Viemed Healthcare Inc VMD

Ozempic again

[JackLambert]

These things all seem to me to be complimentary to CPAP not substitutes.    CPAP having a big price advantage.  

Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic are changing the snack industry

With more North American adults using Ozempic and other weight-loss drugs, food companies are carefully watching to see how the craze affects their bottom line. (David J. Phillip/The Associated Press)

Weight-loss drugs are changing the way people eat, and snack companies are paying close attention.

With a growing number of North American adults using GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy for weight loss, food companies are carefully watching to see how the craze is impacting their bottom line — and cooking up ways to market their products toward people on the medications.

Nestle has launched a line of prepared meals aimed at patients taking GLP-1 drugs, while executives at yogurt company Danone and beverage giant Coca-Cola have touted high-protein, low-sugar products, also to appeal to GLP-1 users.

Whether the strategy will work is another story. Even if you're using a weight-loss drug, "it's still up to you on how you are going to manage your dietary responses," said Raegan Sather, a marketing professional in Edmonton who says using Ozempic for two years has "eliminated any snacking."

Between 900,000 and 1.4 million Canadians are currently using a GLP-1 drug, according to a December survey from Dalhousie University. Meanwhile, a Gallup research poll found that 15.5 million American adults had used injectable weight-loss drugs while another report anticipated that nine per cent of American adults will be taking a GLP-1 drug by 2030.

Food companies like Nestle and Coca-Cola are "always in tune with how these different changes are affecting consumer purchase habits overall," said Robert Carter, a food industry analyst and managing partner at Stratton-Hunter Group. But this is no South Beach or Atkins diet. "These drugs really suppress appetite [and] food cravings. So this is resulting in an overall decrease in food consumption," he said.

The Ozempic craze also ties into the broader health and wellness trend that's been underway in the food industry for the last several years. Companies were already moving toward those products, but the drugs have accelerated it, Carter says. As for whether companies need to be concerned, Carter says it's unlikely. "I think it's just a continued evolution of the consumer purchase behaviour as it relates to food," he said.