Big Food Wants To Feed Our Protein Obsession

From people taking Wegovy and other GLP-1s to those simply looking to hit their macros, the packaged food industry sees a major opportunity.

- Andrea Felsted and Lisa Jarvis

Protein is replacing plant-based as the latest grocery aisle obsession.

Consequently, food companies are rushing to reformulate products for protein lovers. That's a category that includes people taking the powerful new class of obesity drugs known as GLP-1s, who are eating less yet looking for more nutrients and protein, and those seeking to preserve muscle mass as they age or just hoping to get ripped.

Companies argue they're filling a need created by these miracle weight-loss drugs. But are they offering something of real value or simply taking advantage of another food fad? If it turns out to be the latter, the raft of ready meals and appetite-suppressing drinks could do more to fatten companies' profits than to help people stay healthy while slimming down.

In the US alone, more than 170 million adults are considered overweight or obese. While supply constraints and challenges with insurance coverage have limited access to Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly & Co's Zepbound, a 2024 survey found that one in eight adults in the US had tried a GLP-1. That is already starting to nibble away at supermarket sales. Research company Circana found that although GLP-1 users in the United States continue to outspend non-users on groceries, those taking the drug for weight loss cut their outlay by about 1 percentage point in the first year of the regimen.

As with any form of weight loss, people taking Wegovy and Zepbound don't only shed fat, they lose muscle too. And because the drugs are such a powerful appetite suppressant, causing people to eat much less, the nutritional value of what they do consume becomes more important. Add in the fact that the population is getting older, and that muscle mass also declines as we age, and it's clear why Big Food is salivating over the potential for protein.