Reviewers

Dr. Brenna Ellison, Professor, Purdue University

Article

Food Demand in a Post-Ozempic World by Brian E. Roe

Source

Roe, Brian E. 2025. Food Demand in a Post-Ozempic World. Choices, 40(1), https://www.choicesmagazine.org/choices-magazine/submitted-articles/food-demand-in-a-post-ozempic-world.

Summary

In this article, Brian Roe provides a discussion of how GLP-1 drugs, like Ozempic and Wegovy, could impact food demand. If you are new to GLP-1 drugs, these are glucagon-like peptide 1 medications. They were originally developed as a treatment for type 2 diabetes; however, the weight loss gains associated with these drugs has resulted in wider use to combat obesity.

Roe’s analysis is based on survey data collected from current GLP-1 users in April 2024 from approximately 500 individuals. Several key findings emerge:

  1. Individuals eat significantly fewer calories. Roe reports that the average respondent decreased daily calorie intake by nearly 700 calories compared to pre-medication intake levels. Reductions in caloric intake are found across all body mass index (BMI) categories.
  2. Individuals spend less on food. Eating fewer calories each day translates to spending less money on food. At the median, spending on food at home decreased by $10/week and spending on food away from home (e.g., restaurants) decreased by $30/week compared to pre-medication food spending.

Individuals eat different kinds of foods. Similar to other published studies, Roe’s data reveals that individuals’ diet patterns change once they are using GLP-1 medications. Individuals reported consuming fewer carbohydrates (40%) and more protein (28%). When looking at specific food categories, individuals reported eating fewer fried foods, sweets, pasta and dairy, while eating more vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and fish.

What does this mean for food and agricultural business?

As GLP-1 use increases, there are likely to be real impacts on food producers, manufacturers and retailers. With consumers demanding less food, food companies will likely shift to reformulate products or introduce new product lines that appeal to these consumers – this could include healthier foods, smaller portion sizes or some type of labeling effort to indicate that foods are “GLP-1 friendly.” Restaurants may similarly work to diversify their menus as these consumers move away from fried foods and large portions.

One important caveat that Roe acknowledges is that the speed of GLP-1 adoption depends on how insurance providers handle coverage of these drugs. Many insurers have limited or even removed coverage of anti-obesity medications as demand has exploded, leaving consumers with high out-of-pocket costs. While there are calls to make GLP-1 medications more accessible, it remains unclear how quickly that will happen in the U.S.