Altering Eating Habits to Avoid Obesity

"Over the last 30 years, we've seen a steady increase in the average BMI [Body Mass Index] in countries like Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, and this has led to all manner of health issues."

"This [weight loss drugs] is really sensitizing people to that [the connection between obesity and heart/stroke and diabetes] as a problem. And the other thing is, indirectly, it creates an interest in products that are either lower calorie or less fattening. It's interesting because it creates a mentality that is not just related to the product itself but to the problem." 

"When people were spending more time at home [during the COVID pandemic] they shifted some of their buying away from ultra-processed foods to less processed foods."

"Being sensitized to this problem [of overweight [leading to major health issues] may mean that when you go into the store, and you can buy a can of pre-prepared beans, or you can buy fresh beans, maybe you buy the fresh beans."

"Maybe that causes some charges like that at the margin, which actually do make a difference."

David Soberman, marketing professor, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto

Ozempic and other GLP-1 weight-loss pharmaceuticals are wildly popular in North America, for their usefulness in countering the epidemic of obesity and managing Type 2 diabetes (a product of a sedentary lifestyle and weight gain). It seems that the drug is extremely effective, to the point that one in eight Americans have used them. Goldman Sachs predicts weight loss drugs could become by 2030 a $100-billion market.

"It's not going away. I think we're just going to see more and more acceptance, and everybody in the food industry is going to have to do some scenario planning around this", commented Jo-Ann McArthur, president of Toronto's Nourish Food Marketing. For those using the GLP-1 medications, consuming enough protein becomes vital in helping to maintain muscle mass during weight loss. Ms. McArthur  advises that an increasing number of "GLP-1-friendly foods" will be appearing on the market.

Grocery spending, according to a Morgan Stanley report, has dropped in some households by nine percent among those using weight-loss medications. Snacks and sweet pastries are the most affected. Carbonated soft drinks, baked goods and snacks sales could fall by up to three percent by 2025, according to the Morgan Stanley report. The major effect of GLP-1 drugs is to cause depressed appetite and a feeling of fullness; injurious to the food industry even while it is of benefit to society.

The effectiveness of these drugs in helping users to lose weight and regain some of their agency over health outcomes has energized the public watching the overweight who have struggled against weight gain and the serious chronic illnesses that are the bane of the overweight population, with growing interest. Encouraging even those who have no real need for use of the drugs to become more aware of how they can control their body weight.

Reducing consumption of ultra-processed foods is the first step; selecting food items that are obviously healthier, appearing in the outer aisles of a supermarket; fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and whole-grain bread products have become a matter of concern for food processing corporations seeing their product sales in decline. According to the Morgan Stanley review, as households using GLP-1 drugs focus more on the food they consume, leaving behind snacks, pastries and ice cream, they turn toward more yogurt, fish and vegetables.

California-based food and beverage developer Mattson, conducting a proprietary research, found similar preferences being expressed. Mattson surveyed over a hundred people from a panel of 800 consumers who had taken or were using weight-loss drugs, reporting more mindfulness in their shopping, and tending to shop less often, buying more whole foods, cooking more frequently, and reducing food waste while on the medication. 

 

"These drugs have really fundamentally changed the way people interact with food", innovation and insights leader with Mattson, Katie Hagan, commented. People tended to drink more water, they exhibited less interest in soda and alcohol, and they ate more high-protein foods, whole grains, eggs, fruits, vegetables and salads.