Britain saw its first ‘fat jab Christmas’ as shoppers bought less food and booze over the festive period following a surge in the use of weight-loss drugs.
The drugs, medically known as GLP-1s, have become more accessible over the past couple of years, with up to 2.5million people currently thought to be using them.
Brands such as Wegovy and Mounjaro are taken as a weekly injection to trick the body into thinking it is full, meaning people eat less and therefore lose weight.
Although supermarket sales in December rose 3.8 per cent to a record £13.8billion, fuelled by food price inflation, the volume of physical items bought declined, according to market research firm Worldpanel.
The data followed numbers from fellow data firm NIQ, which reported that grocery volumes fell 0.2 per cent in December.
Clive Black, head of consumer research at broker Shore Capital, said this was ‘perhaps the clearest indication of the impact of glucagon-peptide [GLP] drugs upon the nation’s eating habits.’
Major retailers have kickstarted the year by launching ready meals targeted at fat jab users.
Co-op has launched four new ‘mini meals’ that appeal to consumers who have smaller appetites but still want to get nutrients such as protein and fibre.
The drugs, medically known as GLP-1s, have become more accessible over the past couple of years, with up to 2.5million people currently thought to be using them.
Although supermarket sales in December rose 3.8 per cent to a record £13.8billion, fuelled by food price inflation, the volume of physical items bought declined
And Marks & Spencer has introduced a new ‘nutrient dense’ range, including ‘perfectly portioned’ salads, breads, yoghurt bowls and chicken dinners.
Greggs boss Roisin Currie noted last week that the bakery chain’s customers were also downsizing. ‘What we’ve been seeing is people looking for smaller portions,’ the chief executive told reporters.
Jonathan De Mello, retail analyst at JDM Retail, said: ‘The Ozempic effect is now a very real trend in grocery, with GLP-1 usage rising rapidly, and concurrent year-on-year grocery volume decline among users as a result.
‘High-calorie categories like snacks and alcohol have been particularly impacted.
‘As this trend gains momentum, more grocers will need to adapt product lines to this “less but better” consumption shift.’
Retail expert Nick Bubb said that weight loss drugs are ‘certainly the elephant in the room for the industry’.
But he added that volumes were also likely to have been hit by cost of living pressures as prices have risen, straining household budgets.
Grocery price inflation eased slightly to 4.3 per cent over the four weeks to December 28, according to Worldpanel.
But household staples – including chocolate, coffee and milk – are still seeing steep increases.
Worldpanel’s analysts also said the number of households cutting alcohol out of their shopping basket altogether had ‘steadily increased’ over the last five years as booze-free drinks have grown more popular.
The analysts noted that over the Christmas period spending on low and no-alcohol drinks had jumped 14 per cent.
