Popular snack brand releases genius solution to Ozempic

The growing new food category is a potential moneymaker.

May 15, 2025 - 13:18

For decades, the snack and beverage category has been dominated by companies that specialize in making delicious foods.

Many of these brands have entire squads of food scientists whose entire job is to make foods hyper-palatable.

Microwave meals, chicken nuggets, lactose-free ice cream, and instant noodles all originated in the corporate offices of food scientists rather than on a farm or in the kitchen.

And plenty of other snacks we enjoy daily are far from natural — but pleasurable all the same.

In fact, many of the foods we eat are so enjoyable that it's actually created something of a health crisis.

It's estimated that over 40% of Americans are obese.

And the rate of type 2 diabetes among children could increase by as much as 700% by the year 2060.

This helps to explain the recent rise in popularity of GLP-1 medications, which aim to suppress appetite and regulate digestion.

As a result, these prescriptions significantly reduce users' appetites and causes them to eat less, thereby losing weight along the way.

Food companies grapple with GLP-1s

GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro are still relatively new to the American pharmacological scene, hitting the mainstream in the last couple of years.

But that hasn't stopped many folks from hopping on the bandwagon to do everything from helping them finally get metabolically healthier or lose a few pounds for swimsuit season.

In fact, about one in eight Americans is or has been on a GLP-1.

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This change in preference has forced many food and beverage companies to rethink their marketing, though.

While hyper-palatable, indulgent foods were once easy to market to a broad swath of consumers, fewer Americans are as susceptible to them now that their appetite just isn't what it used to be.

Results bear this trend out in the average grocery bill; recent studies indicate the average grocery receipt has dropped by 6% since the mainstream release of GLP-1 medications, which is roughly equivalent to about $416 annually.

Foods that have taken the biggest hits, unsurprisingly, are calorie-dense, non-nutritive snacks like chips, which saw an 11% decline in recent sales, and baked goods, which saw a 6% drop.

Snack brand releases creative new product

And now, Danone, the company behind brands like Activia, Oikos, Silk, Dannon, and Evian, is releasing its own answer to a changing American palate.

Danone will release a high-protein smoothie under its popular Oikos Greek yogurt label.

The product is called Oikos Protein Shake and contains:

30 grams protein
One gram sugar
Five grams prebiotic fiber
Vitamins A + D
No artificial sweeteners

The shakes will be available in Chocolate, Vanilla, and Caramel flavors and are due out in May at retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Costco, CVS, and Kroger.

The shakes are designed to provide consumers with a calorie- and protein-dense meal, particularly for folks who don't have much motivation to eat or indulge while on GLP-1 meds.

Weight loss-enthusiast or not, there is also a growing movement to increase protein intake as a whole, so Danone hopes to capitalize on the new trend with its splashy release.

Oikos Protein Shakes are expected to start hitting shelves around mid May and be fully rolled out by the summer — just in time for swimsuit season.