By Matt Riesenbach, Director of Product Management, ECI Software Solutions
Key takeaways:
GLP-1 medications are accelerating a measurable shift in consumer eating habits, creating real volatility across food categories like snacks, bakery, and beverages.
SMB manufacturers face the same reformulation pressure as large CPGs but without the resources, making manual and disconnected processes a serious competitive liability.
A modern ERP system is the operational backbone SMBs need to reformat products faster, manage label changes accurately, and scenario-plan their portfolio before committing resources.
Amid a year marked by inflation, labor, and supply chain challenges, another evolution has emerged. Just like macroeconomic headwinds that define the landscape for manufacturers, consumer preferences continue to be a moving target. GLP-1 medications have been the latest catalyst for change, and one of the most significant behavioral shifts the food and beverage industry has seen in decades. More than just an ingredient swap, they are reshaping appetite, meal frequency, snacking habits, macronutrient choices, and category demand.
Part of the challenge is that GLP-1 adoption is expected to accelerate through 2026 as more insurers cover the drugs and next-generation versions come to market. In the past year, new patient prescriptions for GLP-1s rose by 2.9 million scripts, an increase of 16% year-over-year (September 2024 to September 2025). Early data shows some interesting trends: consumers on these medications eat smaller portions, gravitate toward higher protein and higher fiber, reduce snacking frequency, and scrutinize calorie density more closely. The same survey data found that products high in carbohydrates and sugar are decreasing in purchase volume among GLP-1 users. Categories like prepared meals, bars, granola, bakery, and beverages are already seeing volatility.
In turn, a majority of the focus may be on how the biggest brands are reformulating or repositioning products, but the pressure on small and mid-sized (SMB) manufacturers is just as significant and often more operationally disruptive.
Why SMBs are feeling the pressure
As a market evolves, response time can simply come down to resources. Large consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies have dedicated nutrition science teams, reformulation labs, and automated modeling systems. As companies get smaller, by contrast, they’re more likely to be reliant on smaller product development teams, more manual tools like pen and paper or spreadsheets, not to mention disconnected processes that can slow down even the smallest of changes.
Without the right tools and processes in place, the difference in resources can be too much for SMBs to overcome. An overreliance on outdated technologies can create friction points that bubble up across the business. For example, formulation changes require repeated validation because source data is inconsistent. Alternatively, packaging and labeling updates could become multi-week or multi-month headaches (projects). With the constant need to appease retailer and customer demand, reformulation requires agility.
It’s not all doom and gloom for SMBs, in fact, the opportunity is clear. If a brand can improve how it manages ingredients, formulas, nutrition, and packaging data, it can move faster than competitors who are still relying on manual processes.
How an ERP adds the requisite layer of agility
In a moment where consumer preferences can swing abruptly, ERP systems are quietly becoming the backbone of manufacturing agility. This is by design; it’s because they centralize the data that determines whether a change takes weeks or months. A modern ERP gives teams a single source of truth for ingredients, recipes, yields, allergens, and specifications that provide workflow visibility to prepare adjustments. With this foundation, manufacturers can run a “GLP scan” of their entire portfolio.
How SMBs can set themselves apart:
Reformulation at speed: GLP-1 driven consumer shifts are forcing companies to evaluate core recipes. Higher protein, cleaner labels, sugar and calorie adjustments, and fiber enrichment are all in play. This means product developers need the ability to test multiple versions quickly while maintaining accurate allergen, regulatory, and cost visibility. Companies with strong data governance inside their ERP can model nutrition, yields, ingredient substitutions, and cost changes without building spreadsheets from scratch every time. This drastically cuts cycle time and reduces the risk of errors that can wreak havoc.
Packaging and label adjustments: When formulas change, so do labels. Calorie counts, protein content, serving sizes, and functional claims all influence how a GLP-1 consumer perceives the product. Manufacturers need precise version control, accurate label data, and tight integration between R&D, QA, and packaging teams to avoid mislabeling, inventory waste, or delays. An ERP with built-in lot traceability, specification management, and label integration enables faster downstream updates with lower compliance risk.
Portfolio and demand planning shift: Not every SKU is worth reformulating. Some will rise; others may fade. The key is understanding which products have the margin structure, customer demand signal, and operational feasibility to justify investment. This requires visibility across sales forecasts, production runs, inventory positions, and cost models. An ERP equipped with planning and costing tools helps manufacturers scenario-plan before committing resources.
Adapting with confidence
The GLP-1 effect is not a temporary diet trend. Manufacturers that combine product innovation with operational agility will outperform competitors who try to manage change through manual processes.
Manufacturers should prioritize tightening their master data governance, creating fast-path workflows for low-risk formulation and packaging updates, improving coordination across R&D, QA, regulatory, and production planning teams, and expanding their scenario planning capabilities within the ERP. Taken together, these actions help companies respond to GLP-1 driven shifts with clarity, speed, and far less guesswork.
Matt Riesenbach is the product management director at ECI Software Solutions, a global provider of cloud-based business management software and services. He has been with ECI Software Solutions and its Deacom ERP Software for Batch and Process Manufacturers for nearly 10 years.
