Nestle set to sell $5 pizza, sandwiches for Wegovy, Ozempic users
New brand boosts protein, iron, calcium content
Up against new Daily Harvest, Herbalife products
By Jessica DiNapoli
NEW YORK, May 21(Reuters) -Nestle NESN.S will market a new, $5 line of frozen pizzas and protein-enriched pastas in the United States which it says it designed specifically for people taking drugs such as Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss.
The world's biggest food 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.
Tom Moe, president of Nestle USA's meal division, 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 fiber, 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.
Nestle, whose biggest brands include KitKat chocolate bars and Nescafe coffee, started working on companion products to the GLP-1 drugs last year.
"We moved real fast on this," Moe said.
Nestle CEO 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 Nestle 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 Nestle and Conagra CAG.N see the medications presenting a new opportunity to pitch products such as beef jerky, popcorn and frozen meals. Mondelez MDLZ.O executives have said their snack bars fit perfectly into the diet of a GLP-1 patient.
Roughly one in eight U.S. adults have taken the GLP-1 drugs, but Goldman Sachs estimates that 10 million to 70 million U.S. consumers could be taking them in the next four years.
Moe said Nestle 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 WMT.N, and then other big retailers such as Kroger KR.N and Target TGT.N, he said.
RACE ON TO FILL PROTEIN GAP
People on GLP-1 medications are at risk of losing lean muscle mass as they shed pounds and often don’t feel like eating very much, said Ethan Lazarus, an obesity doctor in Colorado. Some who take the drugs develop aversions to protein and fat, said Lazarus, who is a speaker for GLP-1-drugmakers Eli Lilly LLY.N and Novo Nordisk NOVOb.CO.
“There’s definitely a need to make sure people get adequate protein,” said Lazarus, who once served on the advisory board for Nestle Health Sciences, which makes Optifast, a weight loss product.
“If food companies are going to try to pivot to make simple-flavored foods that are rich in protein and easy on the stomach, they might be popular ... I’m not sure how it’s different from (previous generations of packaged) diet food.”
Nestle already makes weight loss shakes and supplements that cater to people on the drugs, who can experience side effects like nausea and constipation.
Nutrition company Herbalife HLF.N earlier this year began selling some of its most popular shake mixes and fiber supplements in bundles targeting people on the drugs.
Herbalife is looking at expanding the bundles to other markets, including South America and in particular Brazil, where GLP-1 drugs are growing in popularity, said Luigi Gratton, chairman of the company's nutrition advisory board.
Meal kit provider Daily Harvest is also offering a GLP-1 companion food collection, a box of meals that includes a broccoli and white bean soup and bean and cabbage bowl for $118.46.
Sales have been "relatively slow," said Daily Harvest CEO Ricky Silver. The company isn't aggressively pushing into selling its kits to people on the medications, he said.
"We definitely see it as an opportunity (but) not something we need to drastically pivot our focus toward," Silver said. "Our food is already foundationally good for people taking these drugs."
Nestle's Vital Pursuit's portions will range from approximately eight to 10 ounces (227 to 284 grams), Moe said.
In the 1980s, Nestle introduced diet brand Lean Cuisine, with meals focused on calorie control, while Vital Pursuit offers more fiber, protein and other "macronutrients," Moe said.
Reporting by Jessica DiNapoli in New York; Editing by Sonali Paul
면책조항: XM Group 회사는 체결 전용 서비스와 온라인 거래 플랫폼에 대한 접근을 제공하여, 개인이 웹사이트에서 또는 웹사이트를 통해 이용 가능한 콘텐츠를 보거나 사용할 수 있도록 허용합니다. 이에 대해 변경하거나 확장할 의도는 없습니다. 이러한 접근 및 사용에는 다음 사항이 항상 적용됩니다: (i) 이용 약관, (ii) 위험 경고, (iii) 완전 면책조항. 따라서, 이러한 콘텐츠는 일반적인 정보에 불과합니다. 특히, 온라인 거래 플랫폼의 콘텐츠는 금융 시장에서의 거래에 대한 권유나 제안이 아닙니다. 금융 시장에서의 거래는 자본에 상당한 위험을 수반합니다.
온라인 거래 플랫폼에 공개된 모든 자료는 교육/정보 목적으로만 제공되며, 금융, 투자세 또는 거래 조언 및 권고, 거래 가격 기록, 금융 상품 또는 원치 않는 금융 프로모션의 거래 제안 또는 권유를 포함하지 않으며, 포함해서도 안됩니다.
이 웹사이트에 포함된 모든 의견, 뉴스, 리서치, 분석, 가격, 기타 정보 또는 제3자 사이트에 대한 링크와 같이 XM이 준비하는 콘텐츠 뿐만 아니라, 제3자 콘텐츠는 일반 시장 논평으로서 "현재" 기준으로 제공되며, 투자 조언으로 여겨지지 않습니다. 모든 콘텐츠가 투자 리서치로 해석되는 경우, 투자 리서치의 독립성을 촉진하기 위해 고안된 법적 요건에 따라 콘텐츠가 의도되지 않았으며, 준비되지 않았다는 점을 인지하고 동의해야 합니다. 따라서, 관련 법률 및 규정에 따른 마케팅 커뮤니케이션이라고 간주됩니다. 여기에서 접근할 수 있는 앞서 언급한 정보에 대한 비독립 투자 리서치 및 위험 경고 알림을 읽고, 이해하시기 바랍니다.
