So much for fruitcake and eggnog: Survey says people on weight-loss drugs plan to eat healthy during the holidays

By Charles Passy

People on GLP-1 medications, such as Ozempic and Saxenda, are changing their approach to holiday dining. Could that affect food sales?

Will America's growing use of weight-loss drugs result in a blue Christmas for food companies and retailers?

That's arguably one takeaway from a new survey from Numerator, a data and technology company. The report looked at the holiday dining habits of people who are on the GLP-1 drugs, a category of medications, including Ozempic, Saxenda and Trulicity, that help with curbing hunger. The drugs have become increasingly popular over the past year and even Oprah Winfrey just announced she was taking a weight-loss medication, although she didn't specify which one.

According to Numerator, which surveyed over 400 people who take GLP-1 drugs, 66% of them say it's important to eat healthy during the holiday. That compares with 52% of those not on the medications.

Plus, 52% of the GLP-1 group said they expected to be more health conscious in their holiday dining versus the previous year. That's compared with 33% of those who aren't on the drugs.

Still, the GLP-1 and non-GLP-1 groups were nearly identical when it came to admitting that it's tough to dine right during the holidays. Specifically, 80% of GLP-1 users and 77% of non-GLP-1 users said their holiday eating habits are less healthy than their eating habits the rest of the year.

According to a Wall Street Journal story in October, executives at prominent food manufacturers are facing questions about whether the use of the GLP-1 drugs will have a financial impact. And Nicholas Fereday, an executive with agricultural lender Rabobank, told the Journal that the concern should be real, given the fact that two-thirds of Americans are overweight.

Rob Sarlls, chief executive officer of the Colorado-based candy company the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (RMCF) and former chairman of SNAC International, a snack-food trade group, told MarketWatch that the concern about the drugs is overblown. He pointed to recent data that shows candy sales remain relatively strong, with a 9.7% increase over the past year.

"People will continue to indulge," Sarlls said.

-Charles Passy

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12-23-23 1022ET

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