GLP-1 and the New Appetite: How Weight-Loss Drugs Are Reshaping CPG Behavior and Packaging in 2025

A Rapidly Changing Landscape: In 2025, a new wave of weight-loss drugs is changing how consumers eat, shop, and perceive food. GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, once niche diabetes treatments, have moved into mainstream use for weight management. Uptake has been staggering. Analysts project double-digit percentages of U.S. adults could be on these drugs within a decade. This is not a fad or a niche diet trend. It is a paradigm shift in consumer behavior. For CPG brands and packaging leaders, the message is clear: adapt quickly, or risk getting left behind.

GLP-1 Adoption Goes Mainstream (and Shrinks the Grocery Basket)

GLP-1 drugs powerfully suppress appetite, and the ripple effects are already visible in market data. Studies show users consume materially fewer calories than before. Household grocery bills are contracting, and retailers have noticed lighter carts. Snack sales are softening, with cookies, chips, and sweet treats hit hardest.

Consumers are not just buying less. They are buying differently. With hunger blunted, shoppers are prioritizing quality over quantity. Many are snacking less and skipping indulgences entirely. Spending is shifting toward nutrient-dense staples. Protein-rich snacks, lean proteins, yogurt, produce, and functional foods are gaining share. Even where people shop is evolving. Shoppers are making fewer grocery and convenience trips, while turning to bulk and online to stock up on healthy, portionable options. In short: smaller baskets, smarter choices. The challenge is maintaining sales when volume declines, by reshaping portfolios to align with a new, health-focused pattern.

From Big Meals to Micro-Occasions: How Eating Habits Are Shifting

GLP-1 users are redefining traditional eating occasions. Large meals are giving way to a string of smaller, intentional moments. Think a protein shake for breakfast, a small high-fiber lunch, and a light snack for dinner. Portion sizes have dropped. Indulgent treats have not vanished, but they are more planned and portion-controlled. A single bar or mini-pack fits better than a family-size bag.

This creates space to invent new usage occasions that resonate with smaller appetites. For example, “mini meals” and appetite-friendly breaks. A mid-afternoon Greek yogurt to boost protein. A light, easy soup in the evening instead of a heavy dinner. The implication: map your offerings to a new daily rhythm that emphasizes satiety, nutrition, and convenience in every bite or sip.

Packaging Implications: Designing for the Appetite-Aware Consumer

This behavior shift carries urgent packaging implications. As consumers eat less per sitting and demand more nutrition per calorie, packaging teams are racing to adapt formats and labels. Portion-aware packaging is becoming a critical differentiator.

Single-serve and smaller formats: Smaller portions are surging. Expect personal-sized entrees, 100-to-200-calorie snack packs, half-sized beverages, and more mini formats that prevent waste and fit new habits.

Resealable, on-the-go convenience: When multi-serve packages remain, build in resealability. Zip closures, snap lids, and portion dividers support “pause and resume” eating. Portable packs enable light grazing throughout the day. Flexibility and freshness matter.

High-protein, high-fiber callouts: Packaging is becoming a billboard for protein and fiber. Make grams prominent on the front. Use simple badges such as “High Protein,” “Good Source of Fiber,” and “Low Added Sugar.” Help shoppers assess nutrition per bite, fast.

Simplified labels and portion cues: Provide at-a-glance navigation. Larger serving-size visuals. Clear portion illustrations. Minimalistic front labels that highlight only what matters, for example, calories, protein, and fiber. Appetite-aware labeling helps not only GLP-1 users but all health-conscious consumers.

Right-sizing your packaging portfolio can turn a potential volume loss into a value win. Smaller, smarter formats that solve real use cases can command healthy margins.

Case Studies: Brands Pivoting to Appetite-Aware Innovation

Leading CPG players are showing how to win in this new landscape. Forward-looking teams are building “appetite-aware” portfolios that serve GLP-1 users and broader wellness shoppers alike, without leaning on medical messaging.

Conagra’s Healthy Choice “On Track” label: Conagra identified a set of high-protein, lower-calorie, higher-fiber entrees and added a small “On Track” badge on the front. The icon gives quick guidance without a clinical tone, validating the meal as a smart, portion-aware choice and inviting retailer interest. No heavy reformulation required.

