If you’ve ever checked the ingredient list on a PowerBar or a high-protein smoothie, you probably have stumbled across these words: “Whey protein concentrate.” You’ll find it in a growing number of prepared foods.
This mysterious ingredient is derived from one of the oldest of human foods — milk. But capturing it requires huge factories that look more like oil refineries than farms.
In fact, the refinery comparison is apt. Increasingly, milk isn’t something you just drink anymore — we’re drinking less plain old milk these days. Instead, milk’s become a raw material, sort of like crude oil, that’s broken down into separate, more valuable products.
Read this story now for free
To continue reading, sign up for our newsletter and get unlimited access to WABE.org
You can select your preferences for news and local content. We will never share your email address. Learn how your newsletter sign-up will support WABE and Public Media
