As obesity treatments such as Wegovy and Mounjaro spread, the structure of food consumption is changing. With appetite-suppressing effects, a "small-portion, high-nutrition" diet that supplements essential nutrients in small amounts is gaining traction. The dairy industry is moving to strengthen product lines that manage digestive discomfort.
According to the food industry on the 4th, the dairy sector is strengthening high-protein and high-dietary-fiber product lines, as demand grows for foods that manage nutritional imbalances and digestive discomfort beyond simple weight loss due to the mechanisms of obesity drugs, such as increased satiety and delayed gastric emptying during use.
Maeil Dairies on the 23rd of last month launched "Maeil Bio Greek Yogurt Delight Unsweetened Plain" in its Greek yogurt Maeil Bio lineup, featuring high protein and high dietary fiber. This high-protein product contains 6g of protein per 80g cup, and its 3g of dietary fiber is equivalent to about 1.3 bananas. It is formulated as lactose-free with 0g of lactose. Previously, Maeil Dairies also released "Selecs Core Protein Pro," which reduces digestive burden with low-molecular hydrolyzed protein, and "Maeil Soymilk Lentil," a low-sugar product containing plant protein and dietary fiber.
Ildong Foodis released a product with balanced nutrition under its "Haimune" protein drink brand through the "Haimune Protein Balance" lineup. Haimune Protein Balance uses goat milk protein instead of regular milk protein to improve digestibility and absorption, and it blends animal and plant proteins at a 6-to-4 ratio. It increased the proportion of plant protein compared with animal protein, which can cause indigestion. Furthermore, on the 23rd of last month, it newly launched "Haimune Protein Balance Beverage Plant-based High Protein," which contains 100% plant protein.
Seoul Dairy Cooperative in Aug. last year launched "Duoan Fiber" (Fiber·dietary fiber) as a new product in its drinkable yogurt lineup "Duoan." The product contains 5.5g of dietary fiber. A dairy industry official said, "Previously, in a market environment targeting consumers with lactose intolerance (a symptom of not being able to digest milk), companies focused on low-fat and lactose-free products, but recently they are concentrating on high-content, high-dietary-fiber products aimed at the diet market," adding, "There are no products directly targeting the supplementation of obesity drugs, but amid sluggish milk consumption, dairy product launches that emphasize health, such as high-content and high dietary fiber, will continue."
Lee Eun-hee, a professor in the Department of Consumer Science at Inha University, said, "Recently, milk consumption has plunged, and many consumers in the domestic market cannot drink milk due to lactose intolerance. In a situation where diet trends such as obesity treatments are spreading, high-dietary-fiber beverage products can be a breakthrough."
Meanwhile, some in the restaurant industry say the spread of obesity drugs could become a new structural risk. Because these drugs increase satiety, both dining-out frequency and per-meal intake could decline. In fact, Walmart and Morgan Stanley in the United States reported in 2023 that customer groups taking weight-loss medications reduced their food expenditure.
A franchise industry official said, "Recently, the number of people taking obesity drugs is also increasing in Korea, but there has not yet been a noticeable hit to sales," while noting, "If dieting via these medications spreads further, the restaurant industry is likely to respond by expanding low-sugar and low-fat menus and launching small-pack products."