Ozempic is Changing the Foods Americans Buy
hubie writes:
Ozempic is changing the foods Americans buy:
When Americans begin taking appetite-suppressing drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, the changes extend well beyond the bathroom scale. According to new research, the medications are associated with meaningful reductions in how much households spend on food, both at the grocery store and at restaurants.
The study, published Dec. 18 in the Journal of Marketing Research, links survey data on GLP-1 receptor agonist use - a class of drugs originally developed for diabetes and now widely prescribed for weight loss - with detailed transaction records from tens of thousands of U.S. households. The result is one of the most comprehensive looks yet at how GLP-1 adoption is associated with changes in everyday food purchasing in the real world.
The headline finding is striking: Within six months of starting a GLP-1 medication, households reduce grocery spending by an average of 5.3%. Among higher-income households, the drop is even steeper, at more than 8%. Spending at fast-food restaurants, coffee shops and other limited-service eateries falls by about 8%.
Among households who continue using the medication, lower food spending persists at least a year, though the magnitude of the reduction becomes smaller over time, say co-authors, assistant professor Sylvia Hristakeva and professor Jura Liaukonyte, both in the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management in the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.
"The data show clear changes in food spending following adoption," Hristakeva said. "After discontinuation, the effects become smaller and harder to distinguish from pre-adoption spending patterns."
[...] The reductions were not evenly distributed across the grocery store.
Ultra-processed, calorie-dense foods - the kinds most closely associated with cravings - saw the sharpest declines. Spending on savory snacks dropped by about 10%, with similarly large decreases in sweets, baked goods and cookies. Even staples like bread, meat and eggs declined.
Only a handful of categories showed increases. Yogurt rose the most, followed by fresh fruit, nutrition bars and meat snacks.
"The main pattern is a reduction in overall food purchases. Only a small number of categories show increases, and those increases are modest relative to the overall decline," Hristakeva said.
The effects extended beyond the supermarket. Spending at limited-service restaurants such as fast-food chains and coffee shops fell sharply as well.
[...] Notably, about one-third of users stopped taking the medication during the study period. When they did, their food spending reverted to pre-adoption levels - and their grocery baskets became slightly less healthy than before they started, driven in part by increased spending on categories such as candy and chocolate.
That movement underscores an important limitation, the authors caution. The study cannot fully separate the biological effects of the drugs from other lifestyle changes users may make at the same time. However, evidence from clinical trials, combined with the observed reversion in spending after discontinuation, suggests appetite suppression is likely a key mechanism behind the spending changes.
Journal Reference: Hristakeva, S., Liaukonyt, J., & Feler, L. (2025). EXPRESS: The No-Hunger Games: How GLP-1 Medication Adoption is Changing Consumer Food Demand. Journal of Marketing Research, 0(ja). https://doi.org/10.1177/00222437251412834
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