USDA priced whey protein concentrate 34% at a monthly average of $1.9670 per pound in July 2026, the highest month in the 2022 to 2026 series the agency publishes. Retail demand has not cooled: US protein supplement sales reached $8.6 billion in 2025, according to SPINS. This post covers market size estimates, powder sales by type, consumer survey data, and what whey costs did to company margins.
Protein Supplements Market
How Big Is The Protein Supplements Market In 2026?
Four research firms put the 2026 global figure between $29.87 billion and $32.89 billion. Each number is that firm’s own modelled estimate of vendor revenue under its own scope definition, so the rows are not interchangeable.
The forecasts diverge with distance. Mordor Intelligence reaches $43.98 billion by 2031 while Grand View Research reaches $63.22 billion by 2033.
| Research firm | 2025 | 2026 estimate | Forecast | CAGR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fortune Business Insights | $30.40bn | $32.89bn | $66.23bn by 2034 | 9.14% |
| Grand View Research | $29.8bn | $31.9bn | $63.2bn by 2033 | 10.3% |
| Mordor Intelligence | $28.12bn | $30.3bn | $43.98bn by 2031 | 7.74% |
| Precedence Research | $27.53bn | $29.87bn | $63.54bn by 2035 | 8.72% |
Source: Fortune Business Insights, Grand View Research, Mordor Intelligence and Precedence Research, each firm’s own 2026 report edition and stated forecast horizon.
The regional splits show how far the scope definitions drift apart. Grand View Research puts North America at 40.8% of 2025 revenue, Precedence Research at over 50.50%, and Mordor Intelligence at 62.25%. Protein also sits inside the broader nutraceuticals category tracked separately, which counts a wider set of food and pharmaceutical groups.
Protein Supplements Market Demand: What IFIC Survey Data Shows
Protein has been the nutrient most Americans say they are trying to consume for five straight years, IFIC reported in July 2025. The share climbed from 59% in 2022 to 71% in the 2025 Food & Health Survey, an annual online survey of 3,000 US consumers aged 18 to 80 fielded 13 to 27 March 2025.
Source: IFIC Food & Health Survey, 2022, 2023 and 2025 editions.
Awareness does not extend to quantity. IFIC’s July 2025 Spotlight Survey of 1,000 US adults, fielded 10 to 13 May 2025, found 79% either unaware (53%) or unsure (26%) how much protein they should eat daily.
| Consumer measure | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
| Increased protein intake in the past year | 35% |
| Unaware or unsure of daily protein needs | 79% |
| Prioritise protein at dinner | 56% |
| Prioritise protein at breakfast | 44% |
| Prioritise protein in snacks | 17% |
Source: July 2025 IFIC Spotlight Survey, n=1,000 US adults, fielded 10-13 May 2025. Eating-occasion items allowed more than one answer and cannot be summed.
Preferred protein sources are all animal-based: meat and poultry at 65%, eggs at 62%, fish and seafood at 48%. Taste (66%) and price (59%) outrank healthfulness (49%) as selection factors. Respondents could pick more than one option in both questions.
Protein Powder Sales By Type In The Protein Supplements Market
Whey is the only powder type posting double-digit dollar growth. SPINS data reported in March 2026 puts whey at 43.3% of tracked protein powder sales, up 13.5% year over year. Plant protein lost 6.0% of its dollars in a year when the wider category grew 12.4%.
| Powder type | Share of tracked sales | Dollar change |
|---|---|---|
| Whey | 43.3% | +13.5% |
| Collagen | 20.4% | +1.9% |
| Plant | 16.0% | -6.0% |
| Non-whey animal | 4.1% | -5.9% |
| Blends | 3.3% | -0.2% |
Source: SPINS, US tracked retail sales, 2025 versus prior year. Shares do not total 100% and SPINS does not break out the balance.
Ready-To-Drink Protein Sales
RTD protein rose from $6 billion in 2023 to $7.6 billion in 2025, a 13% two-year CAGR on SPINS numbers, with household penetration at 39.9%. Within RTD, clear protein shakes grew fastest in 2025 at 34%, ahead of ultrafiltered dairy shakes at 25%.
Adjacent categories moved faster still. SPINS analyst Scott Dicker reported creatine up 44%, electrolytes up 21.9% and magnesium up 14.6%. Danone, the French dairy group, has entered the high-protein plant segment with Silk High-Protein.
Source: SPINS, US retail sales for 2025, reported by DairyReporter, 15 March 2026.
Whey Costs Squeezing Protein Supplements Market Margins
USDA’s monthly average of the WPC 34% mostly price series ran from $1.5175 per pound in January 2026 to $1.9670 in July. The 2026 line started below 2025 and crossed above it in June.
| Month | 2025 ($/lb) | 2026 ($/lb) |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1.5707 | 1.5175 |
| February | 1.6982 | 1.5737 |
| March | 1.7878 | 1.6250 |
| April | 1.8383 | 1.6434 |
| May | 1.8475 | 1.7448 |
| June | 1.8330 | 1.8667 |
| July | 1.7618 | 1.9670 |
Source: USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Dairy Market News monthly averages, Central and West US WPC 34% mostly prices, released 3 August 2026.
