Terry Prone: Retailers have food for thought as snack sales dip due to diet drug

The Ozempic 'revolution' is seeing an impact on food shopping —  it's not a tsunami of salad but it's a measurable trend

Walmart CEO John Furner said the US retail giant has noticed a small dip in sales of high-calorie items that it attributes to the surge in the use of Ozempic for weight loss. Picture: Joel Page/AP

The first signs of a revolution are showing up in US grocery giant Walmart. They’re not calling it the Ozempic revolution, but that’s what it is. Walmart is seeing an impact on food shopping. People taking the drug, originally intended for diabetics but now widely used “off label” to lose weight, are shopping differently.

Walmart has compared the shopping patterns of Ozempic users with those of similar people who aren’t taking that drug or any comparable prescription.