It may have been over a week ago but unbeliveably the NOSH team is still making its way back from NOSH Live at Marina Del Rey - the editorial team was last seen boarding a cruise ship to Hawaii.

In the meantime we're holding the fort down with the latest results from some of the industry's biggest players, and we go deep with Ozempic and its potential in CPG. But, plenty more on that below.

Shout-out to Every for its precision fermented egg product which made its debut at Eleven Madison Park on Friday. A special menu showcased the not-egg's credentials and included an omelet, creme brûlée and cocktails (presumably not all at the same time).

Alright! On with Sunday newsletter.

FIRST UP! J.M Smucker rolls tight with its first post-pet food quarterlies.

Everyone's favorite Uncrustables brand owner J.M Smucker has posted resilient Q2 earnings despite a 12% net sales dip owing to pet food divestments, writes the NOSH Hostess with the Mostess Adrianne DeLuca.

Comparable net sales actually increased 7% YOY, driven by the integration of Hostess and the continued strength of unbeatable Uncrustables (which itself saw a chunky 22% net sales jump).

Smucker's strong coffee portfolio (Folgers, Dunkin' and more) saw a slight 3% net sales decline as an improved supply chain allowed the company to pass savings onto consumers - who rewarded the biz with a quarterly margin increase from 31.8% to 37.4%. I'll have that with an Uncrustable first thing in the morning.

Read the full Q2 report at NOSH.com.

🥡 Key Takeaway: The recent acquistion of Hostess was one of the biggest CPG moves of the year (hi, Rao's). Despite this, it seems Smucker overestimated initial annualized sales - projected at $1.5BN, they're likely to come in at around $1.3BN. The company remains bullish: responding to a shareholder, Smucker pointed to Hostess' merchandizing potential and its occasional seasonal products as potential revenue drivers.

AND: speaking of quarterly results things are heating up for Campbell's which saw a strong recovery of Thanksgiving sales lost to private brands in 2022 (that would be broth, condensed soup and stuffing). The company's organic net sales increased 7% over a 2 year CAGR, although it did get dinged with slight quarterly volume declines.

Interestingly prez and CEO Mark 'Goldfish' Clouse believes the overall results indicate a shift in comsumer behavior and cooling inflationary pressures in Q1 '24.

The company is also expecting growth from the recently acquired Sovos Brands and - you guessed it - snacks.

Read the full soup label here on NOSH.com.

It was, make no mistake, a crazy few days at Marina Del Rey. We announced the NOSH Pitch Slam 14 winner, our Best of 2023 Awards were revealed and we had 2 days chock full of insightful speakers, networking events and sampling sessions. Best yet: nobody lost their keys.

Here's a brief overview of some of the hottest ticket items:

• Click here to read about our NOSH Pitch Slam 14 winner
• Grab all the results from the NOSH Best of 2023 Awards here - including big hitters Rao's chumming up with emerging brands such as Chubby Snacks

And, don't forget to recap on day one here, and day two here.

Let it never be said we don't got you covered.

Our Community Call series is back with a bang this coming week with no less than two sessions:

On Dec 12th, Sahithya Wintrich of Chutni Punch, Jake Deleon of Fila Manila and Matthew Brodeur and Matthew Sobanko of the Multiply agency will discuss how social media can be used to educate consumers and trial new products. Sign up here.

On Dec 14th, yum yum get ya sum - we'll be revealing the straightforward but creative secrets to the success of social media dah-ling Dan-O's. Learn how a struggling business was transformed into a TikTok sensaion. Don't forget to - hey! - register here.

"Almost 50% of those using these medications are doing so for weight loss"

This week's deep dive comes from Annoying Jingles Editor Lukas Southard, who poses the simple question: Ozempic: friend or foe?

GLP-1 drugs create an interesting CPG conundrum: do they have the potential to dramatically affect the topline of conglomerates, or is it an opportunity to lean harder into the better-for-you and meal supplement spaces?

Initially developed for use with diabetes patients the drugs have quickly taken up real estate in the weight loss world. Some have adopted a wait and see approach (hi, Coca-Cola) while others are being more proactive - Nestlé has even gone as far as to invest in 'companion products' to address potential issues related to GLP-1s.

Either way it's early days and almost impossible to guess any long-term impact. But, the potential is right in front of us.

Read the full report over on NOSH.com.

What are your thoughts, Sunday readers? Are you looking over your shoulder at Ozempic and its cohorts, or do you see this as a societal shift that may benefit your brand? Click here to send in your comments.

Notable new products: Last Crumb x Fly By Jing, spicy cheese balls.

A roundup of some of the more interesting product launches this week.

Cultivate CPG has hired Whole Foods veteran George 'Daim Bar' Daines.

Daines has signed on as the new Director of Key Accounts – Natural Channel at the strategic sales solution agency.

Introducing dark chocolate cookie bars from Catalina Crunch.

The new D2C line includes raspberry dark chocolate and m̶e̶z̶c̶a̶l̶-̶o̶a̶t̶m̶e̶a̶l mint dark chocolate bars.

Master Data Administrator - BuzzBallz LLC

Carrollton, TX

Director of Sales - DSD - ROAR Beverages Inc.

USA

Cellar Operator - Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co.

Waltham, MA

Quinn Snacks has popped its last kernal as it ditches its microwave popcorn SKUs in favor of higher-margin pretzel products, writes Pretzel Devotee Carol Ortenberg.

Quinn has been popping more sustainable, better-for-you corn since 2010. Its whole grain, gluten-free pretzel line launched in 2016 and now includes sticks, rods, starfishes, rhombuses and nut-butter filled nugs.

Pop the bag on this story over on NOSH.com.

🥡 Key Takeaway: The tough decision to drop a line is something we've discussed previously and never one taken lightly. There were several other factors taken into account such as supply chain complexities (no one facility can pack corn, create a seasoning sachet, an oil pack and a branded box). Separately, Quinn investor Hershey's owns more than a few popcorn brands (including SkinnyPop) so yeah.

It looks like Hormel has been reading my notebook - the company's pepperoni bloody mary cocktail kit is something straight out of my secret back pages.

The cocktail kit features everything you need to ensure those annoying extended family members won't come back: a pepperoni-flavored bloody mary mix, pickle (yes) pepper-flavored vodka, a garlic hot sauce, pepperoni and pickle rim salt and plenty of bags of pepperoni.

Or if like me you'd prefer to do it on the cheap, just blitz up a few Slim Jims into your next bottle of Zing Zang.

AND FINALLY: it's as I've said all along - White Castle is fine dining. We just needed a willing h̶o̶s̶t culinary champion to prove it. Step up Chef Yoshiharu Sogi.

Sogi's French sliders brunch may sound simple but the addition of strawberries, crispy bacon and yogurt cream cheese will surely put White Castle on any chef's Michelin Star tasting menu. Serve it with a dry Pinot Gris and you got yourself a $40 meal.

If you'll excuse me, I'm off to the test kitchen (my garage) to experiment with Crunchwrap Supremes and Rieslings. Until next week, your host,

Mark Murphy

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