Marks and Spencer launches new 20-item 'nutrient dense' range for people on fat jabs
Marks and Spencers is launching a new range of 'nutrient dense' food targeted at people who have reduced appetites due to taking weight loss jabs.
The retailer said the 20-product range is 'perfectly portioned' for customers on GLP-1 drugs because they contain 'high amounts of nutrients per calorie'.
The new range, set to launch in stores on January 5, include salads, breads and yoghurt bowls, and are aimed at customers currently taking medicines such as Wegovy, Mounjaro and Ozempic to help aid their weight loss.
More than 1.5million people in the UK are thought to be accessing the jabs privately, whilst NHS prescriptions have risen by 900 per cent since 2020.
Annette Peters, head of food innovations at M&S, said: 'We know the use of GLP-1 medications is growing, so it's more important than ever to ensure that even if people are eating smaller portions, we help provide them with the right levels of nutrients.
'We have challenged ourselves to make products that are denser in nutrients than calories, so every single mouthful is packed full of more of the good stuff we all need.'
Ranging from £2 for a juice shot, and up to £7 for one of the more substantial chicken or prawn dishes, the retailers believe this will help people more easily hit their protein and fibre goals.
The jabs, which were originally developed as diabetes medication before being prescribed off-label as a weight loss drug, work by mimicking a natural gut hormone that increases feelings of fullness.
New M&S nutrient dense salads, snacks and dinners come as more Britons turn to weight loss jabs
People across the UK who are desperate to lose weight are increasingly relying on jabs like Wegovy, Mounjaro and Ozempic
The retailer is particularly focusing on consumers hitting the daily recommended amount of fibre, as most UK adults fall short
This in turn lessens appetite, and a reduced intake of food can make it harder to consume enough essential nutrients, which increases the risk of mineral deficiencies and, because people aren't getting the NHS-recommended 30g of fibre per day, constipation.
To lose weight while taking GLP-1 medications, you need to remain within a calorie deficit—expending more calories than you ingest—which is why the M&S team has focused on nutrient-dense foods with concentrated source of vitamins, fibre and healthy fats, and a sensible amount of calories.
For example the new Nutrient Dense super seeded bread, which will cost £2.25 for 300g, has 13g of fibre in two slices make it easier for customers to reach the recommended intake.
The Nutrient Dense Range also features a roasted butternut squash and almond grain pot, which boasts an impressive 13g fibre per serving, red kiwis, and a Romesco chicken dinner - making it easy to 'crush your daily 30g fibre'.
Each product also contains at least one micronutrient, such as vitamin D and B12, iron or folate, which many people lack in the UK.
M&S is just one of the many retailers who are expanding their offerings to cater to weight loss drug users.
Earlier this month, Morrisons announced a partnership with health and wellness brand Applied Nutrition to design a range of 'GLP-1 friendly ready meals' featuring over 50 'small and balanced,' high protein products.
In the US, Nestle have launched a similar campaign, focused on frozen foods.
The five botanicals used in these shots jabs provide a natural source of electrolytes, iodine and fibre
The range even includes dinners such as Romesco chicken, Prawn Paella and Salmon and Green Goddess Crunch
Consumer watchdogs warn that if pharmaceutical companies accomplish their goal of a weight-loss pill, retailers will face surmounting pressure to accommodate.
However, questions are still being raised about the side-effects of GLP-1 medicines.
These include nausea, vomiting, bone damage and even organ damage - all of which put added strain on the body, making it hard to get vital nutrients and minerals.
For weight loss jabs to work effectively, experts have insisted that users must also consume enough fibre - with the recommended amount being 30g a day.
Research shows that around 96 per cent of UK adults don't hit this target, with GLP-1 users consuming even less.
Fibre is especially important for these individuals as it helps foster bacteria in the gut responsible for dodging hunger pangs.
Not eating enough food, especially those high in fibre, can effectively starve microbes in the stomach which need to be fed for certain nutrients to thrive.
Peters said this is why, together with the British Nutrition Foundation, the new range priotises fibre, making it as easy possible for consumers to meet guidelines.
'As well as helping day to day with effective digestion, long term it is important to reduce the risk of bowel cancer and so many other diseases.'
Last week a pill version of blockbuster jab Wegovy has been given the green light by US health chiefs, with the fat-busting pill expected to be launched in January in America.
The approval marks the first time an oral drug has been authorised specifically to treat obesity, offering an alternative to the jabs that have transformed weight loss medicine in recent years.
'Regarding the UK, we are working towards a submission for Wegovy in a pill in 2026,' a spokesperson for its makers, Novo Nordisk UK, said - adding they could not yet give any further detail on timelines.
