90% of GLP-1 Users Still Buy Ice Cream

Consumers who use GLP-1 medicines remain part of the ice-cream market, with the article reporting that 90% still buy the product. Among frozen-dessert consumers using GLP-1, 85% say that eating ice cream improves their mood, compared with 78% of frozen-dessert consumers overall.

Portion size has become one response from the category. A tub can be opened for a small serving and returned to the freezer, while smaller formats offer a more limited portion. Examples cited include Magnum Mini, Magnum Bonbon and Ben & Jerry’s Peaces. These products are also aimed at consumers who want to manage their weight or prefer a smaller indulgence, not only at people taking GLP-1 medicines.

Peter ter Kulve, chief executive of Magnum Ice Cream Company, described GLP-1 users as making more deliberate choices involving smaller portions, fewer calories, higher nutritional density, real ingredients and more protein. The company said its four leading brands—Magnum, Ben & Jerry’s, Cornetto and Heartbrand—grew in the first half of the year. It also identified flavours and formats as areas of innovation, citing Signature La Pistache as the leading ice-cream innovation in Europe.

Product composition is another area of change. Mattucci said the category now includes “better-for-you” propositions ranging from high-protein products to low-lactose alternatives. GLP-1 users move between these options and conventional products: 59% alternate between full-calorie ice cream and better-for-you products, compared with 53% of consumers who do not use GLP-1.

Brands are using different formulations to address those preferences. America’s Two Spoons offers ice cream with 30 grams of protein per tub, no added sugar and allulose as a sweetener. In Britain, Happy Jo’s uses erythritol and promotes a low glycaemic index. Halo Top and Oppo Brothers focus on low calorie content, while Yeo Valley uses an ice-cream-like texture for frozen kefir linked to interest in gut health.

Other products combine different formats and ingredients. Yasso, a Magnum brand in the United States, sells a frozen dessert based on Greek yoghurt in sandwiches, bars and small pieces. After expanding from sticks into tubs, the company recorded double-digit growth in its high-protein, low-calorie range, according to ter Kulve. Dave Richhart, vice-president of sales at Ellison Custom Food Ingredients, said some companies spent a year developing high-protein ice creams and products using ingredients intended for GLP-1 consumers, while others concentrated on reducing portion sizes.