Functional Drinks Compass
Busy ground5 public moves, 2024 to 202610 evidence cards

The GLP-1 era (protein drinks, satiety, smaller portions, nutrient density)

About 23% of U.S. households have a GLP-1 user, and Circana expects them to buy 35% of food and beverage units by 2030. Protein is the visible response so far, from Premier Protein to Starbucks and Nestle.

Who it is for: Dairy and nutrition brands, Foodservice menu developers, People on GLP-1 drugs.

Open ground

Hydration built for people on GLP-1 drugs

Hypothesis: the GLP-1 response so far is protein. The launches found in searches were Nestle, Danone, Starbucks, Core Power, and small protein sodas, and none was a hydration drink. Kantar found 24% of U.S. GLP-1 users sought hydrating drinks with electrolytes. The only GLP-1 hydration products the searches turned up were British.

Concept sketches

Sketches drawn from public sources to start a discussion. Each one names the evidence it stands on, the claim rules it has to obey, and what would have to be true for it to work.

Electrolyte Water for Smaller Meals

A light electrolyte drink for shoppers who are eating smaller meals.

A lightly flavored electrolyte drink in a small bottle is shelved with protein shakes. In a Kantar study, 24% of U.S. GLP-1 users sought hydrating drinks with added electrolytes and collagen, and about 23% of households have a GLP-1 user. No drug name appears on the pack, so the buyer has to recognize themselves from the copy.

What would have to be true
  • Hydration demand among these users matches the Kantar figure
  • Copy works for a shopper without naming a medication
  • Electrolyte and collagen amounts can be described without a function claim
Open question
Does the shopper look for this drink next to protein, next to sports drinks, or somewhere else?
Claim rules it touches
copy that says a drink cures, treats, prevents, or relieves a disease or condition, and avoid supplement-style function claims such as "supports immune health" unless the disclaimer and notification requirements are met, weight-loss promises, appetite or fat-blocking claims, and drug names such as ozempic or "glp-1 friendly" on drink copy
Evidence
Beverage Daily, citing Kantar; Food Dive, citing Circana

Cafe Hydration Pairing

A cafe menu pairs a protein latte with a hydration drink in one order.

A national coffee chain rolled out protein lattes with up to 36 grams of protein in a 16-ounce drink. A chain could add a hydrating drink to the same order, aimed at the 24% of U.S. GLP-1 users who sought electrolytes. The menu sells it as a pairing and never mentions a drug.

What would have to be true
  • Guests who buy protein drinks want a second drink with them
  • Staff can describe the pairing without health claims
  • Protein amounts shown meet the percent Daily Value rule
Open question
Is the hydration drink an add-on at the register or part of the core menu?
Claim rules it touches
copy that says a drink cures, treats, prevents, or relieves a disease or condition, and avoid supplement-style function claims such as "supports immune health" unless the disclaimer and notification requirements are met, "high in," "good source of," or protein and fiber claims unless the product meets the percent daily value tests, weight-loss promises, appetite or fat-blocking claims, and drug names such as ozempic or "glp-1 friendly" on drink copy
Evidence
Beverage Daily, citing Kantar

Daily Protein Target Shake

A protein drink built around the new daily protein recommendation.

A shake is sized and labeled around the Dietary Guidelines range of 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Ready-to-drink shake sales are already rising, so the job is to say how much of a day's target one bottle covers. One dairy maker cites data that a fifth of weight lost on GLP-1 drugs is muscle, a fact the copy cannot use because it points toward weight loss.

What would have to be true
  • One bottle can state a percent Daily Value for protein
  • Shoppers understand a target given per kilogram
  • Muscle language stays out of the copy unless a claim rule allows it
Open question
Can a shake talk about daily targets without sounding like a diet product?
Claim rules it touches
copy that says a drink cures, treats, prevents, or relieves a disease or condition, and avoid supplement-style function claims such as "supports immune health" unless the disclaimer and notification requirements are met, "high in," "good source of," or protein and fiber claims unless the product meets the percent daily value tests, weight-loss promises, appetite or fat-blocking claims, and drug names such as ozempic or "glp-1 friendly" on drink copy
Evidence
AP, via AZ Family; BellRing Brands, SEC filing; Food Dive

