Until recently, the now-famous “GLP-1” belonged almost exclusively to the field of endocrinology (1).

For decades, GLP-1 (Glucagon like peptide 1) was primarily understood as a physiological regulator of postprandial blood glucose and strictly dedicated to people suffering from diabetes. It has since become the scientific foundation of a global weight-management phenomenon. GLP-1–based medicines such as Ozempic and Wegovy replicate the hormone’s effects while remaining active for much longer, thereby reducing appetite and helping decrease overall caloric intake.

Today, the implications extend far beyond individual health: they influence purchasing behaviors and therefore orientate product reformulation strategies within the food sector, the proliferation of products marketed around satiety, metabolism, and weight control being the best illustration. As this trend spreads across Europe, it inevitably intersects with EU food law.

In particular, Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers - commonly known as the FIC Regulation - sets the rules on labelling, transparency, and the prohibition of misleading practices. Together with Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims, they establish strict conditions for the use of nutrition claims (“low calorie”, “high in fibre”, “source of protein”, etc.) and health claims (“contributes to weight loss”, “reduces hunger”, “boosts metabolism”).

But more importantly, Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 on novel foods applies to new functional ingredients, extracts, or reformulated products developed in response to GLP-1-driven consumer demand - insofar as they were not consumed to a significant degree in the EU before May 1997 - to guarantee that despite their novelty, they are safe to consumers.

Composition of Food-Based alternatives to GLP-1

How food supplements attempt to replicate the effects of GLP-1

Because GLP-1 medications are drugs, administered by prescription, within a very strict medical monitoring and are expensive, many consumers are tempted by natural satiety-triggering alternatives avoiding pharmaceutical interventions. These alternative solutions presented ‘like GLP-1’ have created a trend in favor of metabolic health products.

Many food supplements, highly diverse, have recently emerged: fibres such as glucomannan or inulin to increase satiety; plant extracts like fenugreek to modulate carbohydrate absorption; metabolic ingredients such as berberine or chromium; and even food-derived peptides designed to mimic certain natural hormonal signals. Although none of these supplements match the clinical effectiveness of true GLP-1 agonists, their diversity illustrates the growing demand for accessible, needle-free, food alternatives.

However, the more innovative these alternatives become, the more likely they are to fall under the scope of the EU Novel Food Regulation, triggering additional regulatory requirements before their placing on the European market.

When alternatives are considered Novel Foods

Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 governs the entire category of “novel foods” to guarantee that only safe foods are placed on the European market (2). Its scope is straightforward: it concerns any food that was not consumed to a significant degree within the European Union before 15 May 1997, and that falls into, at least, one of the ten categories listed in the Regulation (3), including foods obtained through new technologies, resulting from new production processes or consisting of, isolated from, or produced from plants or their parts.

Once assessed as ‘novel’, these innovative ingredients are not allowed to be placed on the European market until their safety has been demonstrated. All in, the procedure takes around 2 years from the online submission of a complex and documented dossier.

Actually, the European Commission asks EFSA to carry out a risk assessment, which EFSA must deliver within nine months. Based on EFSA’s opinion, the Commission drafts an implementing act, which the Standing Committee votes on. Once adopted and published, the ingredient is finally added to the Union List and is authorised to be placed on the European market.

Marketing related to GLP-1

Even when the composition of a new food supplement does not fall under the Novel Food Regulation, its labelling, claims and overall commercial presentation remain subject to a strict legal framework. It must comply with all rules governing consumer information and the general principles of EU food law, which prohibit any form of misleading presentation.

Today, the food industry faces two challenges. On one side, companies are required to reconsider their product formats and compositions to accommodate consumers using GLP-1 treatments. On the other side, some others are innovating to create products that mimic GLP-1-like effects. Both situations raise significant marketing challenges, by involving claims referring – directly or indirectly to GLP-1.

The FIC Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 governs all information displayed on food products sold within the Union. Its purpose is to ensure that consumers receive accurate, clear, and non-misleading information. However, it does not forbid the food companies to offer smaller formats, reduced portions, or “easy-to-consume” textures aimed at people with reduced appetite together with only descriptive statements.

Actually, according to its Article 7, food may not be presented in a way that is false or misleading regarding its nature, composition, origin, or method of production. It is also prohibited to suggest effects the product does not possess: any explicit or implicit reference to medical or therapeutic properties is strictly prohibited unless specifically authorised under EU law.

This is the reason why food companies cannot easily mention any ‘GLP-1 effect’. Even referencing the hormone or medicines that activate it, instantly qualifies as a health claim, which is strictly regulated by Regulation 1924/2006 (4). In practice, a general “GLP-1 claim” does not exist: the Regulation only allows specific nutrition and health claims.

Nutrition claims simply describe beneficial nutritional properties and must meet the Annex conditions while health claims imply a relationship between a food and health and require scientific substantiation and prior authorisation.

The only relevant authorised health claim in this area concerns glucomannan, recognised for contributing to weight loss when consumed within an energy-restricted diet due to its ability to absorb water, swell in the stomach, and increase satiety (5). This purely nutritional mechanism resembles some effects sought in GLP-1-related products, which explains its frequent use in “GLP-1-light” positioning (6). On the contrary, beta-glucans claims were rejected because EFSA did not find a consistent and robust causal relationship to support them under Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 (7).

Due to the high sensibility of the topic, the compliance check of GLP-1 “alternative” products by the national authorities of control will be extremely strict. Any product that is promoted as replicating any mechanisms comparable to GLP-1 will be assessed very closely.

Conclusion

The story of GLP-1 shows how a medical concept can extend far beyond its original field. What began as a hormone studied for its role in blood-glucose regulation has become a driver of behavioral change, even of our traditional understanding of a healthy diet, and therefore, a push for the entire food industry to reconsider their products development.

The growing interest in non-injectable alternatives, via functional ingredients promoted like ‘GLP-1’ style, has shaped a new brand strategy, meanwhile the GLP-1 drug users need support to meet their daily nutritional needs despite a reduced appetite.

The European regulatory framework - Novel Food and Nutrition and Health claims Regulations notably - serves as essential safeguards, ensuring that consumer protection keeps pace despite this fast-growing innovation.

GLP-1 demonstrates that the boundaries between medicine and nutrition are becoming increasingly porous, creating both new opportunities and new challenges for the future of food.