This Week in Review: Move over Protein | The word of the year | OpenAI x Amazon might take over the world | California Pizza Kitchen doubles down on frozen foods | Pzifer stalls after Covid demand
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Quick Bites:
Food: Move over, Protein. It’s all about Fiber in 2026.
According to new data shared by CNBC, people are suddenly obsessed with fiber– pushing protein off center stage.
The trend exploding online is called“Fibermaxxing,”– which sounds like a gym workout but is really just people eating oats and chia seeds like their lives depend on it.
About 22% of shoppers now say they’re deliberately choosing high-fiber foods.
Despite all this enthusiasm, fiber isn’t exactly new. Nutritionists have been begging us to eat vegetables for decades.. but now that TikTok has decided gut health is ✨aesthetic✨, suddenly psyllium husk is the new Stanley cup right??
Food giants are racing to catch the wave; PepsiCo, Nestlé, and other major brands are expanding their portfolios with fiber-fortified snacks, cereals, drinks – basically, if they can sprinkle fiber on it, they will.
Corporate marketing teams right now: “Can we put fiber in cookies? In chips? In air?”
Even traditionally indulgent categories are getting a “health” makeover. Expect to see more products screaming “Gut Health!!!” in fonts large enough to be seen from space.
While it’s unclear whether fibermaxxing will be the next kale or just a temporary social media fling, one thing is certain:
The gut is trending and the microbiome is booked and busy this festive season.
Culture: Merriam-Webster selects ‘slop’ as 2025 word of year.
Yes. Slop.
The term exploded this year as people tried to describe the tidal wave of AI-generated content that feels half-baked, low-effort, and- let’s be honest- sometimes straight-up unhinged.
From bizarre videos where characters have 13 fingers, to blog posts that sound like your uncle pretending to be inspirational, to AI images that look like they escaped from a fever dream… slop has officially entered the chat.
The editors said the word dominated because of its absolute ubiquity. Everywhere you look, someone is complaining about the internet being taken over by content that looks like a robot skimmed BuzzFeed once and said, “Okay, I got it.”
Us: “We want meaningful, thoughtful content.”
The Internet in 2026: “Here’s an AI-generated lasagna recipe with a side of unrelated stock photos.”
The word “slop” also reflects a bigger cultural moment: the growing frustration with content overload and the feeling that the internet is becoming a noisy buffet of recycled takes, glitchy imagery, and uncanny valley disasters.
Merriam-Webster’s president explained the choice by saying that people are both obsessed with the phenomenon and deeply irritated by it. It’s become part of everyday conversation- half complaint, half comedy.
Pharmaceuticals: Pfizer foresees slowdown as COVID drug demand slows down, CNBC reports.
Speaking of Covid, we can’t help but remember the pandemic:
Day 1: We have stocked up on enough non-perishable food and supplies to last us for months, maybe years, so we can remain in isolation and recover our strength to finally beat the long-lasting effects of this godforsaken virus
Day 1+30 minutes: We are at the Supermarket because we want a Twix
In 2020, a bar in our local neighbourhood was delivering entire litres of their premixed margaritas for $15 and you got a complimentary roll of toilet paper and hand sanitizer with your purchase and it really felt like there were just no f**king rules anymore
GOOD TIMES
Pfizer said on Tuesday that it expects its sales in 2026 to stay mostly flat, while CEO Albert Bourla works to rebuild the company after demand for COVID vaccines, Paxlovid, and other blockbuster products has cooled off.
The pharma giant’s stock has also taken a heavy hit, dropping more than 50% from its pandemic peak.
In response, Pfizer is now aiming to trim over $7 billion in costs by 2027 as part of a massive belt-tightening plan.
And in true Big Pharma fashion: the company is still making aggressive moves: in November, Pfizer struck a $10 billion deal to acquire obesity-drug startup Metsera, beating Novo Nordisk in what was essentially a corporate Hunger Games.
Pfizer’s message is clear: even with slowing COVID revenue, it’s not stepping off the field- just switching strategies.
Big Pharma right now: “If COVID won’t make the money, the weight-loss wars will.”
Business x Food: The globally known California Pizza Kitchen looks for new leadership.
Five years after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the chain is officially being scooped up by a new investor group led by Consortium Brand Partners, according to a Reuters report.
The exact price tag wasn’t shared, but earlier estimates suggest the deal clocks in somewhere below $300 million.
As part of the makeover, the new CEO will take over the restaurant side of the operation.
The new team will also keep steering the consumer packaged goods division, so your frozen CPK pizzas aren’t going anywhere(yeahhh y’all can relax now).
“CPK be like: new owners, same crust.”
The new leadership isn’t just here to rearrange the toppings. They’re planning to grow beyond CPK’s existing 120 restaurants, which already pull in nearly $1 billion annually.
The expansion will lean heavily on franchise partners.
In short: new owners, new CEO, same iconic pizza- just coming soon to more places.
Big Tech: OpenAI is in serious talks with Amazon about a potential investment that could top $10 billion.
The conversations are part of OpenAI’s broader effort to secure massive funding as it prepares to scale up its AI infrastructure and support explosive growth, Reuters reports.
A big piece of the negotiations involves Amazon’s AI chips (Trainium), which OpenAI may use to power its systems.
If this goes through, it would represent a deeper technology and financial partnership between two of tech’s biggest names.
This all comes as OpenAI is eyeing a possible initial public offering that could value the company near $1 trillion.
Amazon’s backing- if finalized- would significantly boost that trajectory. The discussions are still early and subject to change, and neither side has publicly confirmed details yet.
Quicker Bites:
- Global markets are mixed as investors wait for US inflation data expected later this week.
- Japan is considering new economic stimulus measures amid slowing consumer spending.
- European airlines are warning of holiday travel disruptions due to strikes and weather concerns.
- Oil prices inched higher as OPEC signaled deeper production cuts for early next year.
- The UK government faces backlash over newly proposed migration limits.
- China’s tech sector is seeing renewed investor interest after regulators signaled easing pressure on major firms.
- Middle East tensions continue to affect regional security talks as diplomatic efforts stall.
Business Eye 
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