GLP-1: The Silent Revolution That Will Transform Food Consumption.

Article by: Luigi Consiglio, CEO of Eccellenzed'Impresa, and Lucrezia Scopelliti, COO of Eccellenzed'Impresa.

For years, the food industry has measured its success through a seemingly simple logic: selling more. More packages, more portions, more consumption occasions. Growth was closely tied to volume, and innovation primarily served to increase purchase frequency.

Today, however, a transformation is emerging that is set to challenge this paradigm. It is not driven by a new food technology or a regulatory change. Instead, it comes from the pharmaceutical industry and bears a name that every entrepreneur in the sector should begin to know: GLP-1.

Medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro are changing the eating habits of millions of people. So far, public discussion has focused almost exclusively on their ability to promote weight loss.

But what happens when millions of consumers begin to eat less in a structural way?

For companies, this is the real strategic question.

This is not simply a healthcare phenomenon. It is a transformation that will reshape demand, redefine product categories, and change the very way the food industry creates value.

The first evidence is already significant. Across Europe and the United Kingdom, it is estimated that between 9 and 10 million adults are using GLP-1 medications. Research shows an average reduction in calorie intake of between 15% and 20%, equivalent to more than 700 calories per day. And this is only the beginning: the European adoption rate is close to 2%, while in the United States it has already reached approximately 12%.

According to ING Research, by 2030 GLP-1 medications could reduce overall calorie consumption in Europe by between 2.5% and 3.5%, with particularly significant effects on snacks, confectionery, sweets, and alcoholic beverages.

At first glance, these figures may appear modest. In reality, they represent a profound transformation. In an industry that often grows with annual volume increases of less than 1%, a structural reduction in demand changes the competitive balance across the entire value chain. For this reason, many analysts are asking which product categories will be most affected.

But that is probably the wrong question.

The real question is different: how do you create value when consumers buy and consume less?

Every major industrial transformation forces companies to change their metrics. For decades, the food industry has sought to increase the number of consumption occasions by expanding assortments, multiplying product lines, and encouraging increasingly frequent purchases.

Today, the perspective is being reversed.

If consumers eat less, every choice inevitably becomes more selective. Every purchase must justify its place. Every product must deliver greater perceived value.

This is where the real competitive challenge begins. Future consumers will not simply look for foods with fewer calories or "light" versions of traditional products. They will look for foods capable of concentrating greater value into smaller quantities: higher protein content, more fiber, better nutritional density, recognizable ingredients, greater satiety, and higher perceived quality. In other words, every calorie will have to deliver a greater benefit.

This means that simply reducing portion sizes or making an existing recipe lighter will not be enough. Products will need to be redesigned from the ground up through research, innovation, and product development. Companies capable of doing this will build a competitive advantage that will be difficult to replicate.

At the same time, another phenomenon is emerging that is set to redefine the market: the boundary between health and pleasure is gradually disappearing.

For many years, these two concepts were perceived as opposites. On one side were health-oriented products, often considered less enjoyable; on the other were indulgent products, associated with pleasure but rarely with well-being.

Today, that distinction is losing its meaning because consumers no longer want to choose between taste and health. They expect both. They seek products capable of delivering nutrition, quality, experience, and satisfaction at the same time. The next generation of food innovation will be the one that succeeds in making these dimensions perfectly compatible.

An even more interesting element is now emerging.

First of all, it should be emphasized that the most recent research is observing potential benefits of GLP-1 medications that extend far beyond weight management. According to the Italian Foundation for Cancer Research (AIRC), several studies suggest a possible reduction in the risk of various obesity-related cancers among patients treated with these medications. AIRC rightly urges caution: the available evidence is still preliminary, and larger clinical studies will be required to confirm these findings.

Current scientific evidence also indicates potential cardiovascular and kidney benefits, as well as a reduction in chronic low-grade inflammation (inflammaging), one of the main biological processes associated with aging. This is one of the reasons why GLP-1 medications are becoming increasingly important in discussions surrounding longevity medicine.

If these findings continue to be confirmed, their impact will extend far beyond weight loss, helping reshape the way people think about nutrition, prevention, and long-term well-being.

There is, however, another aspect that deserves attention. By significantly reducing appetite, these medications may promote not only fat loss but also muscle loss. For this reason, specialists recommend combining them with a protein-rich diet and resistance training to preserve lean body mass.

For the food industry, this represents another strategic signal.

Demand for high-protein, functional, and nutrient-dense foods will continue to grow—products designed not only to satisfy hunger, but also to help preserve health, muscle strength, and quality of life over the long term.

Health is therefore becoming one of the consumer's primary purchasing criteria. More and more people will evaluate food not only for its taste or price, but also for the contribution they believe it makes to their long-term well-being.

This means that nutrition and health will no longer be separate markets. They will become parts of a single ecosystem in which scientific research, food innovation, and industrial value will be increasingly interconnected.

This transformation highlights an important principle: the value of a company is built on its ability to continuously innovate its products. Companies that invest in research and development create long-term competitive advantages and make themselves less vulnerable to market changes.

GLP-1 medications are accelerating precisely this dynamic because they do not simply force companies to sell less—they force them to create more value.

The future is unlikely to reward those who produce the greatest number of calories. It will reward those who succeed in concentrating more quality, more innovation, and more benefits into every single product.

As with every major industrial transformation, companies will increasingly fall into two categories: those that will try to defend a business model built on volume, and those that will interpret change as an opportunity to redefine their competitive positioning.

GLP-1 medications should therefore not be viewed as a threat to the food industry, but as a powerful accelerator of innovation.

Because the real revolution is not that people will eat less.

It is that they will choose better.

And when consumers become more selective, success no longer belongs to those who sell the most, but to those who create the greatest value with every purchasing decision.

Sources

ING Research, Transformative or Overhyped? The Impact of Weight-Loss Drugs on European Food Demand (2025).

Italian Foundation for Cancer Research (AIRC), GLP-1, Obesity and Cancer Risk: What We Know Today (2025).

European market research (2024–2025) on GLP-1 adoption and evolving consumer behavior.

Galimberti D. et al., Nutrigenomics and Epigenetics: From Biology to Clinical Practice, Edra, 2017.

Galimberti D. et al., Healthy and Happy Longevity, HarperCollins, 2025.