More than two million people in the UK now use weight-loss medications like Wegovy and Mounjaro, and the drugs are not only shrinking waistlines but also reshaping spending habits. Market research by Worldpanel by Numerator, based on data from over 11,000 households, found that households with at least one GLP-1 user spent on average £418 less on groceries in the year after starting the medication compared with non-users, amounting to a national drop of £780m.
The drugs work by mimicking the natural hormone GLP-1, which regulates hunger, and users report reduced appetite. This has led to notable shifts in what they buy: less chocolate and pastries, more fruit and protein-rich foods like prawns, and less alcohol. At the same time, purchases of chewing gum, mouthwash, and hair dyes have risen – products that counter common side effects such as thinning hair and bad breath.
“Weight-loss jabs cut UK grocery spending by £780m as users buy more mouthwash and hair dye.”
“This isn't simply a story of shrinking demand. It's also a story of shifting demand,” Nishita Pattni, a senior consultant at Worldpanel, told the BBC. The findings align with a peer-reviewed study from Cornell University published last year, which found that US households with a member on weight-loss drugs spent 5% to 8% less on groceries within six months, cutting back most on calorie-dense processed foods – savoury snacks down by 10%, for example – while buying more yoghurt.
But the changes are not permanent. The Cornell study noted that households “revert to their pre-adoption grocery spending patterns” when they stop taking the medication, and even shift toward slightly less healthy baskets. Weight-loss jabs also appear to affect dining out: nearly two-thirds of those surveyed by Worldpanel said they cut out or tried to reduce meals out.