What the record says

  • In a May 2026 Attest survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, 42% said they bought fewer soft drinks, 51% bought more high-protein foods, and 45% reduced alcohol purchases; 14% of respondents were GLP-1 users.Attest, June 25th, 2026
  • Circana says about 23% of U.S. households have a GLP-1 user, and projects those households will account for 35% of food and beverage units sold by 2030.Food Dive, citing Circana, Nov 25th, 2025
  • In a Kantar study, 24% of U.S. GLP-1 users sought hydrating drinks with added electrolytes and collagen.Beverage Daily, citing Kantar, March 4th, 2026
  • Kantar reports 71% of global GLP-1 users restrict alcohol, and 45% of U.S. users express some preference for switching to lighter, zero-alcohol, low-alcohol, or premium drinks.Beverage Daily, citing Kantar, March 4th, 2026
  • Quincey said GLP-1 users drink less full-sugar soda but more diet soft drinks, and noted "a big shift towards protein drinks" while calling it early days.FoodNavigator-USA, Oct 21st, 2025
  • Core Power has grown tenfold since Coca-Cola bought it about a decade ago, and a $650 million fairlife plant in Webster, New York, due in 2026, should add 30% to fairlife capacity.FoodNavigator-USA, Oct 21st, 2025
  • BellRing fiscal 2025 net sales were $2,316.6 million, up 16.1%; Premier Protein sales rose 16.8%, and its ready-to-drink shake dollar consumption rose 20.4% in the final 13 weeks.BellRing Brands, SEC filing, Nov 18th, 2025
  • The 2025 to 2030 Dietary Guidelines raise recommended protein intake to 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight, up from 0.8.AP, via AZ Family, Jan 7th, 2026
  • Danone cites roughly 10% of the U.S. population as having tried or used GLP-1 drugs, and data from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine that a fifth of weight lost on them is muscle.Food Dive, Aug 11th, 2025
  • Nestle scientists reported that a pre-meal drink with 10 grams of whey protein microgels lowered glucose response and raised GLP-1 levels, in a study published in Metabolites.New Food Magazine, April 16th, 2025

Public moves

  • Launched Boost Advanced with 35 grams of protein and tested Boost Pre-Meal Hunger Support and Full Factor in U.S. stores.Nestle, April 16th, 2025. Source
  • Launched Oikos Fusion at Walmart, a drinkable yogurt with 23 grams of protein and 5 grams of prebiotic fiber, for people on GLP-1 drugs.Danone, Aug 11th, 2025. Source
  • Rolled out protein lattes and protein cold foam with up to 36 grams of protein in a 16-ounce drink.Starbucks, Sept 29th, 2025. Source
  • Reported Core Power up tenfold in a decade and a $650 million fairlife plant due in 2026 to add capacity.Coca-Cola, Oct 21st, 2025. Source
  • Launched whey-protein sodas (SkyPop, Genius Gourmet, Clean Simple Eats) with 10 to 30 grams of protein per can.Small protein soda brands, Feb 12th, 2026. Source

Claim rules

Avoid: Copy that says a drink cures, treats, prevents, or relieves a disease or condition, and avoid supplement-style function claims such as "supports immune health" unless the disclaimer and notification requirements are met.For dietary supplements, 21 CFR 101.93 allows statements that describe the role of an ingredient in affecting structure or function, but not claims to diagnose, mitigate, treat, cure, or prevent disease, and a product bearing a disease claim may be regulated as a drug. A structure/function statement must carry the disclaimer "This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease." in boldface, and the firm must notify FDA within 30 days of first marketing. Source
Avoid: "high in," "good source of," or protein and fiber claims unless the product meets the percent Daily Value tests.21 CFR 101.54 allows "high," "rich in," or "excellent source of" only at 20 percent or more of the RDI or DRV per reference amount, and "good source" only at 10 to 19 percent. When a protein claim is made, 21 CFR 101.9(c)(7) requires a percent Daily Value statement for protein, calculated from a corrected protein amount that accounts for protein digestibility (PDCAAS). Source
Avoid: Weight-loss promises, appetite or fat-blocking claims, and drug names such as Ozempic or "GLP-1 friendly" on drink copy.FTC's "Gut Check" guide (January 2014) lists claims it treats as false, including weight loss of two pounds or more a week without dieting or exercise, substantial weight loss no matter what or how much a consumer eats, and blocking fat or calorie absorption. Source

Starting questions

  1. What should a drink do for someone who eats much less?
  2. Can a brand serve GLP-1 users without naming the drug?
  3. Which comes first for this buyer, protein, fiber, or hydration?

Back to the map Print this brief

A sample brief from the Functional Drinks Compass by Glider Innovations, built from public sources, Oct 2026.