UK food brands scrambling to catch up to GLP-1 users, who is actually adapting?
Posted by tiredmira in Research & News - 2 points, 4 comments.
Read this piece about how European food companies are losing revenue because of the GLP-1 wave, and honestly it tracks with what I have been seeing in the US too 🥗
The bit that caught my eye was that some UK supermarkets are actually launching meal products aimed at GLP-1 users, like smaller portions, higher protein, easier on the stomach. That feels like the first real pivot I have seen from a major retailer instead of just shrugging and blaming the drugs.
My take is that the companies adapting are gonna pull ahead, because the people on these meds are not gonna suddenly go back to giant portions. The appetite changes feel structural for a lot of us, not temporary.
But I wonder how much of this is actual consumer behavior versus marketing hype. Has anyone here noticed the GLP-1 targeted food stuff actually being better, or is it just smaller portions with a fancy label 😅
Comments
- hank_f: Glp-1 appetite changes are absolutely structural for a lot of users, thats been pretty well documented at this point. Wilder et al. Had a decent paper on the satiety signaling stuff a while back. The supermarket pivot makes commercial sense. If a meaningful slice of your customer base is now eating 800-1000 kcal a day, portioned higher protein meals are a real product category, not a gimmick. Fwiw, the protein per calorie ratio is what matters most from what ive seen, not just smaller portions.
- tiredmira: Yeah the protein per calorie point is exactly what I was trying to put my finger on, thanks for saying it cleaner than I did. So far the "GLP-1 friendly" stuff I have seen at my usual stores is basically just smaller portions of the same processed stuff with a new label, which is kinda insulting honestly 😅 The Wilder paper rings a bell, I will go dig it up. Did you find the satiety signaling part useful for tracking your own intake, or more just academic?
- quiet_ironman: The protein per calorie thing is exactly right, that tracks with what I see coaching too. A lot of folks on these meds who are still training seriously need way more protein than those ready made meals usually deliver, even the ones marketed for it. The ones I have seen are often still heavy on carbs and light on actual leucine content.
- tiredmira: Yeah that is basically my whole complaint, the protein math never works out 😅 I tried two of those "high protein" ready meals last month and both were like 18-20g protein for 300+ cals, which is fine for a normal person but I need closer to 40g per meal to hit my targets without forcing myself to eat a third meal which is rough on the med. The leucine point is interesting though, I never thought to check that specifically. Do you see people actually tracking that or is it more of a "should I
Community discussion - research and educational context only. Not medical advice.