The trend: Consumers who take weight loss drugs are eating less and consuming healthier foods when they’re on the medication. This behavior change is driving a slew of food sellers and CPG brands to develop product lines and reformulate items with GLP-1 users in mind.

Editor’s note: This article pulls information from our just-published “The Impact of Weight Loss Drugs 2025” report.

Driving the trend: GLP-1s suppress users’ appetites by increasing feelings of fullness. They can also change users’ palate perception, affecting the taste of sweets and ultra-processed foods.

Consumers taking weight loss drugs cut back on grocery purchases.

• Households with at least one GLP-1 user decreased grocery spending by an estimated 5.5% during the first six months of treatment, according to a December 2024 Cornell and Numerator study.
• That increases to 8.6% among households earning over $125,000 annually.

Many GLP-1 users make healthier food choices than they did previously.

• Around one-third buy more organic products (35%) and eliminate processed food purchases (31%) once they start the medication, per a January 2025 Dentsu survey.
• Categories such as chips and savory snacks, as well as sweet baked goods, saw the largest spending reductions, per Cornell and Numerator.
• 49% are more mindful of food labels, per Dentsu.

How food companies are responding: The largest grocery chains aren’t yet sounding the alarm over GLP-1 users buying fewer items. The lack of concern could be because most of these players—including Walmart, Costco, Kroger, and Albertsons—also operate pharmacies. So any spending decline for groceries could be offset by more customers picking up GLP-1 prescriptions.