Millen, Georgia-based Southeast Produce Council will present research on how GLP-1 medication users shop the produce department during an educational session at its Southern Innovations conference next month. 
GLP-1 medications are a class of drugs prescribed for type 2 diabetes and weight management that work in part by slowing digestion and reducing appetite.
The findings are part of SEPC’s sixth annual What’s New? consumer research, which Anne-Marie Roerink of 210 Analytics will present in an interactive session Thursday, Sept. 10. This year’s study draws on 1,500 consumers, along with an additional sample of 150 GLP-1 medication users.
SEPC said the research is believed to be the first to examine GLP-1 users’ behavior in the produce department, including how medication use is influencing eating occasions, portion sizes, meal planning and food choices. It also examines how those shifts are affecting fruit and vegetable purchases and consumption habits.
The study goes past whether GLP-1 use is changing grocery purchases to what those shoppers want from the food they eat and where that creates opportunity for retailers, foodservice operators and the wider supply chain.
“GLP-1 medications are creating an entirely new set of questions for our industry,” said David Sherrod, president and CEO of SEPC. “This research gives us real answers about how consumer behavior is changing and, more importantly, a clear view of where fresh produce can meet shoppers where they now are.”
The session is open to all Southern Innovations attendees. Southern Innovations 2026 runs Sept. 9-12 at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
SEPC was founded in 1999, with its first formal meeting drawing 100 agriculture, retail and foodservice professionals. The nonprofit now has more than 6,500 members across the produce industry.