The big uptake of weight loss medication is having a “significant” impact on households’ grocery spending habits, report says
Fat jabs have cost the food industry £780million a year in lost sales, a report has found.
The popularity of GLP-1 medication such as Wegovy and Mounjaro has changed the nation’s shopping habits, it says.
The research by Worldpanel by Numerator, which draws on responses from more than 11,500 households, found that the number in which at least one person uses a weight loss drug has nearly tripled in just two years, to 1.9 million adults.
It estimates that 6.3% of households in Britain now include at least one current user, rising sharply from 4.1% in 2025 and 2.3% in 2024. Women account for 77% of those on the drugs.
Such a big rise in a relatively short space of time is having a “significant” impact on the grocery market, the report says. Those households where at least one person is on an appetite suppressant drug have bought almost 300 fewer grocery items in the first year after starting on them. Collectively, they spent £780million less, it found. The decline equates to £418 per household.
More than half of users report experiencing fewer cravings, with one in 10 saying they no longer enjoy their usual food and drink favourites The largest drop has been on chocolate, down 75%, and crisps (72%), with big implications for manufacturers.
On the flip side, the trend has driven up sales of certain other products. Given side effects of taking the medication reportedly can include dry mouth and bad breath, there has been a 20 percentage point jump in sales of mouthwash and a 24 percentage point increase in chewing gum demand, compared with households without someone on the medication.
The shift is also impacting restaurants. Two fifths of users in the survey said they want smaller portion sizes on menus.
Celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal has been among those warning about the fall-out on the industry. Speaking last October, he said: “People just won’t eat as much. There needs to be some major rethinking of how, what and when we serve food and drink in a pub or restaurant. You could make much smaller portions but people will think you should charge half the price when you still have the same number of staff.”
Chantel Kennaugh, head of public sector and nutrition for Worldpanel by Numerator in Britain, said: “What was once a specialised treatment, primarily prescribed for type 2 diabetes, has in just a few short years become a mainstream force. Now, 68% of users are taking GLP-1s specifically to lose weight, opening them up to a much wider audience.
“These drugs are fundamentally disrupting how people engage with food and drink, with ripple effects already being felt across grocery and lifestyle, forcing brands and businesses to adapt at pace.”
Nishita Pattni, the firm’s senior consultant, said: “The picture ahead is complex. While 72% believe GLP-1 medications are being adopted too quickly without sufficient understanding of their long-term effects, growth shows no sign of slowing.
“Rising adoption in markets like the US, combined with continued innovation, points to even faster uptake. “As these drugs reshape user needs, consumers will increasingly look to retailers and manufacturers for support and guidance.”
