By Ellen Schuster, MS
New foods include more than one cereal, an update: Panera’s Charged Lemonade is the target of another lawsuit; now has less caffeine https://thetakeout.com/panera-charged-lemonade-menu-third-lawsuit-caffeine-mg-1851192476. In health news, anti-obesity drugs continue to be in the news and in buying food, will the Kroger-Albertsons merger happen? And just in, 2 senators introduce legislation to ban cultivated meat from school lunches https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/25445-proposed-legislation-would-ban-cultivated-meat-from-school-lunches.
New foods…
**Cereals: Kellogg cereal high in protein, low in sugar aims @ Gen Z retails for $8.36 for less than 8 oz. https://www.fooddive.com/news/wk-kellogg-co-breakfast-cereal-eat-your-mouth-off-launch-2024-nutrition-protein/703576/ ; Mouth Off cereal targets Zillenials https://www.supermarketguru.com/the-lempert-report/kelloggs-vegan-cereal/; Dr. Marion Nestle compares Veggie Blends Cheerios to regular Cheerios https://www.foodpolitics.com/2024/01/misleading-product-of-the-week-veggieblends-cheerios/.
**Subway leans heavily into ‘footlong’ items w/Sidekicks menu @ https://thetakeout.com/subway-new-footlong-cookie-pretzel-churro-sidekick-menu-1851174152
**Body Armor now has a zero sugar sports drink to compete with Gatorade https://www.fooddive.com/news/coca-cola-bodyarmor-zero-sugar-pepsico-gatorade/703789/ .
**Revl Fruits, premium juice line w/25% less sugar and made w/coconut water $4 – $8 for 32 oz) to debut this spring https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/introducing-revl-fruits-a-refreshingly-different-premium-juice-brand-302040766.html .
Health in the news…
**Weight loss drugs: Which states have used use of anti-obesity drugs? https://www.axios.com/2024/01/18/ozempic-wegovy-weight-loss-drugs-states-map .
Ozempic price hike https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ozempic-mounjaro-price-increase-2024/ .
More companies looking to enter weight loss drug marketplace https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/17/weight-loss-drugs-boehringer-ingelheim-terns-viking-may-join-market.html .
A review of over 1 million health records finds no link between weight loss drugs and suicidal thoughts https://www.science.org/content/article/no-link-between-popular-weight-loss-drugs-and-suicidal-thoughts-health-records-suggest.
Fake Ozempic linked to 3 U.S. cases of hypoglycemia https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/suspected-fake-ozempic-linked-three-us-cases-hypoglycemia-2024-01-24/. Teen usage of nonprescription weight loss drugs such as laxatives and diuretics https://www.healthline.com/health-news/budget-ozempic-alternatives-risks-effectiveness.
Eli-Lilly to sell weight loss drug directly to patients, offer home delivery https://www.axios.com/2024/01/04/eli-lilly-zepbound-home-delivery.
FDA adverse reports of weight loss drugs https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/pharmacy/fda-probes-hair-loss-other-potential-weight-loss-drug-side-effects.html .
Podcasts: KQED Forum Jan. 4, 2023 episode 45 minutes): How the ‘Year of Ozempic’ Transformed Treatment https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101895463/how-the-year-of-ozempic-transformed-obesity-treatment-and-much-more ; Notes From America Jan 8, 2023 episode 50 minutes): What the Ozempic Craze Means for Our Personal Health https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/anxiety/episodes/what-ozempic-craze-means-our-personal-health.
‘Budget Ozempic’ a TikTok trend. What is it? Laxatives https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2024/01/16/what-is-budget-ozempic-experts-warn-tiktok-laxative-diets/72208997007/ .
In the age of Ozempic has cravable lost its selling power? https://www.supermarketguru.com/the-lempert-report/the-age-of-ozempic/ .
**NALD: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease on the rise in children and Hispanics
https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/the-silent-liver-disease-experts-warn-is-on-the-rise-among-hispanics-and-children/ ; https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/02/25/liver-disease-rising-children-hispanic-population-explained/11304110002/;https://www.supermarketguru.com/the-lempert-report/liver-disease-is-up-in-children/ .
**Bill of rights for obese patients supported by over 35 agencies/organizations https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2024/01/31/advocates-sign-obesity-bill-of-rights/72356030007/ .
**Meta to hide harmful eating disorder info from teens https://techcrunch.com/2024/01/09/meta-to-restrict-teen-instagram-and-facebook-accounts-from-seeing-content-about-self-harm-and-eating-disorders/ .
**Check-off programs on social media Target Gen Z to drink milk and eat meat https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/27/the-federal-governments-role-in-those-tiktok-ads-for-milk-and-pork-00138178 .
Buying food news…
**Census has insight: which states spend the most on groceries
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/01/20/average-grocery-cost-per-week-us-states/72260684007/ .
**The dollar store backlash: a deep dive into these stores and how communities are fighting them https://thehustle.co/the-great-dollar-store-backlash; dollar stores push out independent grocers https://today.uconn.edu/2023/12/dollar-store-expansion-pushes-out-independent-grocery-stores-decreases-local-employment-opportunities/ .
**What food categories are luring shoppers away from traditional supermarkets https://www.grocerydive.com/news/traditional-grocers-data-mass-merchants-sales-discount-grocers-circana-210-analytics/705554/.
**Kroger-Albertsons merger timeline pushed back https://www.grocerydive.com/news/kroger-albertsons-merger-grocery-ftc-ferguson/704610/.
**Who is tops in e-commerce and grocery pickup? https://www.supermarketnews.com/online-retail/target-walmart-albertsons-tops-ecommerce-and-grocery-pick-report .
**TikTok testing making all video posts shoppable
Interesting reading…
**What does grocery checkout overseas look like? https://www.grocerydive.com/news/grocers-checkout-experiences-self-checkout-technology/705249/ .
**Instant noodles are booming, caveat: high salt content https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/dec/28/how-instant-noodles-took-over-the-world-salt .
**A look at grocery prices since 2019: the ‘vibe’ of the $126 grocery bill https://www.axios.com/2024/01/13/food-prices-grocery-stores-us-economy .
**Why Trader Joe’s prices bananas individually https://thetakeout.com/trader-joes-bananas-price-individual-vs-pound-popular-1851198028 .
**U.S. prisoners part of hidden workforce behind many foods we eat https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/prisoners-us-part-hidden-workforce-linked-hundreds-popular-106758543 .