The nutrition gold rush

What I talk about when I talk about nutrition hacks, Big Food's response to GLP-1 growth and the possibility these drugs can reduce more than just food addiction.

Greetings and happy spring. I flew home from Portland on St. Patrick’s Day, which is neither here nor there, but on my flight I learned that Southwest Airlines gives out free drinks three times a year. One of them is March 17th. I found this tidbit in their beverage menu. This was a missed opportunity because it was nine in the morning, but a good reminder to always read the fine print!

Welcome to Technically Food, my bi-weekly newsletter about how technology is changing the foods we eat. Last week, I attended a symposium on nutrition at MISTA – a food innovation hub in San Francisco. The day began with a talk about opportunities coming from the growing population taking GLP-1s. If you’re wondering about the amount, here’s one via Politico: “Americans taking the drugs for weight loss rose more than 700 percent between 2019 and 2023*.” From KFF: In 2024, 12% of adults said they’ve used GLP-1 drugs, and within that number are 6% who are currently taking them. More on those numbers.

In today’s newsletter I’ll be going into:

• The MISTA nutrition symposium

• Whether GLP-1s affect alcohol consumption

• How GLP-1 influence our grocery store shopping