Nestlé wants to use the boom in weight loss injections for new products

The drugs from the manufacturers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly suppress appetite, which leads to rapid weight loss. However, the weight loss injection should not reduce Nestlé's sales. The food giant is taking its first measures.

The food giant Nestlé wants to turn the threat posed by the triumph of weight loss injections such as Ozempic and Wegovy into a business opportunity for itself. Instead of fearing a loss in sales, the Swiss company is using artificial intelligence (AI) to develop new products that are specifically tailored to the needs of millions of users of these drugs. "It's a huge opportunity for our company," said technology boss Stefan Palzer.

The drugs from the manufacturers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly suppress appetite, which leads to rapid weight loss. However, this often has undesirable side effects such as loss of muscle mass or sagging facial skin, also called "Ozempic face". This is exactly where Nestlé comes in. Scientists use AI to analyze clinical studies and find nutrient combinations that counteract these effects. The company has already brought products with collagen protein for skin and hair onto the market and developed a protein shake that is intended to prevent muscle loss. In addition, patented combinations of active ingredients have been developed that are intended to curb hunger after stopping the medication, explained Palzer.

Artificial intelligence plays a key role in development. Nestlé uses internal systems such as the Food Genie platform to analyze massive amounts of data from clinical trials, identify nutrient combinations and accelerate the development of recipes from a database of around 120,000 templates. AI also helps to simulate consumer behavior and identify new trends on social media before they become a mass phenomenon. "You see the noise around certain topics and then you can conclude whether it's a lasting trend or not," Palzer said.

Not everyone is convinced by the approach. Nutrition experts point out that fresh and unprocessed foods such as meat, eggs, beans or nuts are also rich in proteins and nutrients - and are often cheaper. "It's quite sad that we keep turning to new products that are more expensive than whole, fresh foods," said Amanda Avery, professor of dietetics at the University of Nottingham. However, she acknowledged that Nestlé was likely to succeed with its strategy. “Unfortunately, we are heavily influenced by marketing,” Avery said. "Nestlé will have done its homework."