Nestlé bets on start-ups for GLP-1 innovation

GLP-1 drugs are predicted to completely disrupt food and beverage. While some CPGs hold back, waiting to see how suppressed appetites and curbed cravings will hit sales, others are leaning into the challenge. Nestlé is among the latter. As the first CPG giant out of the blocks to specifically cater to GLP-1 users, the multinational wants to follow up with more products – not all of which will come from in-house innovation. Although much of Nestlé’s innovation is developed by its own experts, the company acknowledges it can’t do it all. A new partnership between the University of California, Davis and Nestlé Health Science aims to bolster innovation across nutrition and health, and start-up development. Another in the southern hemisphere, with Australian Catholic University in Melbourne, will establish an incubator programme for growth areas like weight management. “Our focus is on supporting people on weight-loss journeys with the right nutrition,” a Nestlé spokesperson explains. “That could mean, for example, protein, biotics, and collagen both during the weight-loss period and afterwards during the maintenance period.” Both initiatives are still in their “early stages”, but Nestlé has confirmed they’ll also be focused on two other key areas for the business: women’s health and healthy longevity. Nestlé says goals align with its R&D Accelerator programme, which supports work on “disruptive ideas” grounded in cutting-edge science, technological advances, and evolving consumer needs. Alongside women’s health and healthy longevity, Nestlé has identified weight management as a “growth platform” for the company. That’s perhaps unsurprising given the estimated number of consumers taking GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy, Ozempic, or Mounjaro. In the US alone, it’s thought 41 million people have used them. With weekly pills and monthly injections in development, and some GLP-1 drugs expected to soon go off patent, uptake could surge. And in a flash, demand for products that support weight management could skyrocket. For Nestlé, any new innovations to come out of the academic partnerships would build on its growing portfolio of weight management products. The company is selling high protein, high fibre, portion-controlled ready meals for GLP-1 users via its Vital Pursuit brand, and has developed its own whey protein microgel technology to manage blood sugar levels and appetite control in beverages – like its Boost Pre-Meal Hunger Support products. We’re told more innovation is on the horizon, so watch this space. How is the food industry responding to the rise of GLP-1s like Wegovy or Mounjaro? From reformulation to portion control, appetite suppression to satiety science - the GLP-1 revolution is reshaping how we think about food innovation and weight management. Join us at our free digital summit to hear from leading experts, brands and researchers tackling the big questions: Weight Management: Food Innovation in the GLP-1 Era will be broadcast 13 & 19 November 2025. A detailed agenda and free registration is available here .

Nestlé bets on start-ups for GLP-1 innovation

The multinational hopes external innovation can help support consumers through weight loss and maintenance phases

Related Topics