Ozempic craze slims demand in grocery aisles: report

Published

2 years ago

October 13, 2023

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The proliferation of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic is having an unintended side-effect on snack makers — a reduction in sales, according to a report.

Walmart said customers who have been taking the popular meds to slim down are cutting back on high-fat and salty treats because the weight-loss drugs help to suppress appetites.

“We definitely do see a slight change compared to the total population, we do see a slight pullback in overall basket,” John Furner, the CEO of Walmarts US operation, told Bloomberg.

Walmart, which sells weight-loss drugs at its pharmacies, is able to study changes in sales patterns using anonymized data on shopper populations, according to the outlet.

With those data sets, the Bentonville, Ark.-based can see how many customers are on diabetes-turned-weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro and compare their shopping habits to those not taking the medications.

Furner said people on weight-loss drugs are purchasing “less units, slightly less calories,” but said that it’s too soon to conclude what effect the meds are having on Walmart’s overall sales.

Representatives for Walmart did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

One woman who takes Mounjaro said the reduction in appetite has cut her grocery bill by as much as 20%.

I still have a fully stocked kitchen, theres chips and pretzels in there. I dont find it tempting, Carolyn MacBain-Waldo told the Wall Street Journal.

Another Mounjaro user said she doesnt think about food all the time anymore and eats far fewer snacks.

The other day I had a single jelly bean, which is unheard of for me, Karyn Carlton, 47, told The Journal, adding that she also recently ordered a kids meal from a fast-food restaurant and felt satiated.

The drug, which stimulates the body to produce insulin and lowers blood sugar, has historically been used to treat Type 2 diabetes but was popularized after patients discovered their slimming effects, and particularly exploded when it was revealed celebrities like Khloe Kardashian and Chelsea Handler admitted to using it.

Their use has filtered to middle America and is only expected to grow, despite disturbing case studies where the medications paralyzed some users’ stomachs and even burned off one woman’s genitals.

Morgan Stanley estimated that 7% of the US population, or 24 million people, will be taking hunger-suppressing weight-loss drugs by 2035 — cutting their daily calorie consumption by as much as 30%, according to the firm, which surveyed over 300 patients.

For a person on an FDA-recommended 2,000-calorie daily diet, that could mean eliminating a one-ounce bag of salted potato chips, a bottle of soda, and more each day.

“The food, beverage, and restaurant industries could see softer demand, particularly for unhealthier foods and high-fat, sweet, and salty options, said Morgan Stanleys tobacco and packaged food analyst Pamela Kaufman.

Kaufman said major food companies like Conagra Brands, Mondelez, and Campbell Soup could see a 3% hit to their bottom lines by 2035.

Kellogg’s Brands, which is behind popular snack foods like Cheez-Its and Pringles, has reportedly been studying the potential impact popular weight-loss drugs could have on consumer behaviors.

“Like everything that potentially impacts our business, well look at it, study it and, if necessary, mitigate,” Kellogg’s chief Steve Cahillane told Bloomberg.

Cahillane called it “very, very early days” for the drugs, but said the company, which also makes Rice Krispie Treats, was “by no means complacent,” suggesting Kellogg’s would make changes to its products if overweight Americans on weight-loss medications continued limiting their calorie intake.

The Post has sought comment from Kellogg’s.

Despite being “early days,” US sales for GLP-1-containing drugs have experienced a whopping 300% increase in prescription volume from 2020 to 2022, according to Trilliant Health.

Of those prescriptions, Ozempic was the most-prescribed GLP-1, and national spending on semaglutide — the peptide name for Ozempic and Wegovy — now exceeds $10 billion, Trilliant Health said.

Sports

Surging Giants call up top prospect Eldridge

Published

55 mins ago

September 16, 2025

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Surging Giants call up top prospect Eldridge

Alden GonzalezSep 15, 2025, 02:21 PM ET
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The San Francisco Giants, suddenly back in the playoff race with two weeks remaining in the regular season, called up their top prospect Bryce Eldridge, the team announced Monday.

Eldridge, a 20-year-old first baseman who was No. 29 in the latest prospect rankings by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, will seemingly fill the role vacated by fellow left-handed hitter Dominic Smith, who went on the injured list because of a hamstring strain over the weekend.

The 16th pick out of high school in 2023, Eldridge surged in Double-A at the start of the season and was slashing .249/.322/.514 with 18 homers, 88 strikeouts and 28 walks for the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate. His strikeout rate remained high of late, but his production improved over these past 17 games, during which he boasted a .294 batting average with 10 extra-base hits.

The Giants were using Rafael Devers at first base and designated hitter, with Smith and the right-handed-hitting Wilmer Flores essentially platooning at the other spot. Eldridge will be playoff eligible.

After acquiring Devers in the middle of June, the Giants went 13-22 heading into the trade deadline at the end of July, prompting the front office to deal veteran players. As of Aug. 22, the Giants were seven games below .500 and 7½ games out of the final National League wild-card spot, but they have since won 14 of 20 games and trail the slumping New York Mets by only 1½ games with 13 remaining.

Sports

Cubs activate Soroka, who will be used as reliever

Published

55 mins ago

September 16, 2025

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Cubs activate Soroka, who will be used as reliever

Associated Press

Sep 15, 2025, 06:06 PM ET

PITTSBURGH — The Chicago Cubs activated right-hander Michael Soroka from the 15-day injured list before Monday night’s game against Pittsburgh.

Soroka will be used as a reliever. The Cubs acquired Soroka from Washington at the trade deadline and planned to use him as a starter.

However, Soroka pitched just two innings in his Cubs debut against Cincinnati on Aug. 4 and left because of a right shoulder strain. Soroka made a rehab appearance with Triple-A Iowa and allowed one run in 2⅓ innings.

Soroka is 3-8 this season with a 4.86 ERA in 17 starts.

Right-hander Ben Brown was optioned to Iowa in a corresponding move. He is 5-8 with a 5.92 ERA in 25 games, including 15 starts.

Cubs closer Daniel Palencia threw off the mound for the first time since going on the IL on Sept. 8 because of a right shoulder strain. He has converted 22 of 25 save opportunities and has a 3.00 ERA in 52 games.

Designated hitter Seiya Suzuki was not in the lineup Monday because of bronchitis.

The Cubs hold the first wild-card position in the National League.

Environment

Enel and Mars ink a milestone Texas solar agreement

Published

2 hours ago

September 15, 2025

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Enel and Mars ink a milestone Texas solar agreement

Enel Mars Texas solar — Photo: Enel North America

Enel North America and food and snacks giant Mars have signed a massive clean energy deal that will power up Mars’s operations with Texas solar.

The two companies completed a power purchase agreement (PPA) for the full output – all 851 megawatts (MW) – of three Texas solar farms. Together, those plants are expected to deliver 1.8 terawatt-hours of electricity annually, the equivalent of enough electricity to power 150,000 homes. That makes this Enel’s largest corporate PPA worldwide.

Michele Di Murro, CEO of Enel North America, said the deal “shows how renewables are among the fastest and most affordable solutions to meet the nation’s energy needs. Through these agreements, we’re adding clean capacity to the Texas grid while supporting a leading manufacturer’s sustainability goals.”

For Mars, the move goes beyond just greening its own factories. Kevin Rabinovitch, global VP of sustainability at Mars, explained that this PPA “lets us bring demand for all the electricity used in our value chain to the clean energy market in a highly efficient manner. The more demand we create together, the faster we can build the future we all want.”

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All three solar farms will use sheep grazing to manage vegetation, a dual-use practice Enel has scaled through the largest solar grazing agreement in the US.

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