Food Companies Approach Weight-Loss Offerings With Caution

Food companies making and merchandising offerings for people taking weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic remain cautious in their marketing approach, refusing to name the medications by name, reports Reuters.

In a recent interview, Nestle president Tom Moe said that the company will keep the names of weight loss drugs off the packaging due to regulatory concerns. The brand’s Vital Pursuit line of $5-and-under frozen meals designed for people on these medications will only be implicitly connected.

"We won’t directly make the connection [to the drugs] on the food package," Moe said in a Twitter post.

Drink maker Biocare is more forward with its approach. One of its drink products includes on its packaging that it can “alleviate side effects” including nausea for people taking semaglutides, the active ingredient in popular the weight-loss medications, according to the report.

An attorney specializing in food, Lauren Handel, said that food companies referencing the medications directly could falsely suggest the food or beverage product could treat or prevent disease in some way.

"It's a tricky area where you'd want to be careful about what you say," Handel said. "The safest course of action is not to mention any drugs." Full Story Subscription Required)