{"id":634327,"date":"2026-09-24T08:14:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T08:14:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/634327\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T08:14:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T08:14:12","slug":"how-mcdonalds-is-grappling-with-the-ozempic-boom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/634327\/","title":{"rendered":"How McDonald\u2019s is grappling with the Ozempic boom"},"content":{"rendered":"

September 24, 2026 \u2014 3:59pm<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

But McDonald\u2019s sees dollar signs in the Glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP-1) era.<\/p>\n

The company synonymous with super-sized everything says it views the era of slimming waistlines with cautious optimism.<\/p>\n

\"McDonald\u2019sMcDonald\u2019s is planning to adapt its menu to accommodate diners on drugs like Ozempic.Steven Siewert<\/p>\n

\u201cEighty-four per cent of households with GLP-1 users visit McDonald\u2019s. This is an opportunity,\u201d McDonald\u2019s USA president Skye Anderson told investors this week, speaking about American households.<\/p>\n

In reality, big food has no other choice. Traffic at McDonald\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Left<\/a><\/p>\n

Among the cultural shifts which have been closely entwined with the growing ubiquity of these drugs has been the rise of \u201cprotein-maxxing,\u201d where consumers try to eat as much protein as possible<\/a>. 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\u2019s intake of calories, adding protein becomes crucial to maintaining muscle mass.<\/p>\n

A part of McDonald\u2019s 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 \u201cburger bowls,\u201d \u201cegg bites,\u201d and a strawberry lychee drink.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cprotein cup\u201d.<\/p>\n

In the United States, Smoothie King introduced the rather clinical-sounding \u201cGLP-1 Support menu\u201d back in 2024, while Shake Shack has its \u201cGood Fit Menu\u201d specially targeted at Ozempic users. The shift isn\u2019t 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 \u201cGLP-1 Support menu\u201d along with thimble-sized cocktails.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Peptides\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u2019 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<\/a> pins the blame for falling sales on the rise of weight-loss medication.<\/p>\n

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 GLP-1s look like potential miracle drugs, with positive results for treating addiction, preventing cardiovascular issues, and lowering the risks of certain cancers.<\/p>\n

In parallel to the rapid growth of legal GLP-1s is the rise of a shadow market for synthetic peptides<\/a>, which are mostly illegal but commonly used to improve workouts, skincare and sexual performance. Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly\u2019s latest expensive bet<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

The point is that Ozempic has barely made a dent in Australia yet, and its potential long-term benefits still aren\u2019t fully realised. Meanwhile, the broader class of GLP-1 drugs is just the beginning of a potentially transformative peptide boom.<\/p>\n

We could be in for a lot more change than a few more new items on a Macca\u2019s menu.<\/p>\n

The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"KishorKishor Napier-Raman<\/a> 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<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"September 24, 2026 \u2014 3:59pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":634328,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[103,61,60,371],"class_list":["post-634327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-medication","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-medication"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=634327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634327\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/634328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=634327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=634327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=634327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}