[one topic] The Silent Collapse of Childhood Health
This is the most damning health report of the decade—and it’s not about COVID, cancer, or a new pandemic. It’s about the normalization of disease in America’s children. Setting aside political and personal views (which I have quite a bit), this is the first time I’m seeing these kinds of statement coming from the White House. The American food system is failing, and it’s failing early.
According to the report, over 70% of U.S. children are now experiencing or at risk of chronic conditions—ranging from Type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease to ADHD, depression, and severe food allergies. These are not edge cases. This is becoming the baseline.
Some high level observations from the MAHA Commission (again, nothing new for who is in this industry, but still..):
Our food system is saturated with ultra-processed products engineered for shelf life, not human life.
Marketing to children is unregulated and predatory.
Health systems prioritize pharmaceuticals over food.
And racial, geographic, and economic disparities are deepening.
The GroceryNerd analysis highlights how eerily absent industry response has been. While the MAHA Commission offers over 30 recommendations—like banning junk food marketing to kids, integrating food as medicine, and regulating added sugar—the real question is: who will act?
My take:
This is not about awareness. We’ve had awareness. This is about denial—the willful kind of denial. The kind that has been allowing a trillion-dollar industry to externalize costs to the healthcare system, to schools, to families. And to children themselves.
I honestly think we do not need another initiative. We need regulation, litigation, and political courage. The food industry will not self-correct. It never has. Now we need:
A national nutritional policy with teeth
FDA and USDA reform to prioritize public health over industry
Philanthropy and venture capital funding systemic alternatives—not just “better-for-you” snacks
And above all, we need to stop making parents feel like they’re the problem when the system is stacked against them.
This is our tobacco moment, guys!!
[one raise] Mellody’s Exit!
Melibio, the maker of bee-free honey, has been quietly acquired by Foodyoung Labs. There was no big headline valuation, nor overnight unicorn story. Just a rite of passage toward a different home for what was built. Which I find admirable.
My take:
We should stop expecting any single company to single-handedly reinvent agriculture and nail distribution and educate consumers and get to profitability—all in 3 years. It’s absurd.
Melibio’s acquisition reminds me of something deeper:
Alt-food has been entering its consolidation era
The “future of food” thesis requires very strong unit economics, in addition to storytelling
And investors need to learn the difference between pivots and progress
[one product] Oikos Pro + The GLP-1 Effect
There it is: Oikos Pro—a protein-packed yogurt now marketed in the shadow of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Zepbound. High protein. Functional satiety. Wellness in a spoonful.
Axios calls it “the Ozempic-era protein shake.” But it’s more than that—it’s another visible shift in how Big Food is responding to the new metabolism economy. Consumers don’t want weight loss. They want control, energy, and relief from hunger.
My take:
This is the beginning of a macronutrient reformation. We’re leaving the calorie-counting era and entering one defined by hormonal impact, satiety science, and metabolic support.
GLP-1s have reframed the conversation. Food can now be a co-therapeutic. Expect to see more products aligned with this new medicalized consumer—and more questions about who gets access, and who’s left behind.