Posted on 10/06/2023 12:45:01 PM PDT by nickcarraway
As Ozempic and similar weight loss drugs become more popular, Americans might start buying less food, particularly high-calorie snacks and fast food.
Why it matters: That could radically reshape the food industry, and investors and food industry executives are starting to pay attention.
Ozempic is approved by the FDA to treat diabetes but is also prescribed for off-label use by doctors for obesity. Driving the news: Earlier this week, Walmart's U.S. CEO told Bloomberg that customers taking Ozempic buy less food. (Walmart mined its own pharmacy and grocery data to pinpoint customer buying patterns, per Bloomberg.)
"We definitely do see a slight change compared to the total population, we do see a slight pullback," John Furner said. "Just less units, slightly less calories." But he added that it's still early days for Ozempic. The drug itself has boosted sales of other items at Walmart — folks on the drug "tend to spend more with us overall," another company exec said this summer. Meanwhile: Steve Cahillane, CEO of snack maker Kellanova, told CNBC this week that his company — a Kellogg spinoff that makes Pringles and Cheez-It — is watching the Ozempic trends. "But it's just far too early to forecast this is a headwind." The big picture: It's early, yes, but investors are paying close attention. In an 82-page note this summer, a team of 17 Morgan Stanley analysts, strategists and associates laid out how obesity medicine could dampen demand for food and reshape the "food ecosystem."
The firm projects that over the next 10 years, 7% of the U.S. population — 24 million people — could be taking these drugs. Folks on the drug will likely consume 20% fewer calories, they say. In 2035 that would represent 1.3% of overall calories consumed. Analysts also modeled out a bullish scenario where calorie consumption falls by 1.7% and a bearish one at 0.9% Increased use of these weight-loss drugs could hurt demand for high-calorie, high-fat and sugary foods — at home or at fast-food outlets.
Products made by Pepsi and McDonald's — and even Altria, as some users say Ozempic curbs cravings for cigarettes — could take a hit, according to a note from Barclays this week cited by Bloomberg. The upshot: Americans' consumption of soda, baked goods and salty snacks might be around 3% lower, the Morgan Stanley analysts write.
Reality check: It's compelling to think Ozempic will change the food economy, but "right now these drugs are still being understood," Peter Bonis, chief medical officer at Wolters Kluwer Health, tells Axios. There are questions about how users will do on them long-term — or how long they'll even stay on the medication.
Plus, he points out, that the food industry is adaptable and is used to changing tastes. Companies can shift product mixes and packaging sizes to preserve profitability, food company executives told the WSJ. Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that Ozempic is only approved for treatment of diabetes.
I lost 50 pounds by stopping drinking Coca-Cola, and drinking water.
From what I hear Ozempic causes stomach paralysis, meaning whatever you eat you puke up so that’s a pretty nasty side effect
I want a new drug
One that won’t make me sick
One that won’t make me crash my car
Or make me feel three feet thick
I want a new drug
One that won’t hurt my head
One that won’t make my mouth too dry
Or make my eyes too red
One that won’t make me nervous
Wondering what to do
One that makes me feel like I feel when I’m with you
When I’m alone with you
I want a new drug
One that won’t spill
One that don’t cost too much
Or come in a pill
I want a new drug
One that won’t go away
One that won’t keep me up all night
One that won’t make me sleep all day
One that won’t make me nervous
Wondering what to do
One that makes me feel like I feel when I’m with you
When I’m alone with you
I’m alone with you, baby
I want a new drug
One that does what it should
One that won’t make me feel too bad
One that won’t make me feel too good
I want a new drug
One with no doubt
One that won’t make me talk too much
Or make my face break out
One that won’t make me nervous
Wondering what to do
One that makes me feel like I feel when I’m with you
When I’m alone with you
I’m alone with you
Stretch pants everywhere are rejoicing.
These are lies meant to cover up the orchestrated famine.
I’ve taken Ozempic, and I didn’t have any vomiting issues.
I tried Ozempic. Stopped after 3+ weeks. Felt nauseous and had terrible indigestion the whole time. It practically stops motility through the digestive system, hence the ‘full’ feeling.
Not for me...and they’re prescribing it for all kinds of things. It has an intolerable side effect profile and expensive.
Were you injecting it?
I bet the obesity rate continues to rise.
FReegards
imagine when they disover salad
As long as the price remains so high, I doubt the drug will make a dent in food sales.
When you paying over $1000 a month for your prescription, you may well have less money available for food.
It’s being called ‘cyclic vomiting’ and now for the really ‘good’ news .... it often doesn’t stop after you stop the drug. The gastroparesis continues & so does the vomiting, as much as a year or more later. The gastroparesis might even be a permanent condition in some people.
Would you like some icing on that cake? How about some thyroid cancer?
“Research suggests that Ozempic, a popular weight loss drug fueled by social media, may be linked to an increased risk of thyroid cancer, particularly after 1-3 years of treatment.4”
All compliments of Big Harma!
Note: ‘snark’ is not meant for you personally ... just fed up to the gills with Big Harma & the illness/damage they cause with no regard for human health/life.
OM. I’ve always said folks should get a Dr’s note or something to purchase those things !!! Pretty impressive considering the durability of the fabric however.
“As Ozempic and similar weight loss drugs become more popular, Americans might start buying less food, particularly high-calorie snacks and fast food.”
HAHAHAHAHA. This author does not understand Americans at all.
I’ve never had a serious weight problem so I can’t understand. But whenever I have gained weight, I would just keep busy doing and/or thinking about things that have nothing to do with food.
people disabled or killed by the ‘vaccine’ also shop at grocery stores less often.......and people who are jobless in the Biden economy purchase less....and then grocery stores in lawless ghettos (i.e. San Francisco) created by progressives are closing because they can’t keep employees safe from thugs who aren’t punished for stealing and assault...
Let’s see... how long will it be until we learn this new drug causes cancer or autoimmune disease...
Sounds good. Gimme some of that!
“The most common Ozempic side effects are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and constipation. Serious Ozempic side effects include allergic reactions, changes in vision and pancreatitis. Ozempic has an FDA boxed warning for the risk of thyroid C-cell tumors.”
https://www.drugwatch.com/drugs/ozempic/side-effects/
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