Ginsters and Higgidy owner Samworth Brothers has warned that the growing use of weight-loss drugs is beginning to affect demand and shopper preferences across its food portfolio.

The £1.8bn food manufacturer, which also produces Dickinson & Morris pork pies and owns West Cornwall Pasty Company, said in its latest accounts that appetite-suppressing drugs were “having an impact on demand and customer preferences”.

Samworth Brothers said it was monitoring the rise of treatments such as Mounjaro and Wegovy and developing new products in response to changing eating habits.

The business identified the growth of weight-loss medication as one of a number of challenges facing the group, alongside rising labour, energy and supply chain costs.

The warning comes as GLP-1 drugs begin to have a more visible impact on grocery spending.

Worldpanel by Numerator data cited by The Telegraph found that 1.9 million adults in Great Britain were using weight-loss medication this year, with 6.3 per cent of households containing at least one user, up from 4.1 per cent a year earlier.

Households with at least one person using weight-loss drugs spent £418 less on groceries than households without a user, with some of the biggest reductions seen across categories including chocolate and crisps.

Separate PwC research found 70 per cent of GLP-1 users were spending less on snacks and confectionery, while 60 per cent said they were spending more on fresh food and 54 per cent were increasing spending on high-protein products.

Despite the shift in consumer behaviour, Samworth Brothers delivered sales growth last year, with revenue rising eight per cent to £1.8bn and operating profit increasing from £61.6m to £65.6m.

Chairman Mark Samworth said 2025 had been challenging due to sharp increases in labour, energy and supply chain costs, but added that the group had still made “sound progress”.

The development adds to growing evidence that the rapid uptake of weight-loss medication could reshape grocery shopping habits, particularly across indulgent snacking and convenience food categories.

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