Organic food news

• EPIC Provisions offers first CPG product to carry Savory Institute’s regenerative agriculture seal

  23-10-2018 18:03 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  
  A model based on regenerative agriculture has been at the heart of the EPIC Provisions company mission since its founding in 2013. Now it has become the first consumer food brand to carry the science-based Land to Market Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV) trademarked seal on its sweet & spicy sriracha beef bites, with more products to feature the seal in the near future.
  
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• Bantam Bagels acquired for $34m: ‘We have an innovation pipeline that crosses well beyond the breakfast section’

  23-10-2018 17:07 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  
  Bantam Bagels â known for its mini stuffed bagels found at Starbucks locations nationwide and in the frozen foods aisle of 16,000 retail stores â has been growing at such a high velocity that it needed an industry partner to support its explosive growth.
  
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• New RangeMe tool delivers insights into what retail buyers are looking for next

  23-10-2018 17:02 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  
  Market sales data â if you can afford it â will tell you what's trending now, says online platform RangeMe, which connects retail buyers and suppliers. But how do you know what buyers are looking for next? And how can you get a clearer sense of how you stack up against the competition?
  
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• Can Eating Organic Food Lower Your Cancer Risk?

  23-10-2018 15:26 via Organic Foods and Products
  In a study, those who ate more organic produce, dairy, meat and other products had 25 percent fewer cancer diagnoses over all, especially lymphoma and breast cancer.
  
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• Chinova Bioworks self-affirms GRAS for natural chitosan preservative

  23-10-2018 15:18 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  
  An independent expert panel recently affirmed the GRAS status of New Brunswick-based Chinova Bioworks' mushroom-derived chitosan for use in food and beverages. The company is now working in parallel to file with the US FDA.
  
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• NEW HIRES GALLERY: Altschul takes the helm at Siggi’s, changes at the top at Tyson, Coca Cola, Welch’s, Albertsons

  23-10-2018 02:33 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  
  Checkout who is moving onwards and upwards in FoodNavigator-USA's latest new hires gallery, featuring Coca-Cola, Siggiâs, Albertsons, Hormel, Tyson Foods, Welchâs, Soylent, Rebbl, Farmhouse Culture, Boulder Organic Foods, Nutriati, Firmenich, Humm Kombucha, Incredible Foods, Ferrero, and Bumble Bee Foods.
  
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• Kite Hill seals $40m investment round led by General Mills' 301 INC

  22-10-2018 18:20 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  
  Plant-based 'chef-inspired' food brand Kite Hill has closed a $40m capital raise led by General Mills' venture arm 301 INC. with participation from CAVU Venture Partners, which according to CEO Rob Leibowitz, will be put towards expanding production and fueling brand growth.
  
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• Tillamook CEO talks dairy innovation and ambitions of reaching $1bn in sales

  22-10-2018 17:49 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  
  Tillamook County Creamery Association has had a loyal regional following in the Pacific Northwest for more than 100 years (founded in 1909), but in order to secure its next 100 years the dairy co-operative needed to execute a national growth strategy set forth by CEO Patrick G. Criteser who has ambitions of hitting $1bn in annual sales.
  
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• California Olive Ranch: ‘The global olive oil industry is going through a fundamental transition'

  22-10-2018 17:21 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  
  In the scheme of things, California is still a pretty small player in the US olive oil market, accounting for around 5% of consumption. But given that this figure was just 1.5% when Greg Kelley joined leading domestic producer California Olive Ranch in 2006, more than tripling your market share in just over a decade is no mean feat, he points out.
  
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• The key role farm workers play in produce safety

  22-10-2018 06:06 via Food Safety News
  MOUNT VERNON, WA — They’re out there on the front lines waging a battle against dangerous pathogens that can contaminate your food and make you sick or even kill you. Yet most people don’t even think about them when they buy their food.
  Who are these food-safety soldiers? None other than the farmworkers, the people who harvest and pack the fruits and vegetables you buy. Most people don’t see them simply because they’re often working far from towns, cities or major t
  
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• Free on-farm food safety workshop for produce farms

  22-10-2018 06:05 via Food Safety News
  Editor’s Note: Workshops like this one below in King County, WA are being held around the country to help growers comply with the Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule.  Cornell University, FDA, and USDA have formed an alliance to prepare fresh produce growers to meet the regulatory requirements included in the latest  Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule. Training sessions based on the alliance’s standard curriculum are being held al
  