Nestlé’s Vital Pursuit frozen meals: Vital Pursuit launched as a new brand designed for smaller appetites and higher nutrition density. Personal-size pizzas, pastas, and flatbreads are fortified for protein and micronutrients, with packaging and branding that feel foodie and positive rather than clinical. Extensions beyond frozen create a lifestyle platform around portion-smart eating.

For a deeper dive on how Nestlé used predictive cultural intelligence to identify opportunities with GLP-1, check our our recent Pack Futures by 3D Color interview: How Kraft Heinz and Nestlé Use Nichefire’s Predictive Cultural Intelligence to Shape Packaging and Innovation

Danone’s Oikos “fuel your strength” platform: Oikos extended from cups into a cultured dairy drink that combines high protein, added fiber, and no added sugar. The branding leans into strength and satiety rather than medicine, appealing to fitness-minded consumers and those on a weight-loss journey. Convenience packaging makes daily adherence easy.

Common thread: each brand addresses underlying needs such as smaller portions, more protein, and easy nutrition, then frames the solution around lifestyle and wellness. That broadens appeal far beyond prescriptions.

Building an Appetite-Aware Portfolio (Without the Medical Jargon)

An appetite-aware portfolio works for consumers using GLP-1 drugs and for the many others seeking healthier, portion-controlled diets. Four principles stand out:

Nutrient density as north star: When people eat less, every bite matters more. Audit nutrition per serving. Elevate items with strong protein and fiber. Reformulate or deprioritize empty-calorie SKUs.

Portion-size portfolio balance: Offer a wider range of portion sizes. Single-serve entrees, mini packs, half-size beverages, and bite-size treats sit alongside family packs. Present portion control as a positive feature, not a sacrifice.

Occasion coverage: Map the day. Ensure you have a high-protein morning option, a light dinner that satisfies, and portable mini-meals for in-between. Plug gaps with renovations and quick concept extensions.

Inclusive branding: Speak to benefits that everyone values, such as satiety, strength, and control. Avoid stigmatizing or overly clinical language. Focus on “on track,” “portion-smart,” and “feel better” narratives that welcome all wellness seekers.

Your 90-Day Action Plan

Audit for nutrition and occasion fit: Score top SKUs on protein, fiber, added sugar, and portion fit to priority occasions. Identify gaps and quick wins for renovation or line extensions.

Create fast comps for leadership alignment: Build quick packaging mockups and concept renders that show protein and fiber callouts, simplified front labels, single‑serve formats, and resealability. Use them to align leaders and cross‑functional partners on the vision.

A/B test packaging options to pick winners: Use those comps to test front‑of‑pack claims hierarchy, icon systems, protein and fiber placement, portion cues, pack size and format, and resealability. Run quick digital concept tests, e‑commerce PDP A/B tests, and simulated shelf tests. Down‑select to the strongest performer per SKU and format.

Prepare retailer‑ready sell‑in with shelf navigation prototypes: Design a mini planogram and shelf tags for “High Protein, Portion Smart” sets or end‑caps. Package a concise sell sheet that outlines shopper demand and the role your items play. Target one or two priority retailers for a pilot placement.

Launch a pilot with clear KPIs: Test in a defined region or channel. Track trial, repeat, unit velocity, trade‑up mix, basket attach, and shopper feedback. Monitor weekly, iterate on packaging and claims, and prepare a scale plan from proven learnings.

The rise of GLP-1 drugs is rewriting the consumer playbook. Volume-driven habits are giving way to smaller, smarter, more intentional consumption. Brands that reimagine formats, packaging, and messaging to be appetite-aware will not only mitigate headwinds. They will unlock new demand spaces and lead a broader cultural shift toward mindful eating. The path is clear. Move fast, stay consumer-centric, and design for nutrition, satiety, and simplicity at every touchpoint.

Ready to adapt your portfolio for the appetite-aware consumer? Connect with 3D Color at bob.jennings@3dcolor.com to see how rapid packaging comps and color-perfect samples can help you validate new formats, win retailer sell-in, and accelerate your next breakthrough.