To wonder if 'Big Food' are up in arms about weight loss injections?

[Iamsunshineinabag]

I've just finished reading Ultra Processed People (great book!) and the realisation that so much processed food is irresistible because they literally design it to be has got me thinking - are the companies that make our favourite salty snacks, fizzy drinks, ready meals, processed foods etc concerned about how many people are using the weight loss injections?

I'm not on the injections myself but a couple of family members are and they are amazed by how the food noise is quietened and they don't crave all this stuff anymore. They are just giving their bodies what they objectively need rather than what they crave. It's a game changer really!

But what are the big food companies thinking? Anyone have any inside info?!

A few years ago I read about ultra processed foods and decided to cut down and in the case of crisps stop completely. I have known for years I am addicted to crisps. I promised myself I would treat myself at my birthday and Christmas. I have stuck to this but don't always eat them on birthdays and Christmas. I did have some crisps this year and what I find interesting is I am not that bothered. It's like something has changed in my brain by eliminating them.

I suspect the injections will have a similar impact in that if you eliminate stuff from your diet your brain will stop craving it.

I tend to agree that capitalism will win out and if ultra processed food stops making money they will just turn to something else.

Fatphobia means an unreasonable dislike or poorly treating fat people. You can try google. Even the dictionary defines it. You genuinely can’t have thought it was a fear of fat people? Surely some part of you thought that was ridiculous?

Phobias are irrational fears, so the fact it's ridiculous is baked in - it's not like xenophobia or the other phobias are well-founded either!

Mate youre wrong, fat phobia is not a fear of fat people. When youre in a hole stop digging, doubling down on it is simply cringe worthy.

Shrinkingrose you asked me a question and I answered it. If you wanted me to shut up, perhaps you shouldn't have invited me to respond.

I think the disinformation campaign has already started around the safety and validity of these wonderful drugs. They are potentially a significant threat to many companies- particularly as more people take them once they see the effects on others themselves.

DPs weight loss from MJ has influenced 4 other people to start on them, he started because he saw the effects on someone else. He owns the fact that MJ is the reason for such a dramatic change.

As a direct result of only his use, Sainsburys meal deals will have seen a daily drop, their bakery, Starbucks baked goods etc

I really think the NHS should do co pay ment with weight loss drugs. I suspect that one of the reasons these medicines are working so well at the moment is because they are mainly being taken by super well motivated people who are having to pay £££ of their hard earned cash for them.

Without sufficient supervision NHS money could be wasted. People who continue to drink a lot or eat takeaways will probably feel very ill on these medicines and stop taking them. They might then sit unused in drawers or be resold on Facebook.

Their behaviour is no less likely to change than yours...

@Shrinkingrose why should my tax paid fund a persons weight loss injections forever, when that person should just learn to eat better and exercise. Temporarily on injections to learn those habits - fine. But forever - no just pay for those injections yourself or learn better habits

As sure as eggs are eggs if big food sees its profits declining they will start pushing back and lobbying against 'big weight loss'!

Maybe it will change the Big Food game plan. I HATE cooking but no longer crave or enjoy takeaways and am determined to keep the weight off. If things like Hello Fresh became more available/varied/cheaper/easier and I could pop to the end of my street for a healthy meal to take home, I'd be in.

Why should you taxpayers money go on people injured in road accidents, they should have been more careful ? Or people who injure themselves playing rugby, football or running ? Maybe a few people with lung cancer can be left to die on the pavements.. or some Flu people shouod be kicked out of hospital, if they didn’t have a vaccine.

I'll admit that weight loss injections confuse me.

If they're such miracles that have been around for 40 years, why are we only hearing about them now? Why did celebrities all suddenly discover them last year?

Why aren't diabetics all really thin?

How can any drug supposedly not have side effects? Literally not one other drug works that way, even natural compounds.

Well no, that's not what you were saying.

You (ridiculously) claimed that fat phobia meant people were "scared of fat people". As you well know, that's not what it means. Much the same as xenophobes aren't scared of foreign people, homophobes aren't scared of gay people etc.

I'll leave this pointless exchange there.

Completely different - unless someone has a true medical reason for not being able to lose weight, if they want to lose weight they should take personal responsibility for it in the long term - ie the state can support initial weight loss in the short term perhaps (ie initial round of injections and learning), but not for that persons lifetime

Wow never thought about that!

