The rise of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs could become one of the more significant changes in consumer food behaviour of the next decade. The immediate assumption is fairly straightforward: appetite falls, people eat less and food companies lose volume. However, I believe the reality is likely to be considerably more interesting.
Nestlé is already treating the growth of GLP-1 as an innovation opportunity, developing products aimed specifically at people using weight-loss medication and exploring needs around protein, nutrition, satiety and muscle health. Its Vital Pursuit range was created around this emerging consumer need, while the business is also using AI and nutritional science to explore how products and formulations may need to evolve. (Reuters)
The bigger question is: how will eating behaviour change?
For food and drink marketers, knowing how many people use GLP-1 medication is only the starting point. The more valuable questions are behavioural. Does a smaller appetite change what people eat as much as how much they eat? Do some occasions disappear while others become more important? Does protein gain new relevance (even more relevance – and we all thought that it had peaked!)? What happens to snacking, indulgence and treats? Do consumers trade up because they are consuming less? Does portion size become a new source of innovation? How do attitudes towards convenience, nutrition and value evolve?
Different categories will experience these changes very differently.
A consumer may reduce one food occasion while becoming more demanding in another. Smaller portions may create opportunities for premiumisation. Increased nutritional scrutiny may benefit some brands while challenging others. Established brand assets and emotional connections may become even more important when consumers make fewer choices.
This is where consumer understanding becomes critical
At Spark, we specialise in helping food and FMCG brands understand changes in behaviour and translate them into commercial decisions.
Our experience includes working with businesses and brands across Unilever, Kellanova, Britvic, Largo, Nomad Foods and other major FMCG organisations, covering areas such as consumer behaviour, segmentation, innovation, pricing, proposition development, brand positioning and category growth.
The questions we would be encouraging food marketers to address now include:
- Which consumers and categories are most exposed to GLP-1-driven behavioural change?
- Which eating and drinking occasions are likely to shrink, change or emerge?
- How are needs around health, indulgence, convenience, protein and satiety evolving?
- Does consuming less increase willingness to pay for better products?
- Which existing brand strengths remain relevant in this new environment?
- What new propositions, formats or pack sizes have genuine consumer permission?
- How should portfolios adapt without overreacting to a rapidly developing trend?
The aim is not to chase a fashionable topic. It is to establish whether a structural change in consumer behaviour is taking place and, if it is, where the growth opportunities sit for your category and brand. This will clearly represent a threat for some and a growth opportunity for others.
We cannot assume that GLP-1 simply means lower consumption; it is about understanding what consumers are giving up, what they are replacing it with and what they will value more highly as their relationship with food changes.
Spark Market Research helps food and FMCG brands turn changing consumer behaviour into clearer growth decisions. If GLP-1 has the potential to materially affect your category, we would be very happy to share our thinking and explore what it could mean for your consumers, occasions and brands.
Get in touch: justin@sparkmr.com or via https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinhealy/
