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GLP-1 drug use cuts grocery spending by 6%, study finds

January 2, 2025 from Food Dive:

• "Households with at least one GLP-1 user cut their grocery spending by approximately 6% within six months of taking the medication, according to a study by Cornell University and Numerator. The impact was even more pronounced on higher-income households, with spending falling by nearly 9%.
• "The data showed a significantly larger drop in the purchases of calorie-dense, processed items, including an 11% decline in savory snacks.
• "With nearly 15 million U.S. adults taking GLP-1 medications, what foods they consume is changing. This is prompting CPG companies to change what they sell and how they market their products.

The Cornell and Numerator study noted that a 6% decline in grocery spending following GLP-1 adoption leads to a $416 annual reduction in purchases per household. For higher-income households earning over $125,000, annualized grocery spending fell $690.

"Not surprisingly, snacking is getting hit the hardest. Spending on products such as chips, baked goods, sides and cookies showed some of the largest reductions, averaging between 6.7% and 11.1%.

"While the researchers did observe “a modest increase in spending” on items such as fresh produce and yogurt among weight-loss users, grocery basket composition became healthier because people cut back more on buying unhealthy items than by adding healthier ones."