As GLP-1 weight-loss drugs have moved from a niche treatment to a mainstream prescription, their impact is starting to show up well beyond pharmacies, as they’ve quietly reconfigured supply chains stretching from drug manufacturing and cold-chain logistics, to grocery shelves and food production lines. That’s because the drugs don’t simply facilitate weight-loss; they have also been found to profoundly change patients’ eating habits.
The trend is significant. In a fall 2025 survey of 1,350 U.S. adults by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), roughly one in every eight people reported taking a GLP-1 drug. Of that share, 38% said that they use the drug to treat a chronic condition like diabetes or heart disease, while 32% use it to treat a chronic condition and lose weight, and 30% use it solely to lose weight.
As the drug has exploded in popularity, food manufacturers have been forced to rethink their demand planning, grocery stores have had to adjust their offerings and portion sizes, and pharmaceutical companies have raced to add cold chain capacity and manufacturing throughput to keep pace.
“The impacts are so far reaching,” says Tiffany Brewer, senior director of global industry strategy at supply chain management provider Blue Yonder.
Unlike other medications that might target a singular health issue for a limited period of time, GLP-1 drugs can drive sustained, long-term changes in how people eat, shop and manage their health, given that the medication acts as an appetite suppressant, and helps maintain muscle mass while promoting weight loss. That means maintaining a high-protein diet to support weight loss and muscle-building, and more fresh fruits and vegetables to help with hydration, given that the medication can also block thirst signals.
According to a study published by the Journal of Market Research, households reduced grocery spending by an average of 5.3% within six months of a family member starting a GLP-1 medication, while spending at fast food restaurants, coffee shops, and other so-called “limited-service” eateries fell by roughly 8%. Spending on savory snacks also dipped by 10%, with similar declines seen in purchases of sweets, baked goods and cookies. At the same time, a small number of categories showed increases, including yogurt, fresh fruit, nutrition bars and meat snacks, as shoppers focused more on healthier or protein-rich options.
“As they’re on these medications, people not only are less hungry, but they’re actively trying to have a healthier lifestyle,” Brewer explains. “They’re making new purchasing decisions based on their new body.”
To meet this demand, some of the world’s largest food manufacturers that had previously been known for their wide array of snack foods and sweets have pivoted toward offerings that specifically target GLP-1 users. ConAgra — which owns Chef Boyardee, Marie Callender’s, and Orville Redenbacher’s — even added a “GLP-1 friendly” label to 26 of its “Healthy Choice” frozen meals in December 2024, while Nestle targeted GLP-1 users with the launch of its “Vital Pursuit” frozen meal brand in May 2024, and online grocer Ocado added an entire weight management section to its platform in January 2026.
In a February 2024 interview with Bloomberg, Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen — whose company manufactures Ozempic and Wegovy — even said that food companies had been calling him to voice fears over the impacts GLP-1 drugs have had on consumer spending. Walmart CEO John Furner shared similar concerns in 2023, when he pointed out that GLP-1s were making shoppers buy less food overall.
Deeper into their supply chains, companies have also looked at changes to how products are packaged, stocked and replenished at the warehouse level.
“As eating habits shift, assortment strategies and pack architecture are being re-evaluated,” says Emily Nicholls, VP of supply chain applications for business planning software provider Anaplan. Food manufacturers have felt a growing pressure to introduce smaller packaging sizes and more protein-rich foods, Nicholls adds, which can complicate supply chain network designs and replenishment planning, and increase operational burdens in the middle of a period where tariffs, geopolitical disruptions and an uncertain global economy have made precision and responsiveness more essential than ever.
Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies have invested billions of dollars in expanding production lines, building new GLP-1 manufacturing facilities, and strengthening supply chain infrastructure. GLP-1 drugs also can’t be transported like typical medications, and must be kept at 35-46 degrees Fahrenheit from warehouse to pharmacy in order to remain stable. That requirement has pushed manufacturers and distributors to expand refrigerated storage, and invest in temperature-controlled packaging and monitoring, with consultancy firm Grand View Research expecting the healthcare cold chain 3PL market to grow from $45 billion in 2025 to $83 billion by 2033.
Consumers have felt the financial pressure as well, with out-of-pocket costs for GLP-1 drugs in the U.S. averaging $900-$1,400 a month, and costs covered at least in part by insurance ranging anywhere between $25 and $300 monthly. In its survey, KFF also found that 56% of GLP-1 users found it difficult to afford the drug, even with health insurance, while 14% said that they had stopped using the medication altogether because of the cost. Those costs are becoming another variable for supply chain planners to contend with, as manufacturers and distributors try to assess how steady GLP-1 demand will be in the face of shifting insurance coverage plans, consumer affordability concerns, and uneven access to the drugs.
“Planning is further complicated by the nature of GLP-1s as a chronic therapy,” Nicholls adds. “Unlike a one-time surge, demand compounds over time as new patients start to layer on top of a growing base of ongoing users, making long-term capacity planning structurally more difficult.”
Already, GLP-1 drugs are forcing companies to adapt not just to a new product, but to a sustained shift in consumer behavior and healthcare demand that touches food and pharmaceutical supply chains simultaneously. For supply chain leaders, the challenge now is less about reacting to the initial surge, and more about building the flexibility needed to manage and plan around a trend that shows little sign of fading.