This audio is generated automatically. Please let me know if you have any comments.
The following is a guest post from growth strategy experts Bryan Radtke and Jeremy Bartlow of PA Consulting. Opinions are the author’s own.
About a year ago, we published an article exploring: How GLP-1 drugs could reshape the U.S. food and beverage sector. Although drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic attracted attention at the time, most of the debate centered on whether these drugs could meaningfully change consumer behavior.
Today, most of those questions have been answered.
GLP-1 adoption has accelerated. food and restaurant brands Already respondingAnd early data now shows a measurable impact on how (and how much) people eat. At the same time, the broader nutritional landscape has changed due to updated federal dietary guidelines that emphasize eating more protein and reducing reliance on refined carbohydrates.
We decided to take advantage of hindsight, new data, and new market signals to revisit our original view. The goal is not to declare winners and losers, but to help leaders understand what is structurally changing and where the next sources of advantage will lie.
What we got right: GLP-1 is a structural change, not a temporary trend.
Our original paper framed GLP-1 drugs not as a short-term diet craze but as a structural disruption to eating and consumption patterns. That frame was maintained.
GLP-1 is increasingly used as a long-term treatment rather than a temporary intervention. Expanded employer coverage, telehealth access has reduced friction, and the recent introduction of an oral GLP-1 option has further lowered barriers. The result is a growing consumer population whose relationship with food is fundamentally different than it was even two years ago.
Early data reinforces these changes. GLP-1 consumer decline Grocery spending decreased by about 6% Restaurant spending (including fast food) decreases by about 8% within 6 months of starting drug treatment. These numbers may sound modest when applied to over $1 trillion in food spending, but they represent a meaningful economic signal. Importantly, these effects occur early in the GLP-1 journey.
Studies have shown that behavioral changes often persist even among consumers who stop taking the drug, indicating that GLP-1 may reset habits rather than temporarily suppress appetite.
The advent of oral GLP-1 drugs marks another inflection point. The pill removes many of the psychological and logistical barriers associated with injections, making GLP-1 feel more like a part of everyday life rather than a visible medical intervention.
What Surprises Us: Eating Less Doesn’t Mean Caring Less
It is tempting to assume that appetite suppression simply leads to a decrease in overall eating. In reality, what we are seeing is more subtle. GLP-1 users don’t just eat less. They also eat more selectively.
The fewer times you eat during the day, the more weight each meal carries. Consumers are becoming more intentional about what they feel “worth it,” prioritizing foods that provide fullness, energy, and satisfaction without discomfort. The emotional and social aspects of eating have not disappeared, but have become more focused on fewer moments each day and each week.
This helps explain potential dynamics emerging across the market. There are fewer impulse moments, but the expectations per bite are higher.
Proteins exist everywhere and there is a risk of overcorrection.
Proteins emerged as the most visible response to these changes. Restaurants, packaged food brands, and beverage companies are launching protein-forward options at an unprecedented rate. From high-protein pizzas and wraps to protein-enhanced coffees and smoothies, protein has moved from niche to mainstream.
This momentum is not driven by GLP-1 alone. 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Protein prioritization is now explicitly recommended. You should drastically reduce your intake of refined carbohydrates and highly processed foods at each meal.
In reality, protein demand is being driven by three intensification dynamics.
- Changes in healthcare consumer behavior due to GLP-1 use
- Commercial response from food and restaurant brands
- Institutional recognition through federal nutrition policy
Together, they help explain why proteins are suddenly ubiquitous.
But ubiquity comes with risks. We are starting to see signs of protein fatigue. This is not because consumers no longer value protein, but because they are questioning how it appears. Products that maximize grams at the expense of taste, digestibility or enjoyment can feel processed rather than nutritious. Consumers still want food that sparks joy and fits naturally into their lives.
The opportunity isn’t simply “more protein.” A better protein experience.
What this means for food and beverage leaders
Taken together, the evidence points to GLP-1 not diminishing the food industry but rather reshaping what food should earn in consumers’ daily lives.
In impulse-driven, high-calorie categories, volume pressure may emerge, but demand will not disappear. We are likely to become increasingly more intentional, more discerning, and more experience-driven.
As adoption expands, GLP-1 behavior remains unremarkable and unrefined. Brands can’t always know who is taking these medications and who isn’t. Designing for GLP-1 compatibility increasingly means designing for the mainstream.
This raises the bar on relevance and places greater emphasis on portion flexibility, nutritional efficiency, digestive comfort and clear value per bite.
Simply put, you have to work harder to make room in the moment when you eat less and more mindfully. This is less about reorganization and more about reimagining a changing demand environment.
A year ago, GLP-1 was a looming question mark for the food industry. Today, this is a living reality that intersects with federal nutrition guidelines, cultural expectations, and nascent economic signals.
The companies that will win won’t be those that react fastest to headlines. Winners are taking a thoughtful, systems-level view of how food fits into people’s lives as appetites, priorities, and expectations change.
The landscape is changing, and opportunities are wide open for those who can best see it.
