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When did every aisle become the protein aisle?

Put those muscular hands where we can see ’em and step away from the Greek yogurt.

The “proteinification” of our food is well underway, and Americans can’t seem to get enough (though they’ve likely had plenty).

Sixty-one percent of consumers said they were striving to increase their protein intake in 2024, up from 48% in 2019, according to a report from global food company Cargill.
Sixty-three percent of consumers said they want protein in their snacks.

And Google searches for “high-protein diet” peaked in January.

Why the new dietary obsession?

We usually like to blame social media first — though in this case, it’s partly true.

There’s also the rising popularity of GLP-1 weight loss drugs: 6% of US adults, 15m+ people, were actively using a prescription as of last year.

While the drugs eliminate fat, they also shrink muscle mass, sending users reaching for high-protein options — something food companies have been quick to capitalize on.

And capitalize they have

If it’s edible, a brand has probably tried to cram extra protein into it. The low-fat craze of the ‘80s and ‘90s has given way to the great proteinification of our grocery shelves:

The US protein supplements market was valued at ~$9.9B in 2024 and is projected to hit $22.6B by 2032.
Food brands introduced 97 new products with “protein” in the name in 2024, more than 2x the year prior.
The fastest-growing grocery items of the last year were the most protein-packed, with 25+ grams, per NielsenIQ data via The Wall Street Journal.

There’s protein pasta, cereal, ice cream, chips — heck, even soda.

Just last week, celebrity entrepreneur Khloe Kardashian launched Khloud Protein Popcorn.

Should we let people bulk in peace?

Maybe, but it turns out that the average American doesn’t need more protein. And there is such a thing as too much.

Even worse, your protein-packed pee could be a problem for the environment: Excess nitrogen in the country’s wastewater — caused by protein digestion — can pollute the air and water and promote toxic algae growth.

Didn’t think we’d need to say this but… save the Earth and just eat some normal ice cream, dang it.

The world’s coolest drones survey sewage pipes

Drones have been doing our dirty work for so long that the Smithsonian has a nearly decade-old article about how drones helped rescue Capt. Richard Phillips in 2009.

But there’s a difference between dirty jobs and dirty jobs.

Meet the poop drones

The Public Works Office in Michigan’s Macomb County has embraced the tech to manage its sewer lines, per Wired.

Rather than sending workers into tight, stinky tunnels to look for damaged pipes, they use Flybotix’s Asio X drone.

It has a shell-like cage and is equipped with a powerful lighting rig, 4K camera, and lidar to navigate and create 3D models of pipes.
It collects data that the county sends to SewerAI, where an algorithm can automatically identify defects.
It’s cheaper, safer, and easier than using human inspectors, and no one has to crawl through a poop-filled tube (we’re assuming the robot is fine with it).

It also looks pretty badass.

The three Ds

As the Smithsonian notes, there are “3 Ds” to drone jobs: dangerous, dull, and dirty.

That basically means any job that humans don’t want to do — like crawling through a toxic tunnel full of sewage, or rescuing Capt. Phillips.

Of course, drones are also becoming increasingly common for deliveries, which either means we need to add a fourth D or accept that food delivery is simply too dangerous for humans.

Commanders reveal $3.7b deal to bring team back to DC

The Washington Commanders might get to go home…or at least that’s how the franchise hopes you’ll see it. DC Mayor Muriel E. Bowser and team owner Josh Harris announced a $3.7 billion deal yesterday to bring the sports team back to the site of the beloved but crumbling RFK Stadium.

The project, which includes the single largest private investment in DC’s history, could be legacy-making for both Harris and Bowser. The proposed new development, spanning 177 acres, would include housing, retail, and park spaces centered around a brand-new 65,000-seat roofed stadium, which would enable the space to potentially host a Super Bowl.

It’s not a done deal. The Commanders have pledged to shell out $2.7 billion for the new development, while taxpayers would be on the hook for about $1 billion—mostly through an extension of the Ballpark Fee, a tax imposed on local businesses that was expected to expire in 2026. And some members of the DC Council, which must sign off on the project, have already spoken out against using public funds for a stadium.

Big picture: While most economists agree that sports stadiums are a bad use of public funds, taxpayers across the US have spent around $30 billion on them over the last three decades. Some taxpayers aren’t on board: Missouri voters, for example, rejected a Chiefs and Royals stadium tax last year.—MM

Empty store shelves are coming, freighters warn

Cargo handlers are raising the alarm on a steep drop-off in foreign-made goods entering the US, meaning “out of stock” signs could multiply as soon as next month if President Trump doesn’t change his tariff tune, economists say.

Ground to a halt: Amid falling demand for China’s 145%-tariffed goods, sea-faring cargo shipments from China to the US plummeted 65% in three weeks after tariffs took effect in early April, according to the global logistics company Flexport.

Ocean freighters called off about 80 trips from China to the US this month. That’s almost 60% more cancellations than during the peak of Covid-19 supply-chain interruption in May 2020.
The main US entry point for Chinese goods, the Port of Los Angeles, expects one-third fewer arrivals next week compared to the same time last year.

Since China is one of Uncle Sam’s largest providers of everything from kitchen appliances to combs, “The consequence [of tariffs] will be empty shelves in US stores in a few weeks and Covid-like shortages for consumers and for firms using Chinese products,” Apollo Global Management’s chief economist said last week. Lagging sales, layoffs in trucking, logistics, and retail, and a summertime recession are likely to follow, according to Apollo.

It could be too late to save Xmas, but not the economy

To buy time, US companies have been importing more goods from other manufacturing hotbeds, including Vietnam and Cambodia, whose tariffs are on pause. Still, thousands of businesses will likely need to restock by mid-May, when retailers tend to bulk up their inventories ahead of back-to-school and holiday shopping seasons.

Executives from Walmart, Target, and Home Depot told Trump last week that they foresee serious risks of barren shelves and higher prices. It’s unclear when relief might come: Trump’s administration has said there are active talks with China, but China has denied it.

Zoom out: Even if tariffs ease, a sudden resurgence in shipping demand could overwhelm ocean freighters. “Ports are designed for stable flows, not the off-again, on-again volume shifts,” the CEO of shipping company Vespucci Maritime told Bloomberg.—ML