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The UK has become the first country in Europe to approve Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy semaglutide tablet for weight management, a move expected to increase GLP-1 medication use and continue to reshape UK consumers’ grocery spending behaviours.

The GLP-1 receptor agonist tablet was approved on 11 June 2026 by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). It provides an oral alternative to injectable GLP-1 medications, the use of which has risen rapidly across global markets in recent years.

New research shows that in the UK, adoption of GLP-1 drugs has nearly tripled in two years. An estimated 1.9 million adults in the UK are estimated to be currently taking the mediations for weight management, according to recent data from Worldpanel by Numerator.

The analysis highlighted the impact on the food and beverage industry, with GLP-1 user households found to have spent £780 million less on groceries overall during the study period.

Categories such as snacking are seeing particular impact, with chocolate confectionery expenditure declining 18% more among GLP-1 users than among non-user households. Meanwhile, 72% of the users reported reducing crisp purchases.

GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonists work by mimicking the body’s natural GLP-1 hormone, which helps to regulate blood sugar and has appetite suppressing effects. They were primarily introduced to treat type 2 diabetes, and in recent years their use for weight management has soared – particularly in the US, where data suggests around 12% of adults have taken them for this purpose.

UK adults who have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or above, or between 27 and 30 with at least one weight-related comorbidity, may now be prescribed the drugs in pill format rather than the previously available injectables. While approved in the UK, the tablets are currently only available via private prescription and not through the National Health Service.

In a recent industry roundtable published in FoodBev magazine, Annabel Twinberrow, analyst at Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), noted the expectation that uptake of the medications in the UK will increase as oral options become available – only 14% of people surveyed by IGD in January 2026 said they would try injections, she pointed out.

“With the current evidence, we can expect that uptake in the UK will continue to increase as policy shifts, accessibility increases and new variants of the drug emerge,” she said.

Mike Hughes, head of research and insight at FMCG Gurus, said this will create an opportunity for the F&B industry to develop products that cater to demand for more nutrient-dense, lower-calorie diets, as well as those that can help manage side effects. This is a key focus area for many companies innovating in the nutraceutical space, as FoodBev discovered at the Vitafoods Europe 2026 event.

“While these opportunities exist, brands must proceed in an ethical manner: remember that this is a medical nutrition product, rather than a mass market offering,” Hughes said. “Brands shouldn’t be seen to be encouraging people to use such medication unnecessarily as a quick fix solution.”