Weighing in on GLP-1s:
The Growing Impact of Weight Loss Medications
on the Industry, Society and Our Appetites
Tuesday, October 7, 2025
12-1 pm Eastern Time via Zoom
Panelists:
- Grande Dame Marion Nestle, Professor Emerita of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health, NYU
- Shaun Chavis, content marketer specializing in obesity
- Dame Kimberly Noelle Charles, DipWSET, president/founder of Charles Communications Associates
Moderator: Dame Kara Nielsen, food trend expert, Kara Nielsen Food Trends
Description:
In a follow-up to the March 2024 LDEI Table Talk, The Weight of Ozempic, Dame Kara Nielsen is reuniting Grande Dame Marion Nestle and Shaun Chavis to discuss the fast-growing impact of GLP-1 medications on the food industry and society. Dame Kimberly Charles will join the conversation to share her experience as a wine-industry professional using GLP-1s. We’ll explore how prevalent these drugs have become; what impact they are having on restaurants, retailers and brands; how lawsuits have impacted access; and how industry professionals are navigating the effects of GLP-1s on their appetites and health, plus is there still a stigma attached?
Marion Nestle, Ph.D., M.P.H., is Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health, Emerita, at New York University and Visiting Professor of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell. She is the author of Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health (2002), among many other books. Her latest, What to Eat Now, comes out in November 2025. Her work examines the scientific and socioeconomic influences on food choices and its consequences. Marion blogs regularly at www.foodpolitics.com and shares insights with thousands of social-media followers. She is a member of the New York chapter and an LDEI Grande Dame.
Website: www.foodpolitics.com
Social media: @marionnestle
Shaun Chavis is a content strategist and former journalist specializing in health and food. She's the former content manager at Found Health, a weight-management company. She's struggled with obesity since she was seven. In 2022, she had bariatric surgery and started taking weight-loss medication, and as of today, she's lost 140 pounds. She's worked for or written for TIME, Serious Eats, Time Inc. Books, Real Simple, Health, Sharecare, How Stuff Works, AllRecipes, SouthernLiving.com, and CookingLight.com. She holds a Master’s degree in Gastronomy from Boston University, a culinary arts degree, and a BS in Mass Communications.
Website: redressing.substack.com, https://shaunchavis.com/
Social Media: YouTube @shaun.chavis
Kimberly Noelle Charles, DipWSET, President & Founder of Charles Communications Associates, is a visionary marketing strategist with four decades of global PR and marketing expertise in the wine and spirits industry. Her firm specializes in strategic branding and corporate social responsibility. She is co-founder of Come Together A Community for Wine, which launches innovative campaigns that underscore wine's role in community and culture. She has worked with legacy California family-owned brands and international wineries and regions and holds a Diploma from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust. She has served on boards for the Glancy Wine Education Foundation, the River Network, the Society of Wine Educators and Les Dames d'Escoffier-SF.
Website: kcharles@charlescomm.com
Social Media: @alltheswirl, @cbrulee
Kara Nielsen is Chief Trendologist at Kara Nielsen Food Trends, a food and beverage trend consultancy, where she interprets trends to generate insights for strategic innovation and new product development. She consults with CPG and foodservice clients, writes articles on food trends, and presents trend methodology to business and academic audiences. Kara earned a Master’s degree in Gastronomy from Boston University and is the current the LDEI San Francisco chapter’s president. She recently launched a baking, pastry, and confectionery education platform, The Sweets Professor, where she leverages her former pastry chef experience and knowledge of food culture to guide sweet-food experiences.
Website: www.karanielsenfoodtrends.com
Social Media: @thesweetsprofessor
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