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• FDA warns ready-to-eat condiment and hot sauce manufacturers 

  22-10-2018 06:02 via Food Safety News
  A Ready-to-Eat (RTE) single-serve condiment manufacturer from New York and a shelf-stable RTE hot sauce manufacturer are both on notice from the Food and Drug Administration for violations of federal food safety rules.
  The FDA sent warning letters to the companies in September and August of 2018 and posted them for public view in recent days. Companies are allowed 15 working days to respond to FDA warning letters. Failure to promptly correct violations can result in legal action withou
  
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• EFSA assesses avian influenza risk from raw poultry and eggs

  22-10-2018 06:01 via Food Safety News
  The probability of infection by low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) through eating contaminated raw poultry meat or raw table eggs is “negligible”, according to estimates from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
  EFSA said there is a high level of uncertainty on the transmission pathways for poultry and wild birds due to the limited number of studies. Avian influenza viruses are either high or low pathogenic viruses (HPAI and LPAI). A few of them such as A(H5N1) and A(H7N9) i
  
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• Cucumbers suspected in Salmonella illnesses on both sides of border

  22-10-2018 01:51 via Food Safety News
  Salmonella Infantis has sickened Canadians in five provinces, according to Public Health Canada. The likely cause has not been identified with any certainty, but many who became sick report eating cucumbers before becoming ill.
  Public Health Canada says most of the illnesses are centered on British Columbia, which has 37 of the 45 laboratory-confirmed cases. There other four provinces reporting illnesses are Alberta (5); Saskatchewan (1); Manitoba (1), and Quebec (1). The individual from Quebec
  
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• More bad onions behind 398 ton ready-to-eat meat and poultry recall

  22-10-2018 00:34 via Food Safety News
  Bakkavor Foods USA Inc., with facilities in Carson, CA, Charlotte, NC, and Jessup, PA, Sunday recalled  approximately 795,261 pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products that contain an onion ingredient that may be contaminated with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
  The ready-to-eat meat and poultry items were produced from Sept. 27, 2017, through Oct. 15, 2018. The following pr
  
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• Startups at FoodBytes! showcase food waste, AI and plant-based solutions

  21-10-2018 22:53 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  
  Disruptive startups food and agriculture startups focused on reducing waste, using artificial intelligence to deliver higher food and offering more sustainable and plant-based options took center stage at Rabobanksâ FoodBytes! pitch competition and networking event in New York City last week.
  
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• Jenny Craig brand chicken wraps recalled for contaminated vegetables

  21-10-2018 06:02 via Food Safety News
  SK Food Group, located in both  Groveport, OH and Reno, NV this weekend recalled approximately 174,207 pounds of chicken wrap products that contain vegetables that may be contaminated with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
  The SK Food Group on Oct. 14 learned that the vegetables used in the production of their chicken wrap products were being recalled by their vegetable supplier due to Li
  
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• Salmonella and Listeria fears about corn prompts two small chicken salad recalls

  20-10-2018 18:18 via Food Safety News
  Two food-producers using corn as an ingredient recalled ready-to-eat salad products Friday over possible Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes contamination.  Houston-based GHSW, LLC and Caito Foods, LLC  in  Indianapolis were among a growing list of companies recalling food out of fear of the dual contaminants.
  USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) also on Friday said Canada’s McCain Foods was the supplier of the tainted corn in many of the recall
  
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• Eight illnesses reported as 80,000 kg of tuna seized

  20-10-2018 06:05 via Food Safety News
  More than 80,000 kilograms of illicit Bluefin tuna has been seized in Spain and several cases of food poisoning reported due to fish being stored in unsanitary conditions.
  Eight cases were detected after eating the tuna due to the degradation of proteins from the unhygienic conditions in which it was stored. Scombroid food poisoning can occur from eating fish high in histamine after incorrect storage.
  Europol coordinated Operation Tarantelo, run by the Spanish Guardia Civil with the support of F
  
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• Dual contaminants in vegetables cause pork and chicken product recall

  20-10-2018 06:04 via Food Safety News
  Buddy’s Kitchen Inc. in  Burnsville, MN  is recalling approximately 212,746 pounds of ready-to-eat pork and chicken products that contain vegetables that may be contaminated with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
  The ready-to-eat pork and chicken items were produced on various dates from Oct. 19, 2017 through Oct. 9, 2018. The following products are subject to recall:
  • 7.
  