Spot prices kept climbing after July. For the week of 3 to 7 August 2026, USDA quoted WPC 34% in the Central and West at a mostly range of $2.0000 to $2.1900 per pound, against $1.8500 to $1.9500 five weeks earlier. Shelf prices are following, with SPINS putting whey powder price per ounce up around 8% from 2025 into 2026.
Protein Supplements Market Leaders: FY2025 Results
The three listed players reported the same year very differently. BellRing Brands grew net sales 16.1% in the fiscal year ended 30 September 2025. Glanbia’s Performance Nutrition division saw EBITDA fall 23.2%, which the company attributed to record whey input costs.
| Company | Scope | FY2025 revenue | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herbalife | Total company, year to 31 Dec 2025 | $5,037.5m | +0.9% |
| BellRing Brands | Total company, year to 30 Sep 2025 | $2,316.6m | +16.1% |
| Glanbia | Performance Nutrition segment, year to 3 Jan 2026 | $1,801.1m | -0.9% |
Source: Herbalife Q4 and full-year 2025 results, 18 February 2026; BellRing Brands fiscal 2025 results, 18 November 2025; Glanbia FY25 results presentation, 25 February 2026. Glanbia figures are constant currency.
Herbalife’s reported growth included 160 basis points of foreign exchange headwind and was 2.5% on a constant currency basis. Asia Pacific was its largest region at $1,729.8 million. Herbalife’s corporate record runs back to its 1980 founding in Los Angeles.
Optimum Nutrition, Glanbia’s flagship brand, still grew like-for-like revenue 6.4%. The division’s EBITDA margin fell to 13.0% from 16.9%, a reported decline of 390 basis points. Diversified groups sell into the same aisle: Abbott Laboratories markets the Ensure line, and Grand View Research lists Nestlé among the companies it profiles in its protein supplements report.
Protein Supplements Market Outlook For 2026
BellRing’s second quarter showed the squeeze clearly. Net sales rose 1.8% to $598.7 million in the quarter ended 31 March 2026 on a 10.8% volume gain and a 9.0% decline in price/mix. Adjusted gross margin fell to 22.7% from 34.5%.
Source: BellRing Brands second quarter fiscal 2026 results, 5 May 2026.
Dollar consumption of Premier Protein RTD shakes rose 2.9% in the 13 weeks to 29 March 2026. BellRing cut its fiscal 2026 outlook to net sales of $2.325 billion to $2.365 billion, or 0% to 2% growth, and adjusted EBITDA of $315 million to $335 million. The November 2025 guidance had been $2.41 billion to $2.49 billion and $425 million to $455 million.
Herbalife guided to reported 2026 net sales growth of 1.0% to 6.0% and adjusted EBITDA of $670 million to $710 million. Glanbia guided to adjusted EPS growth of 7% to 11% in constant currency. Both sit near or below the 7.74% to 10.3% CAGRs the research firms model for the decade.
FAQs
How big is the protein supplements market in 2026?
Estimates run from $29.87 billion (Precedence Research) to $32.89 billion (Fortune Business Insights). Grand View Research puts 2026 at $31.9 billion and Mordor Intelligence at $30.3 billion. Each figure uses that firm’s own scope definition.
Reddit threads keep asking whether whey protein prices are rising. What does the data show?
They are. USDA’s WPC 34% monthly average went from $1.5175 per pound in January 2026 to $1.9670 in July. SPINS puts whey powder shelf price per ounce up around 8%. The Reddit question tracks the published numbers.
Which protein powder type sells the most?
Whey, at 43.3% of tracked US protein powder sales in 2025 on SPINS data. Collagen follows at 20.4% and plant at 16.0%. Whey was also the only major type with double-digit dollar growth, up 13.5%.
Reddit posts say plant protein is losing ground. Do sales agree?
Yes. Plant protein dollars fell 6.0% year over year in 2025 while the wider protein supplements and meal replacement category grew 12.4%, per SPINS. Reddit’s read lines up with the scanner data.
How many Americans are trying to eat more protein?
71% in the 2025 IFIC Food & Health Survey, up from 67% in 2023 and 59% in 2022. A separate July 2025 IFIC survey found 35% had increased their intake over the past year.
Sources
https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/dymawpc.pdf
https://ific.org/media/protein-dazed-and-still-confused-new-ific-research-reveals-americas-high-protein-hype-doesnt-match-knowledge/
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1772016/000162828026030115/brbrexh991-q22026earningsr.htm
https://www.glanbia.com/media/press-releases/full-year-2025-results
