By Waylon Cunningham and Savyata Mishra
Feb 8 (Reuters) – Pizza, pasta or Chinese take-out used to be the go-to Super Bowl spread for Marla Senzon’s family – until the Florida retiree began taking a GLP‑1 appetite‑suppressing medication two years ago.
This Sunday, the bowl of choice for Senzon and her husband – who used to take the weight-loss drug – will be a salad, with a light protein like chicken or turkey while they watch the Seattle Seahawks take on the New England Patriots for the U.S. professional football’s NFL championship.
“Everything about our eating habits has changed,” she said. “I can see myself doing it forever.” Changed tense
Millions of Americans will watch the Super Bowl on Sunday and with it, commercials that urge them to put down the chicken wings and the loaded nachos. Over the years, weight-loss crazes like the Atkins or paleo diets have swept the nation, only to fizzle out. But as more Americans gain access to cheaper weight-loss medication, food executives are increasingly minding those who are minding their waists.
“We view the GLP-1 trend as somewhat more long-lived and more than just a short-term fad,” Ryan Zink, CEO of Colorado-based Good Times Restaurants , which operates more than 60 locations in the United States, told investors on Thursday. The company recently added a protein bowl as a limited-time item that will become part of its core menu in April, he said.
SMALLER PORTIONS, MORE PROTEIN
Roughly 12% of Americans are now on one of these drugs, according to analysts at research and brokerage firm Bernstein. For the food companies that produce plenty of highly caloric foods, that means different menu items, smaller portions or different product sizes.
PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta mentioned GLP-1s for the first time in two years in the company’s earnings call Tuesday. He said the beverage company would try to capitalize on the trends “with a sense of urgency” by selling smaller portions and creating products with more fiber and protein.
The food companies are confronting two trends at once – reduced consumption among weight-loss drug users and consumers frustrated with higher prices. According to the National Restaurant Association’s annual industry report scheduled to be released later in the week, 34% of sit-down restaurant operators said they adjusted portion sizes in 2025 due to rising business costs. The altered appetites of weight-loss drug users may also be a factor, the group’s CEO Michelle Korsmo told Reuters.
“There’s no question GLP-1s are on the mind of restaurant operators,” she said.
