CHICAGO, February 18, 2026 — If the public embraces the new GLP-1 weight-loss pill as eagerly as many experts predict, McDonald’s intends to be ready.
In a little-noticed aside during a call last week with financial analysts, McDonald’s Corp. CEO Chris Kempczinski revealed the chain has multiple tests underway of products skewed toward consumers using the current generation of GLP-1 appetite suppressants.
He explained that the burger giant is less concerned with patrons looking for smaller portions, a signature aftereffect of the medication, than with a concurrent propensity to eat more protein.
That preference is also being stoked by several diet plans currently in vogue. In addition, increased consumption of meat, poultry, and seafood is a major aim of the Trump Administration’s Make America Health Again (MAHA) initiative.
He did not reveal what products are currently being tested with GLP-1 users in mind. But with a menu abounding in beef and chicken items, “that’s an area of strength for us,” Kempczinski remarked.
Other McDonald’s executives indicated the chain has dozens if not hundreds of products in test throughout the world. Among the tested and limited-time options that fit the protein-heavy bill are triple-patty burgers and a riff on the Big Mac that omits the usual middle layer of bread.
Kempczinski commented that McDonald’s has yet to feel any profound effects from GLP-1 use, even with 1 of every 8 consumers now relying on the class of appetite suppressants as a weight-loss aid.
But the system is “seeing changes around less snacking, changes in some of the beverages they drink,” the CEO said.
He acknowledged that the impact could mount as a result of one type of GLP –1 pill already being okayed for use in U.S. and a second about to be greenlighted.
The oral forms might find wider use because they eliminate the need for users to inject themselves with the medication, a process many find off-putting.