Dive Brief:
- The Giant Company is offering store tours in October that are designed to help shoppers who use GLP-1 medications select foods that pair well with the weight-management medications, the Ahold Delhaize USA-owned grocery chain announced Monday.
- The one-hour sessions, which will take place at six stores in Pennsylvania, will focus on strategies for choosing foods that are rich in protein, high in fiber and nutrient-dense.
- Grocers have stepped up their efforts to meet the needs of GLP-1 users as the popular medications change grocery-buying patterns and impact sales.
Dive Insight:
The Giant Company’s tours this month reflect the dramatic impact blockbuster GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are having on the food industry.
Grocers are placing heavy emphasis on foods that weight-loss medication users often gravitate toward and are introducing programs designed to guide people toward those products. For example, Publix began distributing a brochure in June that directs people toward foods that support weight loss. In February, Wakefern rolled out wellness kits aimed at GLP-1 users that include suggestions from dietitians and coupons for healthy foods.
About 11% of U.S. adults currently use GLP-1 medications to help them lose weight, up from 3% in 2024, according to Gallup polling data released earlier this year. In addition, 15% say they have used the medications to help shed pounds even if they aren’t doing so now.
Households that include GLP-1 users spend 4% less on groceries than similar households without a person on a weight-loss medication, according to data from Numerator published in August.
The Giant Company’s tours, which kicked off on Tuesday, will include tips on how to prepare foods that pair well with GLP-1s, and participants will receive product samples.
The grocer also said in its announcement that it will offer online classes hosted by its dietitians or pharmacists to guide people who use GLP-1s in making choices that support healthy eating. The classes will also focus on strategies for dealing with side effects caused by the medications. The supermarket chain is offering loyalty points to encourage people to sign up.
The Giant Company runs about 200 stores in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
