Why are 90% of GLP-1 users still buying ice cream?

• GLP-1 users continue to buy and enjoy ice cream, showing that demand for indulgence and emotional enjoyment remains despite appetite-suppressing medications
• Brands in Europe (Magnum, Ben & Jerry’s, Oppo, Happy Jo’s, Yeo Valley) and the US (Two Spoons, Yasso) are adapting with mini portions, high-protein and better-for-you frozen treats
• Ice cream’s success comes from combining portion control, functional nutrition and sensory enjoyment, offering a model for food categories worldwide responding to the rise of GLP-1 use

90% of GLP-1 users still buy ice cream.

And 92% agreed with the statement that eating ice cream feels fun, compared with 85% of non-GLP-1 ice cream consumers, according to Mintel.

In a food landscape that’s rapidly being reshaped by GLP-1 use, there are lessons to be learned for other categories that are losing appetite-suppressed consumers.

“It shows that GLP-1 users still want joy from their food,” says Stephanie Mattucci, principal strategist at Mintel. “Ice cream offers emotional connection and delivers that joy. And watching the category, it’s really been playing with innovation and leaned in to the fun and mood-improving aspect.”

More Mintel figures back that up, with 85% of frozen treat consumers who are on GLP-1s agreeing that eating ice cream improves their mood, compared with 78% of all frozen treat consumers.

But it’s not just about the fun, so what can other lessons can be learned from ice cream?

Size counts

Ice cream has a wide variety of size offerings and, apart from perhaps a full-size single-serve, none of them suffer much in the face of GLP-1s.

Its largest format of a tub can work as spoonfuls can be taken out when a consumer wants a bite or two of something sweet, but then easily resealed and put back into the freezer.

And it’s perfectly suited to the mini format, which has been successfully embraced by major companies such as The Magnum Ice Cream Company with its Magnum Mini range. But it hasn’t stopped there, going even smaller with its bite-size Magnum Bonbon range and Ben & Jerry’s Peaces.

For GLP-1 users that don’t want a full-size, on-the-go treat, these are a go-to, as well as anyone who might be trying to watch their weight or wants smaller indulgences.

“People on GLP-1s make more deliberate choices and have more control,” said Magnum’s CEO Peter ter Kulve, earlier this year. “This is actually a good thing. What do they do? Smaller portions, less calories, more nutritional density, real ingredients and more proteins.”

Magnum’s recent H1 results reflected its strategy success, with growth in sales and underlying profit.

“Each of our four leading brands – Magnum, Ben & Jerry’s, Cornetto, and the Heartbrand – grew, with innovation across flavours and formats exciting consumers,” said ter Kulve.

Its experiments with trending flavours have paid off – the Signature La Pistache ranked as the top ice cream innovation in Europe.

Treats can occupy the better-for-you space

Despite being a sweet treat, ice cream embraces functionality in the better-for-you space.

“It’s a category that can offer nuance with a range of options for people to choose from,” says Mattucci. “From high-protein to low-lactose, there’s a frozen novelty for everyone.”

And it seems that consumers will switch between the two with GLP-1 users more likely to – Mintel data shows that 53% of non-GLP-1 users switch between full-calorie and better-for you ice creams, whereas 59% of GLP-1 users do so.

As a dairy product, it’s easy for it to make protein a target.

There’s been a proliferation of brands offering high-protein versions of its ice cream, creating the perfect GLP-1 combination of functionality, satiety, taste and convenience.

Brands such as Two Spoons in the US advertise their ice creams as high-protein (30g per tub) with zero added sugar and allulose as the sweetener, making them suitable for keto diets. Happy Jo’s in the UK has done something similar, with erythritol as the sweetener, advertising itself as low-glycaemic index.

Halo Tops sold in UK retailers has gone down the low-calorie route, with the calorie content taking centre stage on its packaging, as has Oppo Brothers.

Capitalising on ice cream-like textures, UK brand Yeo Valley has a frozen kefir to tap the gut health trend.

And Magnum crops up again with its US brand Yasso, a frozen Greek-yogurt-based billed as ‘Ice cream - meet your upgrade’. It comes in multiple formats to target all kinds of consumer, including sandwiches, bars and poppables.

“Our high-protein, low-calorie offering continued to grow double-digit after its successful expansion from sticks to pints,“ said CEO Ter Kulve said of Yasso after the H1 results.

It’s a perfect example of better-for-you combined with fun.

Fun and innovation

All categories can learn from the way ice cream has innovated in the GLP-1 era.

“GLP-1 users haven’t lost the joy,” says Mattucci. “Ice cream has a creamy and delicious texture, and it can add innovations such as crunchy layers, toppings, bonbon sizes – it’s providing a sensory experience.“

Investment in innovation is the key to brands not being left behind.

Dave Richhart, VP of sales at Ellison Custom Food Ingredients, said in a LinkedIn post that the companies he’s watching closely are the ones that are “not mourning lost volume. They’re moving. Some brands spent a full year developing high-protein ice cream built around GLP-1-friendly ingredients. Others went bite-sized – same indulgence, fraction of the portion.

“If you’re still building your 2027 ice cream strategy around the same consumer profile you had three years ago, that’s a problem. The real question isn’t whether GLP-1 reshapes your category. It’s whether you’re doing the reshaping or getting reshaped.”

Fun is going to be the important thing to innovate towards, concludes Mattucci. “In a world where there is so much to worry about, joy and levity helps brands connect with consumers.”