Hearing from some of our subscribers who’ve read this column since I started writing it in June, I’ve learned that the topics people seem to like the most are those that are only tangentially related to the food industry. So, while the rest of this issue is chock full of news and opinion that can’t be found anywhere else (mostly thanks to our fearless leader Jeff Metzger), I’m going to keep that in mind for future columns.
This month, as we are quickly approaching the holidays, you might need a few last-minute gift ideas (true for many, but not all of you, I’m sure) and I found a fun story on my favorite site Epicurious.com from last December with some quirky recommendations I thought I’d pass along. Keep in mind, this article was written to help out those looking for possible White Elephant or Secret Santa gift exchanges that usually don’t end up with anyone getting anything the really need (or were dying to have).
The hook the story used that got my attention right away was a photo of one of the featured products – East Fork Pottery’s Italian Meat Candle (think big ole porcetta made of wax). Sadly, after clicking on the link in the story, I discovered that specific product is no longer available. However, I kept looking for other ideas on the list. Many, but not all, of the suggestions were food related, like By The Cup’s 3 pound bag of multi-colored mini dehydrated cereal marshmallows. First of all, imagine the gift recipient shaking that wrapped package having ANY idea what was in it. Secondly, this gift would surely send anyone of at least a certain age straight into “throw-back” mode, recalling the days of digging through the Lucky Charms box to get more of the sweet little nuggets for themselves. Plus, they’re non-fat! (Don’t tell the grandkids, but a bag of these might find their way under our tree to be brought out at sleepovers with Grandpa and TT…). The family-owned company, which specializes in confectionery, has a store on Amazon.
Also on the list was Ikea’s pink toilet paper (ever so tangentially food related, right?). Since the package of 4 rolls is large and lightweight, it could add a bit of mystery to the pile of wrapped goods in the exchange. Ikea resurrected colored toilet paper from the 1950s—you could use this holiday season to spread the good news.
Etsy has several versions of what apparently has been a fad for a few years now (completed missed by yours truly) – handmade real bread nightlights. Looking through the reviews, almost all purchasers loved theirs, so that’s an idea.
Something also that caught my eye was a collection of 30 vintage paper matchbooks (you can choose from either unstuck or previously struck) from the 1940-60s sold on Etsy by Momentum Village, a seller of vintage books, vinyl records, home decor and more, based in Marion, IL. However, browsing through Etsy, it seems that this company is not alone in selling old matchbooks – mostly from hotels, motels, casinos, restaurants and bars – in fact, there are quite a few. I used to always pick up matchbooks from mostly restaurants, back in the day. And, how many noir movies have featured something written on the inside of a matchbook cover? I’m thinking specifically of “Black Angel” (1946) starring Dan Duryea, June Vincent and Peter Lorre and directed by Roy William Neill, which I caught last weekend after it was recommended by Eddie Muller “Noir Alley,” the Turner Classic Movies program he hosts that airs Saturday nights. In fact, if you’re a lover of the noir genre, I highly recommend checking out the show. While every movie Muller selects to be featured isn’t necessarily a homerun (they’re mostly B-movies), his introduction and recap before and after each film are not to be missed!
Sadly, some of the unique suggestions made by Epicurious writer Wilder Davies were no longer available, including a pair of dangly chicken feet earrings you could buy last year on Etsy.
So, for what it’s worth, feel free to check these out for any of your friends or family who seemingly already have everything. There may be someone on your gift list who doesn’t already have their own homemade bread nightlight….
As an editor, I spend a lot of time reading press releases and studies that I receive via email, some of which are interesting or thought-provoking. One that caught my eye this week was a FoodDive story by Christopher Doering on the results of a recent Numerator study of grocery store buy rates for consumers on weight loss drugs. Not surprisingly, people who are taking Ozempic or Rebylsus or any of the other new GLP-1 medications on the market these days, are spending less in grocery stores. That’s according to a survey of the purchasing behaviors of more than 100,000 panelists by Numerator. In fact, the year-over-year net change in those rates between GLP-1 users and non-users varied by category. The largest divides between the two categories were in packaged bakery, snacks, prepared foods and beans and grains, which ranged between 10 and 20 percent (with users buying a lot less). Other departments like beverages and fresh meal kits were largely flat, the survey results showed.
As the FoodDive story explained, while it’s not really surprising that people taking weight loss medications are buying less food, the study’s data provides insight into what could happen to CPG manufacturers if more people end up using the drugs.
In the most recent three months, overall buy rates at supermarkets versus a year ago for those not using the medications dropped 3.9 percent while those taking the drugs for weight loss of fewer than 15 pounds, the drop was 11 percent.
Providing context to the Numerator study was the fact that a year ago, the use of nearly all of these drugs was for the management of type 2 diabetes and only 10 percent of consumers were using them specifically for weight loss. Now, Numerator said, nearly half of people taking the medications are using them for primarily weight loss. Additionally, 20 percent of households covered in the study reported an interest in taking the medications to lose weight but indicated they are waiting for prices to come down or for more data on safety and efficacy to be released. That’s a potential big hit that could be in store for food manufacturers, but I think we’re still in a wait-and-see mode. Remember fen-phen? How about Keto/Paleo and the overall low-carb craze? The focus on beverage companies and the amount of sugar their products had? The growth in those going gluten-free? The importance of cutting sodium intake?
While many of the patterns in consumers’ eating and shopping behaviors have changed in the past due to so many of these factors, one thing is usually true – the companies that make and sell us our foods know how to adapt to these trends. Coke and Pepsi both introduced smaller cans in response to shoppers’ desire to cut their sugar intake. Bakeries have developed many, many lower carb and/or gluten free options. Have you been in the cookie/cracker aisle lately? What product is there on today’s supermarket shelves that doesn’t come in a low-sodium or sodium-free variety? People, despite their desire to be more fit and in better shape, still need to eat and they want to enjoy what they eat. So, it will be interesting to see how this situation continues to trend for the next year or so.
But, I’d say that GLP-1 drugs are here to stay (unless something drastic happens as it did with fen-phen in the 90s). I’m betting on it, especially after hearing the mea culpa from WeightWatchers CEO Sima Sistani, who told CNN, “We needed to be the first to be proud and loud about the fact that we got it wrong in the past.” Now, Sistani said, WeightWatchers believes that obesity is a chronic condition that some people can’t manage through willpower alone. “What we are now saying is we know better and it’s on us to do better so that we can help people feel positive and destigmatize this conversation around obesity.”
She also announced that the company is getting into the prescription drug business and will operate WeightWatchers Clinic, offering “doctor-led access to prescription medication for those who need it.” The new offering was made possible by the $106 million acquisition of Sequence, a San Francisco-based telehealth company that prescribes drugs for diabetes and weight loss.
If my mom, a lifetime WeightWatchers members and success story, were alive today, she’d be skeptical, at best. “What’s wrong with counting points?” I’m sure she’d ask in the same tone she had when opining on today’s ubiquitous presence of cell phones everywhere all the time….
That’s it for this month! I hope all of your holidays are wonderful and spent with friends and loved ones.