This photo taken on February 21, 2024 shows the logo of Swiss food giant Nestlé at its corporate headquarters in Vevey, western Switzerland.
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The sudden rise of weight-loss drugs and the “change” in consumer nutritional needs provide new opportunities For food companies, Nestle CEO Mark Schneider told CNBC.
Schneider told CNBC’s Silvia Amaro that investors were initially concerned about the popularity of GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic because people taking them were thought to consume less food.
But that view later changed, he said. “I think what’s happened since then is that nutritional needs are not going away. They’re just changing. So, you know before, during and after GLP-1 treatment – consumers still have nutritional needs, but they may Unlike other people who are not on a weight loss program.
Schneider said consumers taking weight-loss drugs simply have different nutritional needs. Users of GLP-1 drugs need to pay more attention to protein intake to maintain muscle mass and ensure adequate vitamin and micronutrient intake, he said.
This provides an opportunity for Nestlé to bring science to the table and then “develop what we call complementary products that can really address some of the specific needs of consumers during treatment,” Schneider said.
‘Interesting addition’ to the food industry
Nestlé hopes to capitalize on the GLP-1 drug’s popularity to achieve “the ambitious goal of launching healthier products,” the chief executive said.
Schneider told CNBC that GLP-1 drugs are “certainly going to be an interesting complement to all the other needs that we’re trying to meet in the food industry,” adding that even as the drugs grow in importance, they won’t be part of food and beverage The sole focus of the company.
While GLP-1 users may be looking for products that suit their diet and the effects of the drug (such as feeling full faster than before), not all consumers will have the same goals.
“Keep in mind that there will be a lot of consumers who are not on the GLP-1 diet. And in many cases, snacks and chocolate products may still be of interest. So it’s not going away,” Schneider explained.
He added that consumers are also at different stages of life, from infants to the elderly, and therefore have different nutritional needs that require different products to meet.
Frozen food series suitable for GLP-1 users
While the long-term effects of GLP-1 weight loss treatments remain uncertain and concerns about side effects remain, Schneider said it’s important to address them as a “major consumer trend.”
The Swiss food and beverage giant announced earlier this month Launches Vital Pursuit, a line of frozen meals targeted at people taking GLP-1 medications. Twelve products will hit supermarkets later this year, including pasta, pizza and sandwich sandwiches. All meals contain at least one essential nutrient, such as calcium or iron.
Schneider told CNBC that foods not traditionally associated with weight loss, such as pizza, will be included to provide consumers with diverse choices.
“But most importantly, all of this will be subject to portion control,” he said. “Then micronutrient status is very important. So we add vitamins to make sure all the core needs of these consumers are met.”
Schneider said Nestlé also plans to offer other “complementary products” for consumers taking diet pills in the U.S. and elsewhere, where the Vital Pursuit product will be available.
“Some of these products also make sense to consumers if they don’t receive the GLP-1 treatment but receive another weight loss treatment because the same basic principles apply, which is you want to make sure that what you’re losing is fat. , rather than lean muscle, you want to make sure you don’t develop any vitamin deficiencies,” Schneider says.
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