How McDonald’s is grappling with the Ozempic boom

Ozempic, the injectable weight loss drug which has become a transformative weapon in the war against obesity and a cultural phenomenon in its own right, might seem like the sworn enemy of the fast food industry.

But McDonald’s sees dollar signs in the Glucagon-Like-Peptide-1 (GLP-1) era.

The company synonymous with super-sized everything says it views the era of slimming waist lines with cautious optimism.

“Eighty-four per cent of households with GLP-1 users visit McDonald’s. This is an opportunity,” McDonald’s USA president Skye Anderson told investors this week, speaking about American households.

In reality, big food has no other choice. Traffic at McDonald’s has been flat, and the company has missed sales for several quarters, with its share price down 22 per cent this year. The company, which this week unveiled plans for a $US8.5 billion overhaul including changes to its menu, says this decline has been driven in part by stubbornly high inflation.

But it is also acutely aware of the way weight loss drugs are changing dining preferences. Around 11 per cent of Americans currently use a GLP-1 drug such as Ozempic, Mounjaro or Wegovy. In comparison, just 1 to 2 per cent of Australians are on the same medication.

Among the cultural shifts which have been closely entwined with the growing ubiquity of these drugs, has been the rise of “protein-maxxing,” where consumers try to eat as much protein as possible. Part of that explosion in demand for protein-packed products is a result of the GLP-1 boom. Because drugs like Ozempic suppress appetite and limit a person’s intake of calories, adding protein becomes crucial to maintaining muscle mass.

A part of McDonald’s proposed menu refresh will include smaller, protein-dense meal options, a route other fast food chains have already taken. So as well as Big Macs, the company is looking at items such as “burger bowls,” “egg bites,” and a strawberry lychee drink.

Before officially pulling the plug on its disastrous American expansion, Mexican chain Guzman y Gomez said that weight loss drugs were driving a surge in mini burritos. Chipotle, the US-based franchise that served as the inspiration for Guzman, recently debuted a “protein cup”.

In the United States, Smoothie King introduced the rather clinical sounding “GLP-1 Support menu” back in 2024, while Shake Shack has its “Good Fit Menu” specially targeted at Ozempic users. The shift isn’t limited to tacky fast food joints either. The New York Times reported last year that dozens of more upscale Manhattan restaurants were introducing their own forms of the “GLP-1 Support menu” along with thimble-sized cocktails.

Obesity rates in Australia are lower than in the US, as is our uptake of GLP-1s, a trend that also reflects American drug companies’ aggressive direct-to-consumer marketing of prescription medication. But their use is still growing rapidly, with recent modelling from Ernst & Young suggesting that 7 million Australians could be using GLP-1 medications by 2036. Already, the struggling local wine industry pins the blame for falling sales on the rise of weight loss medication.

Zoom out further, and changing fast food menus are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how GLP-1s are going to alter consumption patterns. The drug now known as Ozempic began as a treatment for diabetes, before researchers realised its potential for helping people lose weight. Further research makes them look like potential miracle drugs, with positive results for treating addiction, preventing cardiovascular issues, and lowering the risks of certain cancers.

In parallel to the rapid growth of legal GLP-1s is the rise of a shadow market for synthetic peptides, which are mostly illegal but commonly used to improve workouts, skincare and sexual performance. Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lily’s latest expensive bet is on peptides designed to treat narcolepsy, which some in the industry believe could become the wonder drugs that maximise human productivity, allowing people to function without sleep.

The point is that Ozempic has barely made a dent in Australia yet, and its potential long-term benefits still aren’t fully realised. Meanwhile, the broader class of GLP-1 drugs are just the beginning of a potentially transformative peptide boom.

We could be in for a lot more change than a few more new items on a Maccas menu.

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Kishor Napier-Raman is a senior business writer for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Previously he worked as a CBD columnist and reporter in the federal parliamentary press gallery.Connect via X or email.