Why GLP-1 Users Are Loading Up On Hot Sauce

It doesn't take a genius to know that miracle weight-loss drugs are probably going to have unforeseen side effects, but one downstream effect of the introduction of GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy that no one saw coming was a boost in hot sauce sales. The hot sauces from the show "Hot Ones" have made their way onto grocery store shelves, Bachan's (which is more of a barbecue sauce, but has been widely lumped into this conversation for good reason) recently got bought up by Marzetti for a cool $400 million, and Tapatio was acquired by the private equity firm Highlander Partners back in January; all of which seems to be occurring, in part, because of GLP-1.

But what does a weight loss drug have to do with hot sauce? The primary effect of GLP-1 is to reduce appetite by making you feel full for longer, so one would think hot sauce sales would be down along with the rest of the food, but that's where you'd be wrong.

One side effect that people have been reporting is that, not only does GLP-1 make you crave food less, it also alters the food's taste. The science behind this is still in its infancy, producing somewhat contradictory data, but the bottom line is that GLP-1 changes how food tastes. Many people report that sweet items taste sweeter and salty items taste saltier, but others say food tastes bland. The hot sauce market seems poised to take advantage of this last part.

These days, companies are so desperate to stay ahead of the curve that they're willing to jump on any trend the moment it rears its head. It's why Gordon Ramsay keeps seeing "Mounjaro menus" everywhere. Maybe this is what they're teaching in business school, maybe this really is good practice, and maybe the management class has a habit of sticking its head out over its skis. From where we're standing, all this hype about the hot market sauce exploding because of GLP-1 seems to be little more than a bunch of hot air. To be fair, there's a lot of activity in this sector and sales are up in recent years, but the connection to GLP-1 seems iffy at best.

For one, the changes to taste don't seem to be universal among GLP-1 users. Seeing as a hefty 12% of Americans report taking GLP-1 (equal to roughly 30 million people), it really wouldn't need to be every single one for this side effect to have an impact on the market. But even if a significant portion of these people are discovering food now tastes bland, there are other factors at play.

In case you hadn't noticed, the economy looks like its doing a re-run of "Weekend at Bernie's" in 4K, which has many Americans cutting back on how much they dine out. As people cook at home more, the desire for condiments increases in kind. It's not like hot sauce is something new, either. Firehouse Subs has been capitalizing on Americans' love for hot sauce for years.