ANZ GP-1 insights: overview
- Australia and New Zealand are emerging as one of Asia-Pacific’s most advanced GLP-1 markets, offering an early indication of how changing eating habits could spread across the wider region
- Manufacturers have an opportunity to develop products that appeal not only to GLP-1 users but also to the wider health-conscious consumer seeking more protein, fibre, satiety and cleaner labels
- Nutrition alone will not guarantee repeat purchases; successful products must also deliver the taste, texture and eating experience consumers expect
North America and Europe may have dominated headlines about GLP-1 medications, but Australia and New Zealand are catching up.
They’re increasingly demonstrating how those consumer shifts are spreading through Asia-Pacific as uptake accelerates and food purchasing habits evolve.
According to NIQ Homescan data, awareness in the region has reached 78%, up five percentage points in a single quarter, while 55% would consider using the drugs.
Seventeen percent of Australian households already include someone taking a GLP-1 medication, with 13% using it for weight management.
Kemilyn Ferraz, category marketing executive for Australia and New Zealand at Ingredion, believes those figures show ANZ has become one of the region’s most informative GLP-1 markets. “ANZ stands as one of the more mature markets for GLP-1 in Asia-Pacific, with the wider APAC region following closely behind,” she says. “We have a market with interest in GLP-1 medications alongside a broader appetite for healthier products, yet access remains narrow.”
Access is shaped by Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, which subsidises GLP-1 medicines for type 2 diabetes rather than weight loss. Consumers using the drugs for obesity management are therefore typically paying between AU$4,000 and AU$5,000 a year, meaning uptake remains concentrated among older and higher-income households, with average treatment lasting between nine and 14 months.
Ferraz believes, however, that the industry’s attention shouldn’t stop with prescription users.
“What we’re seeing extends well beyond the people actually taking GLP-1 medications,” she says. “The wider health-conscious consumer is increasingly looking for the same things from food.”
One consumer trend, two different routes
Rather than viewing GLP-1 users as a niche demographic, Ferraz believes manufacturers should recognise that their expectations increasingly overlap with consumers already pursuing healthier lifestyles through other means.
“There is an exciting opportunity for brands to innovate for both segments simultaneously,” she says. “Some are medically driven. Others are following holistic approaches such as keto, intermittent fasting or avoiding ultra-processed foods.
“When we look at what they want from food, they land in similar places – more protein, more fibre, better gut health, cleaner labels. Both want more nutrition from a smaller portion, and both are drinking less.”
Alcohol illustrates how these trends are beginning to overlap. Reduced consumption has become one of the most widely reported behavioural changes among GLP-1 users, reflecting the medications’ influence on appetite and reward pathways. Yet Ferraz argues the drinks industry was already moving in that direction.
NIQ’s April 2026 survey found alcoholic beverages recorded a net 32-point decline in spending intentions across Australia and New Zealand over the next year, making it one of the fastest-declining categories in the research.
“GLP-1 arrived in the middle of one trend and pushed harder,” she says. “Non-alcoholic alternatives are one of the fastest-moving spaces in beverage right now, and the formulation brief looks familiar. Deliver the experience and mouthfeel with less sugar, fewer calories and a clean label. That’s the same challenge a protein shake or a reduced-sugar yoghurt is solving.
“Manufacturers are increasingly focusing on the shared nutritional attributes both groups want, rather than targeting only GLP-1 users.”
Formulating for smaller appetites
“Over the next few years, I anticipate the shifts to occur within the dairy, beverages and snacks categories in the ANZ region,” says Ferraz.
The pattern is more gradual than many manufacturers might expect.
During consumers’ first year on GLP-1 treatment, NIQ data shows purchasing habits shift quickly towards healthier options. Yoghurt volumes increase by 15.3%, dried fruit and nuts rise 10%, while fresh fruit grows 6%.
Interestingly, indulgence doesn’t disappear overnight. “Ice cream consumption actually rises by 5.3% during that same period,” Ferraz notes. Only after consumers have remained on treatment for more than a year do more substantial declines appear. Ice cream volumes fall 13.6%, while impulse snacks decline 12.7%.
“The cutback is inevitable, but it just takes longer than people expect. We see innovation moving particularly fast in ready-to-drink beverages and shakes, where brands are taking different strategic approaches to respond to GLP-1.”
The commercial challenge, however, extends well beyond simply increasing protein or fibre content.
“Adjusting formulations for additional nutritional benefits often leads to texture and mouthfeel challenges,” says Ferraz. “When we add fibre, we need to manage grittiness, unwanted thickness or changes in colour and flavour. Add protein and we have to address chalkiness, gelation and separation, especially in ready-to-drink beverages. Take out sugar and we need to address bulk, mouthfeel and sweetness quality all at once.”
Taste remains the deciding factor.
“Health claims may drive the first purchase; however, taste is what secures the second,” says Ferraz.
In ANZ, manufacturers must also contend with the Health Star Rating system. “You are not just balancing taste and nutrition; you are doing it against a public-facing score.”
Texture has emerged as one of Ingredion’s most important findings. “Thirty-nine percent of current GLP-1 users say texture has become more important since starting treatment. When we asked why, the top answer was that it makes food feel more satisfying and filling. It makes eating more enjoyable. More practically, it also helps reduce nausea and discomfort and helps with portion control.”
Those findings reinforce what many manufacturers are already discovering in product development. Smaller portions place greater emphasis on eating quality. Every bite has to work harder, making mouthfeel, moisture, aeration and layered textures increasingly important alongside nutritional credentials.
Another finding surprised Ferraz even more. “Ninety percent of surveyed GLP-1 users have actively done something to learn about diet, nutrition or exercise. They’ve talked to friends and family, consulted dietitians, watched videos or followed people online. But only 39% are following an actual nutrition plan. So you have a group who are motivated, informed, but unsupported. They know what they should be eating. That gap between intent and behaviour is not a research finding; it is a product brief.”
Labelling creates its own set of challenges.
Globally, Ingredion’s research found 54% of shoppers say a product labelled specifically for GLP-1 users makes them question whether it will actually taste good. At the same time, 91% of millennials taking GLP-1 medications say they want products to identify themselves clearly on pack.
Beyond GLP-1
“I believe GLP-1’s influence will merge into a broader health and wellness movement,” says Ferraz. “But it will leave something permanent behind, and that’s the part worth paying attention to.
“Look at what GLP-1 users want – protein, fibre, gut health, clean labels and smaller portions that still satisfy. Now look at what the holistic wellness consumer wants, whether they’re following keto, intermittent fasting or simply avoiding processed foods. It’s the same list of benefits.”
Ferraz believes that convergence will fundamentally change how manufacturers think about growth. “Developed markets were already heading toward what we call Peak Calorie. GLP-1 medications bring that forward and accelerate the descent. Once that happens, volume per pack stops being the lever. Value per bite becomes the lever.
“People cycle off. But they do not unlearn the experience. Once someone has spent a year eating smaller portions and paying attention to whether the food earned its place, they do not go back to buying on volume.”
Around half of GLP-1 users have already changed how they plan, shop and cook. Ferraz argues manufacturers risk becoming too focused on nutritional claims while overlooking the eating experience.
“Brands need to focus on the sensory experience to have consumers coming back for more. While health drives consideration, the eating experience remains the primary driver of consumer enjoyment.”
Australia and New Zealand may be following a path already established in North America and Europe, but manufacturers across the region are confronting the same commercial reality. Products designed to deliver more protein, fibre or other nutritional benefits will only succeed if consumers still enjoy eating them.
