GLP-1: Does Ozempic Make You Dislike Beef?

A recent survey found that people taking GLP-1 drugs reduce their consumption of certain foods, including beef – but the demand remains, which gives vegan food producers a leg up.

Can GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro be a boon for the plant-based category?

Previous research has already shown that consumers taking weight-loss medications have cut back on several food categories, like snacks, baked goods, salad dressings, and cheese.

According to a recent study by researchers at the University of Arkansas, GLP-1 users also drastically reduce their intake of beef, Coke, and processed foods. But while the latter may feel like a bad omen for meat analogues, they were among the categories with the lowest decline in consumption.

“Our study shows that adoption of GLP-1 agonists changes both the amount and types of food people eat,” said Jayson Lusk, dean of the university’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. “These results have important implications for the food industry.”

Here’s why: one in eight Americans has already injected a GLP-1 drug at some point. The number of regular users could rise to anywhere between 10 and 70 million by 2028, boosting the national GDP by 1%. And by the end of the decade, these medications are expected to command a $105B market.

Ozempic cuts beef intake in half – plant-based alternatives fare much better

The study, published in the Food Quality and Preferences journal, surveyed nearly 2,000 consumers, split between people who had either previously taken a GLP-1 drug, were currently using it, were planning to take it, or had never taken one and didn’t intend to start.

Processed foods suffered the biggest decrease in consumption after Ozempic, with around 65% of former and current users lowering their consumption of these products. Sodas and refined grains weren’t far behind, with approximately 50% cutting their intake.

Around 45% of Americans on GLP-1 drugs said they eat less beef now, which rises to half for those who used to inject them previously. Meanwhile, two in five current users also report reducing their pork consumption, while another 30% say the same for cow’s milk.

In contrast, the food groups that faced the lowest declines were plant-based meat and dairy, and whole foods. Meat analogues only saw around a 5% decrease among both current and former users, and represented the lowest drop in consumption among the latter. It shows that GLP-1 users’ aversion to processed foods didn’t affect vegan alternatives much.

Whole grains were on a similar path, though the post-Ozempic drop reached around 10%. For oat, almond and non-dairy milks, there was a negligible dip in consumption during the GLP-1 course, which grew to 10% after people stopped taking the drugs.

Meanwhile, around a sixth of consumers start eating more fruits when taking a weight-loss medication. That rises to about a third of Americans when it comes to leafy greens, and around 60% for water.

“If adoption of GLP-1s continues to increase, food companies will be challenged as demand for processed foods falls, but will have opportunities as demand for fruits and vegetables increases,” said Lusk.

Opportunities abound for plant-based companies

The findings have some interesting insights for food companies. The demand for processed foods and beef doesn’t reduce – to the contrary, GLP-1 users continued to desire these foods – but their consumption still declines anyway. One of the reasons is satiety. These drugs make you feel full and “reduce pleasure responses to fatty foods”, the researchers said.

There’s also the ‘Ozempic tongue’, which refers to a mechanism where people’s taste receptors react differently to foods than they did before GLP-1 use. “We know GLP-1s lessen the dopamine hit from food, making the experience less enjoyable, which could be why tastes start to shift,” Dr Daniel Rosen, an obesity specialist, told the Daily Mail.

“Think of seeing a photo of a juicy burger on a menu, and that first bite with the explosion of flavour in your mouth and juices dripping down to your chin,” he said. “If all of that is dampened or turned off in the brain because of the GLP-1 medications, you can see why someone would say food tastes different or that things don’t taste the same.”

Rosena added that he has seen meat-eaters stop eating steaks and sausages because they find them to have a “metallic” taste after taking Ozempic.

It represents a major opportunity for plant-based food producers. Beef consumption is going down among GLP-1 users, but the demand hasn’t gone anywhere. Meat-free companies have the advantage of fine-tuning the flavour properties of their products to satisfy people’s new taste buds, which conventional beef can’t do.

Similarly, plant-based milk companies can capitalise on the dairy decline by offering better-tasting, low-fat, and clean-label products. In fact, this was the category facing the greatest demand among respondents who were planning to start taking GLP-1s.

Still, the biggest winners could perhaps be whole-food-focused startups like Actual Veggies, which champions beans, greens and whole grains in their veggie burgers.

“We serve people who want to see and taste the vegetables in their burger. Our customers scrutinise ingredient labels, prioritise nutrition, and actually get excited about quinoa and beets,” Actual Veggies co-founder and co-CEO Jason Rosenbaum told Green Queen in February. “We’re building for the growing segment that wants their food minimally processed and their vegetables front and centre.”