Nestlé to launch line of pizzas aimed at people taking weight loss drugs

Roughly one in eight US adults have taken the appetite-suppressing drugs

Nestle said that it has been working on a range of products which have more protein, iron, and calcium since last year. They will be marketed towards people on medications such as Wegovy or Ozempic. 

Food giant Nestlé has said it will market a new $5 (€4.60) line of frozen pizzas in the US which are designed specifically for people taking weight loss drugs such as Wegovy or Ozempic.

The company, which sells DiGiorno pizza and Stouffer's meals to major grocers, said it developed the new products with more protein, iron and calcium for people taking the wildly popular appetite-suppressing drugs, called GLP-1 agonists.

President of Nestlé’s USA meal division, Tom Moe, said it will pitch the meals in a new brand, Vital Pursuit, as "food solutions" for people who want to complement their use of the drugs with "the right nutrition — high protein, good fibre, the right minerals," like potassium and vitamin C.

The products, set to hit supermarket shelves in October, are priced at $4.99 and under, a little more expensive than a DiGiorno four cheese personal pan pizza, which is sold at Target for $4.79.

Nestlé said that they started working on these products last year. "We moved real fast on this," Mr Moe said.

Nestlé chief executive Mark Schneider said in October the company was “carefully” monitoring whether spreading use of the drugs might dent demand for its food products. He also said at the time that Nestlé was working on “companion products” that might serve to limit the "loss of lean muscle mass” in people on the drugs.

Some investors have been worried that food companies will lose sales due to the hunger-suppressing drugs. But executives at companies like Nestlé and Conagra see the medications presenting a new opportunity to pitch products such as beef jerky, popcorn as well as frozen meals. 

Mondelez executives have said their snack bars fit perfectly into the diet of a GLP-1 patient.

Roughly one in eight US adults have taken the GLP-1 drugs, but Goldman Sachs estimates that 10 million to 70 million US consumers could be taking them in the next four years.

Mr Moe said Nestlé spoke with people on the drugs to develop the meals and will be offering them samples soon. The Swiss-based company first introduced the brand to Walmart and then other big retailers such as Kroger and Target. 

Reuters