Weight-loss jabs ‘shrinking supermarket sales’, experts warn

24 June 2025, 19:32

The rapid increase in the use of weight-loss drugs has started to impact Britain’s shopping habits, new figures suggest.

Grocery sales fell by 0.4% in the four weeks to June 15, marking the first year-on-year decline this year.

This drop could be down to the ever-increasing use of weight-loss drugs decreasing appetites across Britain, analysts Kantar have said.

Fraser McKevitt, Kantar’s head of retail and consumer insight, said: “Supermarkets and grocery brands are entering new territory as weight loss drugs become more popular, with four in 100 households in Great Britain now including at least one GLP-1 user.

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“That’s almost twice as many as last year so while it’s still pretty low, it’s definitely a trend that the industry should keep an eye on as these drugs have the potential to steer choices at the till.

“Four in five of the users we surveyed say they plan to eat fewer chocolates and crisps, and nearly three quarters intend to cut back on biscuits.”

This data comes after the NHS gave the green light to GPs across England to start prescribing Mounjaro for the first time, opening up the treatment to hundreds of thousands more people.

As many as 220,000 people are expected to get the jab via the NHS in the next three years.

It has raised the prospect that supermarkets could start to see a more pronounced dip in grocery sales.

Those on the treatments consume as much as 30% fewer calories, research has found.

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Alcohol and sugar consumption see the biggest drop off, data reveals, at 63% and 65% respectively.

US Supermarket giant Walmart has previously expressed concerns it has seen a “slight pullback” in sales because of jobs.

This drop in unhealthy food consumption comes alongside a sharp rise in grocery prices, with the average shop being 4.7% more expensive than a year ago as supermarket inflation hit its highest level since last March.

The figure is up from 4.1% last month, which was a rise from 3.8% in April.

Despite concerns, most British supermarkets are experiencing healthy sales overall.

British shoppers made 490 million trips to the supermarket over the last month, averaging almost 17 per household and the highest recorded by Kantar since March 2020.

The increase in visits saw take-home grocery sales over the four weeks to June 15 grow by 4.1% compared with the same period last year.

However, the rise in the frequency of visits was balanced out by a drop in average amount spent per trip, which fell by 3p to £23.89.