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and processing shifted eating from necessity toward pleasure, and by the end of the century, indulgence had become a cultural shorthand for reward: bigger portions, richer recipes and high-impact flavors.
Today, indulgence remains closely tied to taste, comfort and sensory engagement. According to Innova Market Insights, indulgent food and beverage consumption is still strongly driven by emotional needs, lifting individuals’ mood, for comfort, or simply hitting an umami high note in sensory stimulation.
What has changed, however, is the filter through which consumers make those choices as tighter budgets and sharper priorities around ingesting enough protein and fiber continue to grow. Informed consumers are vested in ingredient quality, provenance, sustainability and ethical supply chains, particularly for botanical or naturally sourced products. This further underscores quality as a key aspect of indulgent product development.
This recalibration has given rise to the term‘ permissible indulgence,’ for products that deliver genuine sensory satisfaction without triggering regret or undermining broader health goals. Historically, permissible indulgence was often framed narrowly around weight management and calorie control. However, the rapid uptake of GLP-1 medications has accelerated this shift and fundamentally changed how some consumers relate to food.
Not a diet, but a behavioral disruption
GLP-1 medications are not a passing wellness trend. Users consistently report sustained changes in appetite, portion size and food decision-making while using the medication. One of the most widely reported effects is the reduction of‘ food noise,’ the constant mental preoccupation often characterized by cravings, emotional eating, and food-based routines.
It is not all smooth sailing, however. Research published in the British Medical Journal suggests that once medication is stopped, most consumers will regain 0,8kg of weight per month on average. This means that they can return to their pre-treatment weight within a year and a half. It is therefore important that lifestyle modifications, such as healthy eating and exercise, are made to keep the weight off.
However, for many consumers, this reduction is experienced as liberating as their relationship with food quietens down, becomes less dominant and more functional. However, this shift has consequences for how indulgence is perceived and valued by GLP1 users. Product categories that have traditionally relied on emotional cues, such as confectionery and baked goods, are already feeling pressure. When appetite is lower, and food decisions are more deliberate, the very concept of traditional indulgence will change.
Emotional eating may be declining, but food joy still matters
One of the more unexpected outcomes of GLP-1 adoption is a sense of emotional disconnection from food. Social eating rituals such as shared platters, takeaway nights, and celebratory treats, while not prohibited, often feel less compelling.
At the same time, many users report missing the enjoyment and social connection that food once provided. The opportunity for brands lies here: not in reigniting overconsumption, but in restoring food joy through precision and offering more healthy choices.
In this context, indulgence shifts from quantity to quality. Texture, aroma, flavor clarity and visual appeal become primary tools for engagement. The objective is no longer to make food bigger or richer, but to make it more satisfying, memorable and worthwhile within smaller consumption moments and generally healthier and more functional.
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