The traditional British meal is being sidelined in favour of constant grazing, with the rapid rise of prescription weight loss injections identified as a key driver behind this significant shift in national eating habits.
The Snacking Revolution: Convenience Meets 'Food with Benefits'
According to the influential annual Food & Drink Report from supermarket chain Waitrose, a striking 57 per cent of its customers are now actively choosing "snacky foods" over sitting down to a full meal. The study, which surveyed almost 4,400 shoppers, points to a perfect storm of factors changing how the nation eats.
Emilie Wolfman, Waitrose's trend innovation manager, explained the transformation. "The whole snacking scene is transforming," she said. "It’s still driven by the need for convenience to fit our busy modern lives, but now we're seeing huge demand for 'snacks with benefits' and ‘natural indulgence’. People want their snacks to be nutrient-dense, often high in protein, and with fewer additives, but more complex flavours."
How Appetite-Suppressing Drugs Are Reshaping Diets
A prominent factor influencing this change is the growing use of GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs, such as Wegovy and Mounjaro. More than 1.5 million people in the UK are now estimated to be using these medications, which are prescribed for type 2 diabetes and weight management.
These injections work by mimicking a natural hormone that regulates blood sugar and appetite. The result is reduced food cravings, slower digestion, and a prolonged feeling of fullness, leading individuals to eat less. Consequently, many users simply do not feel hungry enough for a traditional, large meal, with over a third of surveyed customers admitting this was the case.
Informal Dining and the Demise of the Dinner Table
The move away from formal meal structures is also a clear cultural shift. The Waitrose data reveals that around half of those surveyed no longer eat midweek meals around a table, opting instead to dine on the sofa or even standing up in the kitchen.
This trend is not solely pharmacological. The report notes that customers also expressed a simple preference for less formal dining, while others stated a desire to cut back on food generally. The classic snack of a packet of crisps or a chocolate bar is being usurped by demands for nutrient-rich, high-protein options with fewer artificial additives.
This comprehensive shift highlights a fundamental change in the UK's relationship with food, where scheduled meals are increasingly replaced by purposeful, benefit-driven snacking throughout the day—a trend supercharged by modern medicine and evolving lifestyles.
