The $5.1 billion U.S. meal replacements market has held up fairly well the past few years, despite strong competition for dieter dollars from the GLP-1 drugs, but they were affected. Growth is forecast for 2025 and 2028. As a DIY weight loss strategy, meal replacement shakes and nutrition bars are stillpopular, are easily accessible, inexpensive, and they don’t have side effects.
Companies selling meal replacements lost $1.5 billion in sales to the GLP-1 drugs market in 2023-2024 – mostof the loss from Medifast. Some competitors have added the GLP-1 drugs to their programs to position themselves for a new future. High protein meal replacements have been positioned as an adjunct to the weight loss drugs.
This Marketdata report is a completely updated analysis of the U.S. meal replacements and OTC appetite suppressants market -– how they have been affected by and are responding to the popular GLP-1 drugs. This is the most comprehensive investigation of the U.S. meal replacements market published by anyone worldwide.
Included… dollar value & growth rate of the market (early 1980s to 2024 and 2025 & 2028 forecasts), latest market trends and company developments, status reports for retail and MLM meal replacements and weight loss supplements, major distribution channels, and growth drivers. Analysis of retail versus MLM sales channels. Analysis of the medical weight loss programs market and competition from GLP-1 drugs.
Competitor profiles for: Medifast, Herbalife, Slim-Fast (Glanbia), Simply Good Foods (Atkins Nutritionals), BeachBody, Visalis Life Sciences, Isagenix, Shaklee, AMWAY (Quixtar), and Nu-Skin.
- Introduction, Scope, Methodology
- Executive Overview
- Market definition and segments
- Size/growth of the commercial programs & products market: 2020-2028 forecast
- Discussion of the shift by dieters to GLP-1 drugs and medical programs
- Discussion of the pivot to virtual programs, impact & closures of retail weight loss centers
- Analysis of the explosion of the GLP-1 drugs market since 2022: major developments in the medical weight loss market
- Size/growth of medical weight loss programs: market segments
- Market Segment Status Reports & Outlooks (2025 & 2028 forecasts)
- Commercial weight loss centers
- Weight loss apps, virtual programs
- Retail & multi-level marketing meal replacements & appetite suppressants
- Diet Soft Drinks Market
- Artificial sweeteners market
- The Low-Calorie ("diet") & Low-Carb Foods Market
- Tables:
- Size of the U.S. Commercial Weight Loss Market: 2020 – 2028 forecast
- Size of the U.S. Commercial Weight Loss Market: 2012 – 2019
- Value of The U.S. Medical Weight Loss Market: 2018 – 2028 forecast
- Revenues of the commercial firm leaders: 2017
- 2024
- Size of The Weight Loss Apps Market
- Meal replacement sales, by major companies: 2020-2024
- Estimated U.S. Dollar Sales of Diet Soft Drinks: 2005 – 2028 F
- Low-calorie frozen dinners brand sales:2020
- 2024
- GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs & Medical Programs:
- The Competition’s Impact
- Summary & analysis of market share/revenues lost by commercial weight loss firms
- Major market developments & impacts on commercial programs since 2022
- Size & Structure of the medical weight Loss Market
- The GLP-1 weight loss drugs market: size, scope, possible headwinds, 2025 outlook, possibility of recession
- Medical Weight Loss Clinic Chains & Franchises: as competition for commercial programs
- Hospitals: type programs, as competition for commercial programs
- Independent physicians, as competition for commercial programs
- Tables
- Value of The U.S. Medical Weight Loss Market: 2018 – 2028 Forecast
- Number of medical clinic chain U.S. Locations, by company
- The Retail Meal Replacements & Appetite Suppressants Market
- Definition/nature of meal replacements vs. over-the-counter (retail) weight loss supplements
- History/nature of mkt.
- cyclical shifts from mid-1980s
- Market trends and key drivers
- Current Trends: Effects of the GLP-1 drugs boom
- Key distribution channels (MLM, retail, internet, healthcare pros)
- Scrutiny of OTC appetite suppressants
- Analysis of the market by Nutrition Business Journal
- 2023-2024 market performance: revenues of leading retail & MLM firms (Atkins, Herbalife, Slim-Fast, Premier Protein)
- 2025 & 2028 forecasts
- User demographics: no. and % of dieters using diet pills and meal replacements
- Why long-term outlook is stronger for meal replacements, preferred by MDs, MLMs, commercial chains, why retail diet pills mkt. still struggles, possible FTC actions
- List of the major meal replacement competitors
- NBJ estimates of diet pill & meal replacements $ and % sales, by distribution channels, discussion of multilevel firms (Advocare, Shaklee, Herbalife, Quixtar, Nu-Skin)
- Marketdata estimates of growth for diet pills & meal replacements 2025-2028 F, demand factors.
- Tables:
- Marketdata estimates of retail diet pills, meal replacements, combined sales
- 1981-2028F
- Meal Replacement Sales, by major companies: 2020-2024
- Top retail diet pill brand sales, 2011-2015
- U.S. Sports Nutrition & Weight-Loss $ Market Sales, by channel
- Top MLM & retail companies’ sales of meal replacements: 2022 & 2024.
- Competitor Profiles(estd. or actual 2024 revenues, strategies, product lines, marketing)
- Medifast
- Slim-Fast (Glanbia)
- Herbalife
- Atkins (Simply Good Foods)
- Visalis Life Sciences
- Isagenix
- Shaklee
- AMWAY (Quixtar)
- Nu-Skin
- BODI (The Beachbody Co.)
- Reference Directory of Weight Loss Information Sources
- Industry & government trade associations, journals, newsletters, magazines, consultants
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