-made
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/covid-19-disrupts-complex-food-chains-beef-milk-eggs-produce
