Weight-loss drugs crush food demand as farmers face dumping mountains of potatoes
Potato farmers report a massive surplus as weight-loss medication use cuts food demand. One farmer has 1.3 million pounds worth about $158,000 at risk of spoiling.
The rapid rise of weight-loss injections is reshaping the quantity of food people eat — leaving farmers in some areas with a growing surplus of unsold potatoes.
The trend toward healthier eating habits, combined with the widespread use of drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro, are cutting demand for traditional staples and weighing on grocery sales, news agency SWNS reported.
Farmers across the United Kingdom, for example, say they're facing the prospect of discarding thousands of tons of stored potatoes as their sales continue to fall.
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Farm owner Andy Goodacre said he's been left with a surplus he cannot sell after demand from supermarkets declined in recent years, he told the outlet.
Goodacre currently has about 1.3 million pounds of his potatoes at risk of being dumped — stock valued at roughly $158,000.
"I've never known a season like it," Goodacre said. "It doesn't seem as though people want to eat like they used to."
The veteran farmer, who has supplied the industry for 40 years, said shoppers are increasingly choosing lentil-based alternatives over potato chips and french fries.
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The appetite-suppressing effects of the drugs are directly affecting how much people eat and how often they visit restaurants, the news outlet said.
Goodacre said he knows many people in his local community who are taking the injections, and said the drop in demand for heavy meals is becoming difficult to ignore.
Andrew Crook, president of the National Federation of Fish Friers, told SWNS the trend is also affecting businesses as customers opt for smaller portions.
He said many regular customers have lost a significant amount of weight using the so-called "fat jabs." They now choose to share a single order of fries instead of buying their own, he said.
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"There's definitely factors where people are going to use these jabs, lose weight and then eat less," Crook said.
He warned that if farmers cannot turn a profit on potatoes this year, the 2027 haul could fall short as growers shift to more profitable crops.
The situation has become a race against time, as stored potatoes will begin to spoil and lose their value by early April.
Goodacre said he would prefer to donate the surplus to food banks if collection can be arranged. Otherwise, he said the "potato mountain" may be used as cattle feed.
American chain restaurants have been increasingly rethinking their portion sizes as a result of the widespread use of GLP-1 weight-loss medications, as Fox News Digital has reported.
With Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound going mainstream, restaurants have been responding to customers with smaller appetites — and a growing appetite for protein-packed meals.
Fast-food chains such as Shake Shack and Chipotle, for example, are among those that have rolled out high-protein, lower-carb menus.
Olive Garden introduced a "lighter portion" menu featuring smaller servings at lower prices, Chipotle rolled out a "High Protein Cup," Subway added compact "Protein Pockets" — and Smoothie King launched a GLP-1 support menu, according to their websites.
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"Patients consistently report that restaurant portions, which they once found normal-sized, now seem overwhelming," Florida obesity specialist Dr. Fernando Ovalle Jr. previously told Fox News Digital.
Deirdre Bardolf of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.
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