Will America’s Increasing Use of Weight-Loss Drugs Result in a Blue Christmas for Food Companies and Retailers?
That may well be a conclusion from a new study by Numerator, a data and technology company. The report looked at the holiday eating habits of people taking GLP-1 drugs, a category of drugs including Ozempic, Saxenda and Trulicity that help curb hunger. The drugs have become increasingly popular in the past year, and even Oprah Winfrey just announced that she’s taking a weight-loss drug, although she doesn’t specify which one.
According to Numerator, which surveyed more than 400 people taking GLP-1 medications, 66% of them say it’s important to eat healthy during the holidays. That compares with 52% of those who don’t take the drugs.
Additionally, 52% of the GLP-1 group said they expected to be more health-conscious at their holiday dinners than the year before. That’s compared to 33% of those not taking the drugs.
Also see: Five obesity drug trends to watch in 2024: Who can compete with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk?
Still, the GLP-1 and non-GLP-1 groups were nearly identical when it came to admitting the difficulty of dining well during the holidays. Specifically, 80% of GLP-1 users and 77% of non-GLP-1 users said their eating habits during the holidays are less healthy than their eating habits the rest of the year.
According to an October story in the Wall Street Journal, executives at leading food manufacturers are facing questions about whether use of the GLP-1 drugs will have a financial impact. And Nicholas Fereday, a director at agricultural lender Rabobank, told the Journal that concerns should be real, given that two-thirds of Americans are overweight.
Rob Sarlls, CEO of Colorado-based candy company Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory RMCF,
and former chairman of SNAC International, a snack food trade group, told MarketWatch that concerns about the drugs are overblown. He pointed to recent data showing that candy sales remain relatively strong, up 9.7% year-over-year.
“People will continue to enjoy it,” Sarlls said.