Three forces are driving this meal shake-up simultaneously - GLP-1s, UPFs and disposable income.
While the rapid rise of weight loss medications is creating a new and growing consumer group with specific dietary needs, ongoing fears around ultra-processed foods and the tail end of a prolonged cost-of-living squeeze are making shoppers question what they put in their basket.
Each would be significant on its own. Together, they are rewriting the category rules.
Who is using GLP-1s?
The scale of GLP-1 adoption has moved faster than anyone anticipated. UCL research published in January 2026 found that an estimated 1.6 million adults across England, Wales and Scotland had used weight loss drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro between early 2024 to early 2025.
Kantar data from June 2025 reported that the proportion of UK households containing at least one GLP-1 user had doubled year on year to 4.1%, roughly 1.1 million users.
More recent data, published earlier this year from The Health Foundation, shows private access to these drugs are dominated by women in mid-life. Almost 8 in 10 prescriptions are for females.
The highest uptake is among people aged 30 to 49 years, falling sharply after age 60.
Meanwhile, people in the most deprived areas were accessing 32% fewer GLP-1 prescriptions than those in the least deprived.
The retail reaction
Usage of GLP-1s is anticipated to rise further as pill formats arrive, enabling a more affordable option and therefore more accessiblity.
But retailers have not been resting on their laurels whilst waiting for mainstream adoption. In early 2026 alone, M&S, Morrisons, The Co-op, and Ocado all launched products positioned at this emerging consumer.
Smaller portions in the 200-300g range, prominent protein callouts, and functional range names like ‘Nutrient Dense’, ‘Good Fuel’ and ‘Applied Nutrition’ are fast becoming commonplace.
Price points paint a more complex picture. The Co-op’s range sits at £3.50 for 250g while Ocado’s PRESS range reaches over £6 for 200g. This reflects a market still finding its feet. For the category, this creates both opportunity and risk. Early movers can define the space, but misjudging value, portion size or taste, risks limiting repeat purchase.
Execution is equally mixed. Some products reflect a genuine understanding of how GLP-1 users eat, while the medication is also shifting taste preferences. Heavier, richer foods are less appealing, with consumer gravitating towards lighter proteins, fresh flavours and options that feel easier to digest.
However, some launches are existing ranges, just repackaged with added protein claims. There is evidence of this already on shelf, with legacy descriptors still appearing in online listings.
Consumers will see through this. And in a trust driven category, that doesn’t just damage one product, it risks the whole segment.
Let’s not forget that the GLP-1 consumer is not just one audience. Most are in higher income groups, with London showing the highest adoption rate at 52% (Curious to Clear MSI-ACI quant study, Sep 2025).
Research also points to three distinct mindsets: those using medication as a practical tool, those treating it as part of a broader health reset, and those who feel other approaches have failed.
These are not the same shopper, and they do not want the same product. Treating them as one group risks flattening the opportunity and leading to ranges that feel generic, rather than genuinely useful.
The UPF debate
Hand in hand with GLP-1s is the ongoing noise around ultra-processed foods (UPF), which continues to influence how shoppers perceive ready meals.
Some of that concern is grounded in legitimate questions about diet and health. Some is driven by misunderstanding and unhelpful narrative.
The category’s recent volume pressures cannot be attributed to UPF anxiety alone, given the impact of inflation and the cost-of-living squeeze. But there is clearly a perception issue, and perception in this category directly affects both purchase frequency and basket size.
What is often missing from the conversation is context. Chris Van Tulleken, whose work has shaped much of the debate, examined a supermarket lasagne and found no additives; it had simply been made at scale.
The nuance matters. If the industry does not help shape this conversation, it risks being defined by it, with ready meals positioned unfairly as a compromise rather than a practical solution. It’s the approach we take with Fit Foods – making real food as you would at home, at scale.
At the same time, not all shoppers are engaging with the issue in the same way. Comfort eating, treat occasions and convenience-led purchases remain central to the category. The success of products such as Wotsits Mac ‘N’ Cheese, which is gaining retail listings without making any pretence about its ingredients, is a useful reminder that transparency works in both directions.
For both brands and retailers, transparency builds trust. Shoppers do not expect perfection, but they do expect honesty.
The consumer the category is forgetting
Health and wellness are the number one concern for shoppers right now (NIQ Homescan Survey, March 2025). Yet much of the category’s recent innovation has focused heavily on either GLP-1 users or those actively avoiding UPFs, as if the rest of the market has already made its choice.
The majority of shoppers sit somewhere in the middle. They want to eat a bit better, but without overanalysing every ingredient. They want food that tastes good and feels like a sensible choice, not a compromise. They are balancing time, cost and convenience in the context of everyday life.
This is the space DMC Foods set out to serve when we launched Fit Foods in Ireland five years ago and to the UK last year. Rather than targeting niche audiences, hyper-focused on nutrition, the focus has been on everyday consumers looking for balanced, great tasting meals that fit into a normal routine. Taste leads, supported by credible health credentials rather than replaced by them.
That approach has underpinned Fit Foods’ growth in Ireland and informed our expansion into the UK through listings with Morrisons and Ocado. The same underlying pressures – time scarcity, budget sensitivity and information overload – are just as relevant to UK shoppers.
The opportunity in this category does not belong to whoever shouts loudest about protein content or functional nutrition. It belongs to the brands that make healthy eating make sense for ordinary people, every day. That is what the forgotten middle is waiting for, and it is a much bigger audience than the current wave of launches would suggest.
A category being pulled in multiple directions
The ready-meal category is no longer moving in a single direction. GLP-1 adoption, scrutiny of UPF and ongoing economic pressure are each reshaping how shoppers define value, often in different and sometimes conflicting ways.
For retailers and manufacturers, the challenge is not simply to respond to these trends, but to organise them into a proposition that makes sense both on shelf and in basket. The risk is not change itself, but fragmentation without clarity.
The opportunity, however, is significant.
Ready meals remain one of the most relevant solutions to modern eating habits. Brands that can balance taste, credibility and everyday relevance while being clear about who they are for and why will be best placed to build repeat purchase in a category that depends on it.