ozempic is the cure for america’s obesity problem
at least elon musk thinks so
You know what’s trending these days? More so than writing New Year’s resolutions? It’s writing an Ins & Outs List for 2025. And I’m just going to come out and claim: writing a newsletter is sooo IN this year.
Admittedly, starting a newsletter was a 2024 New Year’s resolution... But hey, I’m now committing to the bit, even if it took me a year to get here.
Well without further adieu, please welcome Food Baby Club 🎉 into the world! Most weeks, I’ll be covering the latest food, culture & biz news, but for the first edition, I’ve decided to do something a lil different.
ICYMI — here’s 24 (somewhat significant) things that happened in the f&b space in 2024:
Poppi got sued. These sodas might not actually be that good for your gut health
In more soda news, Coca-Cola & Pepsi are about to be newcomers into the space aka they’re preparing for their own prebiotic soda launches
And back to legal news, Momofuku was a trademark bully. They tried to trademark “chili crunch” and sent a bunch of cease-and-desist letters to other food companies using the phrase in their marketing. Chilli crunch is an ingredient that’s been integral to asian cooking for years, and trying to trademark it, is kind of like trying to trademark culture (wth)
Pantone's color of the year looks like p**p
c’mon you must see the resemblance Everyone was making cucumber salads thanks to TikTok influencer Logan Moffitt who even triggered a cucumber shortage in Iceland
Nara Smith went from homemade cereal to homemade sunscreen. Kiehl's weighed in commenting “we love to see it” and received heat because no, we don’t love to see homemade sunscreen
From Trad Wives to Trad Masc, extreme masculinity is having a moment. I believe they’re calling it “masc maxxing”?
Unfortunately MAHA is making waves
Trump is proposing a hefty tariffs on foreign goods that will ultimately raise consumer food prices in the U.S.
In more food politics, everyone’s talking about raw milk & beef tallow thanks to RFK
A new definition of CPG is on the rise: Creator Packaged Goods. Notable launches in 2024 include: Molly Baz’ Ayoh Mayo and Alex Cooper’s Unwell Hydration
TikTok was obsessed with Chipotle portions (spoiler: they were too small)
Everyone at the Olympics, and basically everyone watching, went wild over these chocolate muffins
Ozempic became increasingly normalized and even the Kardashians are capitalizing on it
And who else is thinking about ozempic? Elon Musk & RFK are at odds about whether ozempic can cure America’s obesity problem
The non-alcoholic beverage space continues to grow. S/o to the launch of Ghia’s Le Fizz, Bero, Ooso among many others
I’m still wrapping my head around why this chocolate strawberry video gained over 130M views on TikTok (man I’ll never understand this algo)
We’re in the era of protein everything — protein soda (or adding protein to soda), protein cookies, and high macro protein bars. New brands and consumers alike are finding ways to add protein to things they already eat
Pistachio is also having a moment, think pistachio spreads, pistachio-scented perfume, and pistachio milk
Luigi Mangione was reading Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma before he got arrested…
Niche, but the Great British Baking Show’s Dylan Bachelet is now a chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant in London (sorry for the spoiler if you didn’t watch the last season, but he deserved to win)
Last but not least, and also niche, Brooklyn’s spiciest restaurant (Ugly Baby) closed it’s doors 😢 BUT in 2025 news: the former employees are taking over the space to open a new restaurant. YAY
Now that’s a 2024 food news wrap! In future newsletters, you can expect more news and trends in and about the food space, but expect them in real time. Ultimately, I’ll be unpacking our relationship to food, the brands we buy, and what we should be thinking about when building the future of food — a future that’s inclusive & accessible for everyone.