How GLP-1 Drugs Drive Innovation

Driven by their effectiveness in managing diabetes and promoting weight loss, demand for glucagon-like peptide-1 drugs, known as GLP-1s, is surging globally. Part of the broader category of anti-obesity medications, GLP-1 receptor agonists work by mimicking a gut hormone that suppresses appetite and slows how fast the stomach empties after eating. 

“The potential scale of the GLP-1 user population is enormous,” says Barb Stuckey, chief new product strategy officer at Mattson, a Silicon Valley-based food and beverage strategy and product innovation company. In the United States alone, approximately 6% of adults are currently using the medications, while those who are eligible represent 52%, she adds, and with that scale comes burgeoning opportunities for new product development. 

Mattson recently completed research on GLP-1 users to better understand their needs and likely purchasing behavior, then used an AI-powered ideation tool to create viable product concepts. Below, Stuckey elaborates on the findings and pinpoints key prospects for food and beverage innovators.

What does your research reveal about GLP-1 users’ appetite and taste preferences? 

Our research shows that GLP-1 users find it significantly easier to resist cravings and control their eating, with 79% of respondents noting a decreased appetite after starting the medication. In particular, they report significant declines in cravings for salty, spicy, and starchy foods, as well as dairy products. It’s clear that users are losing weight by eating fewer calories—nearly 30% fewer—and they’re doing this by eating fewer meals, fewer snacks, and smaller portion sizes. Additionally, and for reasons we don’t quite understand, users also report that their taste preferences changed. Things they once craved are no longer appealing, while new cravings developed for healthier foods. Meanwhile, “food noise,” or the amount of time spent thinking about food, dissipated among most participants.

Use of these drugs can come with side effects. Can you talk about some of them? 

Quite a large majority of the people that go on GLP-1s do have some side effects. Some of them are very minor; others are significant. They’re usually around gastrointestinal distress and run the gamut from diarrhea to constipation. Some users have an upset stomach that makes them nauseous. Other side effects are related to rapid weight loss and include loss of lean muscle mass and the potential for dietary deficiencies. 

How do these research takeaways inform food and beverage innovation? 

We found that there’s a need to offer patients high-protein options to maintain critically important lean muscle mass and stave off nausea, as well as products fortified with micronutrients, like vitamins and minerals, to mitigate against dietary deficits. Additionally, because GLP-1 users eat smaller portions, just the right portion size also emerged as a key purchase driver. 

Can you give us a sneak peek at a few of Mattson’s winning concepts? 

For consumer packaged goods, some of the top-tier concepts included brownie cubes, chicken strips, a hydrating popsicle, and a veggie and protein snack pack. In the foodservice space, the most popular items included a protein smoothie breakfast bowl, marinated and grilled chicken mini sandwiches, salad wraps, and hydrating slushies. With their focus on protein, hydration, and small servings, these items scored high with our study’s participants.

What advice do you have for companies as they approach new product development?

I was on a webinar recently with someone who said, “This is how companies can ‘capitalize’ on GLP-1.” I think that’s the wrong approach. It’s not about capitalizing; it’s about helping people who have specific dietary needs. It’s no different than sports nutrition or prenatal nutrition. So, companies need to view what they’re doing as being part of the solution—trying to solve consumer needs and wants. The other thing I think is really important is to understand where you can play based on your brand and portfolio. Some companies already in the weight loss space are retrofitting or repositioning their products for GLP-1 users; others are newer to the scene. GLP-1 users come to these drugs for a variety of reasons. So, whether it’s trying to get off of insulin or high blood pressure medications, there are many segments, and each segment represents an opportunity.

Listen to more of the conversation with Barb Stuckey on IFT’s Omnivore podcast and read about the impact of anti-obesity drugs in the March issue of Food Technology magazine.