The MMG Memo

Friday, February 23

The increasing popularity of weight loss drugs has led to a drop in grocery spending, according to Bloomberg.
Celeriac, aka celery root, is having a moment, as noted in Martha Stewart. Sales of celery root have grown 42% year over year, according to Baldor Specialty Foods.
Save the Sommeliers! The New York Times notes that sommeliers, once seen as an essential, are now viewed as a luxury for restaurants.
Health-conscious consumers are driving more plant-based innovation. The vegan flavor market is expected to have a major growth surge in 2024, per Food Dive.
Grocery stores are becoming a one-stop shop. While prices are drawing consumers in, Grocery Dive spoke with grocers on how they keep customers coming back.
Beyond Meat is back in the headlines. The company is reportedly launching a new, healthier iteration of its burger in grocery stores this spring.
Eat more bacon… for the economy. WSJ reports that the American pork industry has an oversupply; demand can’t keep up.
The USDA Organic changes are approaching. Large amendments aimed at enhancing recordkeeping and defining outdoor rules for livestock and poultry will take effect in March, reports Food Dive.

House leaders launch bipartisan artificial intelligence task force. The task force aims to explore how Congress can help America be a leader in AI innovation and protect against potential threats caused by the technology, including deepfakes, the spread of misinformation, and job replacement, per NBC News.
Reddit goes public and becomes public enemy all in the same week. The long-awaited Reddit IPO is official. Reddit also announced a major content licensing deal with Google worth $60 million that has the platform’s users outraged. Eek.
OpenAI introduced AI that instantly generates videos, called Sora. The release of the text-to-video generator has been met with both proponents of the new technology and critics. Fortune’s headline says it all: OpenAI’s Sora has left AI experts either enthused or skeptical. It’s left most everyone else terrified.
Google pauses Gemini AI Image Generator following controversy. The company announced the pause after the image generator created historically inaccurate images.
On that note, in case you needed a reminder, Craig Allen explains why creatives are better than AI. 😊

2024 has become the year of cost cuts. Nike, Mattel, PayPal, Cisco, Levi Strauss and UPS are just a few of the companies that have announced layoffs recently.
Amazon proposes a new program that will reduce packaging and increase savings for its sellers. The program, Ships in Product Packaging (SIPP) is one of Amazon’s recent packaging changes to improve company sustainability, according to Retail Dive.

Alabama’s largest hospital paused IVF treatments Wednesday as providers and patients across the state are reeling from a court ruling stating frozen embryos are the legal equivalent of children.

Messi Mania isn’t going anywhere. Soccer superstar Lionel Messi’s debut in his first full MLS season shows that his popularity isn’t going anywhere. Retailers like Soccer.com still anticipate it being their top 2024 seller, per CNN Business.

Home sales are on the upswing after last year’s decline. Rebounding from last year’s major decline in home sales (the worst level in nearly three decades), sales of previously owned homes rose in January.

Yosi Health, a leader in pre-arrival patient intake and engagement systems, continues to contribute to the most important conversations in the HealthTech industry. This month alone, in addition to being named one of Becker’s top revenue cycle management companies, Yosi Health CEO was quoted in outlets such as Medical Design Brief, Physician’s Practice, Cyber Protection Magazine and more.
Connecticut-based Cingari Family ShopRite noticed a spike in Valentine’s Day floral sales over recent years. MMG leveraged this insight and sales statistics for a successful media outreach campaign focused on the trend, which resulted in regional and national coverage across outlets like Grocery Dive, Yahoo Finance, CT Insider, and more.
Earlier this week, we celebrated National Margarita Day with Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice features in publications ranging from Foodsided to Tequila Raiders, the go to platform for all things agave spirits.

What we’re watching: Love is Blind season 6, Griselda, Traitors 2, Jury Duty, and The Curse.
What we’re listening to: Taylor (Eras Tour Sydney Shows from a grainy livestream to be exact), Stephen Sanchez, Lana’s cover of Take me Home, Country Roads (You’re welcome), Steeleye Span
What we’re reading: Age of Deer, Interview with a Vampire
Fav finds of the week: SkinnyDipped Peanut Butter Cups, Cola-flavored Poppi, Strawberry Jalapeno margarita from Baja 328 for National Margarita Day, Salt & Stone deodorants.