23 September 2025

This briefing is based on a webinar discussion with Victoria Stevens, given to the AFN Network+ community on the 24th July 2025. It is written by Nina Pullman, food systems writer for AFN, and edited by Jez Fredenburgh, knowledge exchange fellow for AFN; the transcript has been lightly edited to paraphrase in parts. You can also watch the webinar.

About the webinar topic:

Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy (and others) have been on everyone’s lips the last couple of years – brand names for some of the slew of new weight-loss jabs, medically known as Glucagon-Like-Peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists jabs (or GLP-1 for short).

Early evidence shows promising results for their ability to reduce patients’ weight through suppressed appetite, and even decrease people’s spend on foods high in sugar, salt and fat. The implications for the UK’s ability to fight obesity and diet-related ill-health could be profound and 4 in 100 UK households now include at least GLP-1 user with this estimated to rise. We’re also talking big money;  PwC estimates that the market for weight-loss jabs may reach $150 billion by 2030.

But as the NHS begins a bigger, phased, roll-out of GLP-1 medication, a bigger discussion needs to be had: Namely, what do these jabs mean for the UK agri-food system more widely, and our ability to shift diets towards those that are healthy, nutritious and sustainable? What could their impact be on food system emissions? What about their influence on demand, product development, what we produce in response, farming systems and landscape shifts? What about long-term, lasting health implications?

Our speaker, Victoria Stevens, of Bramble Partners (co-founded by Henry Dimbleby), has spent time looking into all of this. She will delve into this topic for us to explore the risks, opportunities and key questions which remain from large-scale GLP-1 use and the resulting impact on our agri-food system.

About Victoria Stevens:

Victoria Stevens is a Partner at Bramble Partners. She is an experienced strategy advisor, formerly a partner at Bain & Co in the Consumer Products and Sustainability practices. She has deep experience working with food and health focussed FMCGs, retailers and brands on their strategic choices, the operational enablers and insight needed to drive action. She has also worked extensively with investors to support due diligence and fund strategy. Victoria and her husband are actively involved in farming.