So companies have designed processed food to be irrestible to a high proportion of people.

And so we have had to design injections to make said processed food not register in their brains/ bodies.

That is wild if that’s what’s happened/ happening.

And to be clear - lack of willpower or effort is not a medical reason

and no this isn’t fat phobia - I am talking about a significant amount of taxpayers money here

They're not valid questions when they're clearly posed in bad faith. Their opening gambit was "you're swapping your addiction to food with an addiction to injections" which is completely false and there is no evidence to suggest that Mounjaro (or similar drugs) are addicting. It's a judgement being made by that PP based on their own prejudices surrounding obesity.

Of course it's right that we look at all the factors around NHS funding of drugs and treatments using evidence, but that's not what this PP and others are wanting to do. They are just making moral judgements and dressing them up as facts and foregone conclusions to fit their anti-fat agenda.

Yes Ive said this for years and years and years to anyone that would listen or even if they wouldnt listen

The food industry/supermarkets business model is for us to over buy. They probably dont really care about what happens to the food but being humans, if its in the house we're going to eat it. Restaurants for example serve up enormous portions of the cheap bits, chips, bread, pasta to make it look as if they are good value for money because people will say 'they serve massive portions' and this keeps custom up

The food industry does not want us to eat to our needs, it doesnt want us to up our intake of fresh fruit and veg and non processed foods, there is no profit in that

Be under no illusion that they will be rubbing their grubby hands in meetings about how to overcome this, whats their tactic going to be.

Some people really do think that people who are overweight need "educating" about healthy eating and exercise. Well, most of us not only know about it, but probably know more than a lot of people who have never had to try and lose weight.
Even more startling is that fat people can be intelligent and educated and some of us even hold senior positions in the NHS 🤯

I'm perfectly well informed thank you. I assume you are either on the injections or want the injections given the aggressive nature of your posts

What a weird assertion. I'm not on any weight loss medications and don't want to be, but it makes absolutely sense to me, if there is a medication that is preventative for multiple obesity related conditions, investing in it is going to save money. The NHS should be focussing resources on prevention, that's the best way to save money in the future.

Yes you have to eat smaller portions of a normal diet, the bariatric surgeons tell you that. Why are you sneering at her eating a small piece of pizza. Are you mistakenly believing that someone who had bariatric surgery cant eat pizza ever again?

I'm only surprised that Big Food doesn't own the weight loss drug companies so they continue to make money no matter what.

Who knows what stakes/ shares they own. They will profit from all of this, one way, or another. They helped to create the dreadful situation that so many people are/ were in, and will not allow their profits to be harmed long term.

It's very naive to believe the big food corps are going to suffer at the hands of WLIs. The biggest share holders of companies like PepsiCo, Coca Cola, Unilever, Danone and the like are also the biggest shareholders of Eli Lilly, the company that invented Mounjaro. This is just one example and is often the case. The ultra processed food producers cause things like diabetes, while having a big hand in producing the drugs to cure it. It's win win for them regardless.
We are all being taken for a ride if we believe that these drugs have any wider benefit to anyone's purse aside from multi national corporations.

custardpyjamas

I'm not remotely addicted to food

Because of my health conditions and the fact I'm very small and menopausal I'm oniy able to eat 800 calories a day without putting on weight

I've no idea if YOU'VE tried to eat only 800 calories a day but without the drug it would be impossible for me. I couldn't eat under 1000 before without being starving hungry, getting the shakes, low blood pressure making me pass out.

The drug I'm on (MJ) is NOT a weight loss medication, it's a hormone regulating drug with weight loss as a side effect.

So I eat exactly the same as before, basically protein, fat and vegetables but the difference is with the drug that I AM NOT STARVING HUNGRY.

And all of my other medications are reducing. As an example I was on 3600mg of Gabapentin every day for inflammation and nerve pain in the back.

I'm now on 400mg a day and titrating off it.

I no longer need my pre diabetes medication, I'd just started taking metformin before starting MJ - all gone

And hopefully I will be able to come down on my HRT

All due to my hormones being in balance and my inflammation going down

I can run now too as I have incredible energy, before it was too painful