A photo taken on February 21, 2024 shows the logo of Swiss food giant Nestlé at the company's headquarters in Vevey, western Switzerland.
Fabrice Coffrini | afp | fake images
The meteoric rise of weight loss medications means that consumers' nutritional needs are “changing,” providing new opportunities. for food companies, Be protected CEO Mark Schneider told CNBC.
Initially, investors were concerned about the popularity of GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic, since people taking them were supposed to consume less food, Schneider told CNBC's Silvia Amaro.
But that perspective has changed since then, he said. “I think what has emerged since then is that nutritional needs are not going away. They are just changing. So before, during and after GLP-1 therapy, consumers still have nutritional needs, but they may be different from other people . who does not follow a weight loss regimen.
According to Schneider, consumers taking weight-loss medications simply have different nutritional needs. Users of GLP-1 medications should focus more on protein intake to retain muscle mass and ensure sufficient vitamins and micronutrients are consumed, she said.
This serves as an opportunity for Nestlé to bring science to the table and then “work on what we call complementary products, products that really address some of the specific needs of the consumer during that treatment,” Schneider said.
'An interesting addition' to the food industry
Nestlé is looking to capitalize on the popularity of GLP-1 drugs with its “ambitious goal of driving healthier products,” the CEO said.
GLP-1 drugs “will certainly be an interesting addition to all the other needs we're trying to fill in the food industry,” Schneider told CNBC, adding that even as the drugs grow in importance, they won't become the focus. Exclusively for food and beverage companies.
While GLP-1 users can look for products that fit their diet and the effects of the medication, such as feeling full sooner than before, not all users will have the same goals.
“Remember, there will be many consumers who will not follow a GLP-1 diet. And there are many situations where a snack and a chocolate product may still be of great interest. So it won't go away,” Schneider explained.
Consumers will also be at different stages of life, from childhood to old age, and will therefore have different nutritional needs that are met by different products, he added.
Range of frozen foods for GLP-1 users
Although the long-term effects of GLP-1 weight loss treatments are still uncertain and concerns about side effects remain, Schneider said it is important to respond to them as an “important consumer trend.”
The Swiss food and drink giant announced earlier this month that it would launch Vital Pursuit, a range of frozen foods aimed at those taking GLP-1 medications. Twelve products are scheduled to hit supermarkets later this year, including pastas, pizzas and sandwich melts. All meals will include at least one essential nutrient such as calcium or iron.
Foods not traditionally linked to weight loss, such as pizza, will be included to provide variety for consumers, Schneider told CNBC.
“But the most important part is that they will all be portion controlled,” he said. “So micronutrient status is very important. That's why we're adding vitamins to make sure all the core needs of these consumers are met.”
Nestlé is also planning other “complementary offerings” for consumers taking weight-loss medications, both in the U.S., where Vital Pursuit products will be launched, and elsewhere, Schneider said.
“Some of these products will also make a lot of sense for consumers, if they are not on a GLP-1 treatment, but on another type of weight loss treatment, because the same fundamentals apply, and that is that you want to be sure of you're losing fat and not lean muscle mass and you want to be sure you don't develop any vitamin deficiencies,” Schneider said.
