General Mills CEO tells analysts anti-obesity drugs will have a lasting effect on food

General Mills chief executive Jeff Harmening said anti-obesity medicines will leave a "lasting influence" on the food market, telling analysts that the drugs are steering some shoppers toward smaller servings and products built around protein and fiber ^[1].

Harmening spoke at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York conference in Orlando, and his remarks were reported Feb. 25 ^[1]. They amount to the most direct acknowledgment yet from the head of a major U.S. packaged-food company about how GLP-1 medications are changing what people buy, delivered at an event where other executives took a more skeptical line ^[1].

The customer base is large. Roughly one in eight American adults report taking a GLP-1 drug such as Ozempic or Wegovy, whether for weight loss or another chronic condition, according to a KFF poll cited in the report ^[1]. More than half of U.S. adults — 137 million people — are eligible for the medications, and the report says use is expected to climb as the drugs get cheaper and easier to obtain ^[1].

Food manufacturers have already adjusted. General Mills has added Honey Nut Cheerios Protein, Ghost performance nutrition bars and new granola lines, and has moved toward smaller pack sizes ^[1]. Nestlé introduced Vital Pursuit in 2024, its first new major U.S. brand in almost three decades, aimed at people taking GLP-1s and others managing their weight ^[1]. A year later, Danone brought out an Oikos yogurt drink marketed to GLP-1 users for building and retaining muscle mass ^[1]. Conagra Brands applies a "GLP-1 friendly" label to some Healthy Choice frozen meals ^[1].

Spending data point the same direction. Grocery spending fell 6% in households containing at least one person taking a weight-loss drug, according to a Cornell study cited in the article ^[1]. A Circana report released in November projected that households using GLP-1s for weight loss will account for more than a third of food and beverage sales over the next five years ^[1].

Not everyone in the industry treats the shift as permanent. Erin Lash, a senior director of consumer equity research at Morningstar, said, "Most [food companies] don't seem overly concerned to this point," adding that "Consumers are still indulging." ^[1] She said it still makes sense to prepare for a landscape in which GLP-1s remain common, while taking care not to alienate shoppers who will never take them ^[1].

How long people stay on the medications is unsettled. One study found that 50% to 75% of those who start stop within a year ^[1]. Bob Nolan, Conagra's senior vice president of demand science, said that if the company can win customers during their time on the drugs, they are likely to keep buying afterward ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

The industry's response shapes what appears on store shelves and how packages are labeled. Products with added protein or fiber and smaller portions are being designed around eating patterns companies associate with GLP-1 use, and because the drugs suppress appetite, manufacturers frame those nutrients as a way to help users hold onto muscle mass and support their health ^[1].

That framing comes from food companies, not from the studies cited here. The report does not say whether any of these products were tested in people taking GLP-1s, how they are priced against standard versions, or whether the phrase "GLP-1 friendly" follows any regulatory definition — none of that has been reported ^[1].

If grocery spending does fall in households with a GLP-1 user, the effect is likely to show up in what stores choose to stock, how portions are sized and which items get marketing attention ^[1].

What happens next

No dated milestones for coming product launches or reformulations were disclosed ^[1]. Circana's projection covers the next five years, while the KFF and Cornell figures describe current use and spending rather than forecasts ^[1]. How far the market actually moves will depend in part on how many people stay on the drugs, given the finding that a majority of starters may quit within a year ^[1].