Grocery execs may want to pay more attention to GLP-1 use

[Viable Food News Desk]

Publisher: Supermarket News
Published: September 25, 2026
Source: Read at Supermarket News
Category: Food Access

Brendan Witcher said fewer than one in five grocery executives expect GLP-1 use to hurt top-line sales over the next five years. He said 2% expect the impact to exceed 10%, while 20% expect it to surpass 5%. Witcher described GLP-1 use as a lifelong treatment and cited figures that 72% of U.S. residents are overweight and 40% classify as obese. He also cited a July 2026 Bain & Company study in which 80% of Americans said they were trying to cut spending, more than one in four said they were reducing grocery spending, 49% said they were buying fewer items, 56% said they were trading down, and 44% said they were relying more on discounts. A Shoptalk 2026 survey found that 58% of brand executives expect placement on grocery digital properties to matter significantly more over the next one to five years.

Why this matters: Independent grocers may need to plan for changing product demand as GLP-1 use expands and shoppers cut grocery spending. The findings also point to digital coupons, store pickup, and in-store or online messaging as areas that may affect how stores compete for purchases.

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