Weight loss drugs are hitting the food industry hard.
People taking medications such as Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy, which were originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, spend less on groceries and put healthier items in their shopping baskets, according to a new study on shopping behavior by analytics firm Grocery Doppio.
This is due to decreased appetite and changes in taste.
Snack and confectionery makers were hit hardest, with purchases of their products by people taking weight-loss drugs falling 52%.
Additionally, purchases of baked goods were down 47%, soda and sweetened drinks down 28%, alcoholic beverages down 17%, and processed foods down 13%.
Conversely, people taking weight-loss drugs increased their purchases of healthy foods, such as lean protein.
Lauren Covello, a public relations professional in Syracuse, said she lost 45 pounds in six months while taking Tirzepatide, a generic version of Zepbound, and that her “shopping habits have changed dramatically.”
She drinks protein shakes for breakfast and lunch and eats something high in protein for dinner.
Overall, she eats a lot of protein and vegetables, drinks very little alcohol, and doesn’t snack.
“My budget has shrunk by a few hundred dollars a month, but I’m eating healthier,” said Covello, 43.
She used to eat out a lot, mostly fast food.
“I crave different foods,” Covello says. “Fatty foods make me feel queasy after eating them, so I crave lighter, healthier foods.”
“I get full quickly, so when I think about what I put in my body, I want to choose quality ingredients,” she added.
The survey found that 1.7% of Americans were prescribed the drug semaglutide in the last year.
These drugs mimic GLP-1, a hormone the body naturally produces after a meal, allowing users to feel fuller sooner and for longer.
Of those taking weight loss drugs, 97% reduced their grocery spending by an average of 11%.
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Elise Lamar, 42, a communications professional from Sarasota, Fla., stayed at Maunjaro for 19 months and lost more than 60 pounds. She said she redirected her grocery spending “to other foods, like protein shakes and high-protein foods, and cut back on junk food.”
Instead of falling into the carb traps of bagels, waffles, and ice cream, Lamar’s fridge is stocked with Fairlife shakes, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and hard cheeses.
