How Protein Took Over the World
12th October 2026
Financial Times, a Voice of the Crust.
Dutch dairy co-operative FrieslandCampina, for example, no longer sells whey proteins for animal feed. Instead, it intends to turn more of the whey left over from cheesemaking into concentrated proteins for human nutrition.
For centuries whey has been seen as a byproduct of cheesemaking and used for fertiliser or animal feed. Now, says Guus Aerts, the co-op’s global director of marketing and product strategy, “to some extent, cheese has already become a byproduct of whey.”
This turnaround reflects a protein boom that is reshaping the food industry. From dairy co-operatives to meat processors, companies are extracting more valuable ingredients from materials they once sold cheaply, while food manufacturers compete to secure supplies. The appetite for protein is driving billions in factory investments and acquisitions.
“Protein is increasingly [dictating] what food companies produce, where they invest capital, and how they differentiate and grow,” says Brian Earnest, lead animal protein economist at agribusiness lender CoBank.