Business strategies to win in a GLP-1 food world

What does GLP-1 adoption mean for food businesses? Summary

• GLP‑1 drugs are scaling fast and will sharply reduce overall food volumes
• Weight control becomes choice‑driven as cheaper GLP‑1 pills expand access
• Falling volumes push companies to win share, premiumise or cut costs
• Convenience and impulse models face risk as cravings and urges decline
• Reformulation must shift toward protein, fibre and plants to stay relevant

The appetite‑suppressant trend is skyrocketing, with GLP‑1 drugs attracting broader interest than almost any other pharmaceutical breakthrough.

Why? Because when weight is involved, there’s an added aesthetic motivation driving demand – something we simply don’t see with medications for conditions like heart disease or depression.

As Henry Dimbleby – the food campaigner, author of the UK’s 2020 National Food Strategy, and managing director of consultancy Bramble Partners – puts it, food and drink companies aren’t ready for the scale and speed of GLP-1 adoption, which currently represents “the biggest” shift in the food system.

Here are four key strategies, from retail to manufacturing, to help businesses thrive in a world where appetite and impulse are in decline.

Prepare for a world where people can “choose their weight”

This may sound like science fiction, but we’re not talking about a galaxy far, far away. It’s coming to this planet, Earth, and very soon.

One can’t argue with the facts: over time, drugs get cheaper, more effective and convenient, with fewer side effects. When that happens with GLP-1s, “people may effectively choose what weight they want,” explains Dimbleby.

If given the choice, how many people living with obesity would choose to continue to do so? Very few, he suspects. What’s more likely is that people are prescribed a GLP-1 pill when ageing naturally causes a metabolism slowdown – let’s say, around the age of 40.

So what’s the strategy for food and drink businesses? First and foremost, to understand the true scale and speed of GLP-1 adoption. In the UK alone, 66% of people are either overweight or living with obesity, with 40% wanting to lose weight. So far, an estimated 2 million people are willing to pay thousands for the drugs. And when patents lapse, that financial barrier begins to fall.

The result will be a “very different world”, says Dimbleby. And one where significantly lower volumes of food are consumed.

Grow profit when volumes fall

Which leads neatly to the next strategy for food and beverage players hoping to succeed in the GLP-1 age. If consumers are buying fewer units but the pressure to grow the corporate bottom line remains, that creates a major challenge in itself. So how can businesses grow profit when volumes fall?

There are only three levers CPGs can pull, according to Dimbleby.

Increase market share: The first is to win market share from competitors. As the consultant stresses, “Be the canoe, not the tanker.” In other words, even for the food giants of this world, thinking nimbly is key. And for smaller companies looking to appeal to GLP-1 users, this could be their moment. “Small companies may outmanoeuvre incumbents.”

Premiumise: This trend has become big business in food and beverage and remains a key option for companies facing volume declines. With or without GLP‑1, major players from Unilever to Nestlé are pushing premiumisation. But it’s not as simple as declaring a premium strategy, warns Dimbleby. Businesses need to analyse their portfolios carefully to identify which parts are genuinely suited to it.

Reduce costs: The final strategy is to cut costs, which makes clear commercial sense when volume is falling. A sharper price point can help preserve sales, but it’s not simply about slashing prices. Dimbleby stresses the need for a “clear plan for efficiency” that keeps margins intact.

Food companies needn’t pull one lever and stick to it. It could be that a blend of all three brings the best results. But understanding what kind of mix in the portfolio is key.

As convenience dies, rethink your impulse strategy

As the GLP‑1 trend accelerates, it could render some business models unviable. The convenience model is particularly exposed, posing a real risk to companies reliant on impulse purchases.

Emerging evidence suggests that GLP-1s reduce cravings and urges. In food, that could present in reduced demand for salty snacks, sugary treats or chocolate. But it could also extend beyond the food aisle. As Dimbleby explains, other categories like cigarettes, vapes or even lottery tickets could see reduced demand over time. “If this is all true, the convenience story model will be profoundly affected.”

For snack and confectionery companies, the implications are serious. These companies need a “worst-case scenario plan for impulse,” stresses the consultant. “If GLP-1 reduces impulses, what replaces snack-based and craving-based categories?”

Don’t just restrict the bad, boost the good

And then we arrive at reformulation – a term that’s slowly changing its meaning in the age of positive nutrition. Where once nutrition-forward food was considered anything low in fat, salt and sugar, these days the narrative is shifting towards boosting sought-after ingredients like protein, fibre, and plants.

This kind of reformulation feeds into the broader consumer trend for quality, which isn’t going away. It is changing, however – and according to Dimbleby, could “change beyond recognition”.

“Almost everyone globally will think differently about food,” he says. “People will be forced to think more carefully about what they eat.”

Food companies therefore need to understand their different consumer segments today, and how GLP-1 will change that tomorrow.

So what’s the big takeaway for industry? Change is coming, fast. And it’s not linear. “Most companies are behind, and know they’re behind,” says Dimbleby. Those lagging cannot afford to wait.

Want to learn more about the GLP-1 disruption?

Don’t miss our Positive Nutrition broadcast series and dedicated session on GLP-1 Disruption. Hear from experts at Lifesum, Circana, Cornerstone Nutrition, Släcka and more on 5 February 2026, and on demand thereafter.

Registration is free and open now.