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• Almost 300 sick and one dead due to Salmonella in UK

  20-10-2018 06:02 via Food Safety News
  Authorities in England and Scotland are investigating almost 300 cases and one death of Salmonella Typhimurium linked to lamb and mutton.
  An increase in cases of this particular strain type was identified in July 2017. Prior to this only two cases of the strain had been detected in England. One death related to the outbreak was recorded last year in which Salmonella was thought to be a contributory factor.
  Between July and November last year, the first increase was observed with 95 cases in Engl
  
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• Corn, diced onions and now vegetables cited in dual contamination recalls

  20-10-2018 02:44 via Food Safety News
  Envolve Foods in Corona, CA  is recalling approximately 292,764 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken and beef products that contain a vegetable ingredient that also may be contaminated with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
  It follows other recent recalls of products containing corn and diced onions for possible contamination with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes.   The Envolve Fo
  
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• 124.5 tons of meat and poultry taquitos recalled for dual contamination of diced onions

  20-10-2018 01:10 via Food Safety News
  Diced onions — not corn– with the possible dual contamination from Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes were cited late Friday by Denison, TX-based Ruiz Food Products Inc. for a recall of 124.5 tons of meat and poultry taquitos.   Earlier Friday, Canada’s McCain Foods was named as the supplier in all of the corn-related recalls posted in recent days by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). 
  Ruiz’s announcement that it is recalling approxi
  
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• McCain Foods confirmed as corn supplier behind multiple recalls in U.S.

  20-10-2018 00:00 via Food Safety News
  The USDA today named McCain Foods as the supplier of potentially contaminated corn cited in the string of recalls for a variety of foods from hundreds of retailers in recent days, WalMart, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and 7-Eleven.
  A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) told Food Safety News that, as of this afternoon, McCain Foods had been identified as the supplier in all of the corn-related recalls the agency has posted in recent
  
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• Up to $4.5 million settlement for Hawaii restaurant patrons exposed to Hepatitis A

  19-10-2018 21:02 via Food Safety News
  There is a preliminary settlement of up to $4.5 million in the class action lawsuit brought on behalf of people exposed to hepatitis A, but who did not become ill, from eating at Genki Sushi restaurants in Hawaii in 2016.
  Seattle-based Marler Clark, the nation’s food safety law firm, and prominent Hawaii firms of Perkin and Faria, and Starn, O’Toole, Marcus, and Fisher represent the class.
  Qualified class members are entitled to receive up to $350, $250, or $150 by submitting a claim
  
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• Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: ‘Food connected consumers’ could have broader reach than ‘foodies’

  19-10-2018 20:10 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  New consumer research suggests that targeting so-called âfoodiesâ to leverage their influence for expanded brand awareness may not be as effective as appealing to an emerging, much larger and potentially more powerful segment known as the âfood connected consumer.â
  
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• Wandering Bear Coffee rolls out cold brew line nationwide in Target stores

  19-10-2018 18:14 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  
  Cold brew coffee, once a trendy coffee shop menu item or made at-home in mason jars by enthusiasts, has been teetering on the brink of mainstream acceptance with scores of brands introducing on-the-go products at major retail chains, such as Wandering Bear Coffee's recent national roll-out to Target stores.
  
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• FOOD FOR KIDS panelist preview: Bitsy’s organic kids' snacks grows its business by putting kids first

  19-10-2018 18:08 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  
  Bitsyâs is aiming to change the way the industry and consumers look at kids snacks, a still underdeveloped category with much potential for collaboration between the food industry and parents, according to co-founder Maggie Patton.
  
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• FoodPrint.org wants to make it easier for consumers to understand labels and certifications

  19-10-2018 18:07 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  
  A newly launched nonprofit project called FoodPrint.org aims to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions at the grocery store by presenting information on how food items travel through the supply chain in its one-stop-shop website.
  
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• SmartSensor promises better quality control for higher profits

  19-10-2018 14:13 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  
  An instrument that can rapidly take analytical measurements in food products during the production line could mean significant savings for manufacturers, say its developers.
  
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• Is enough being done to weather the cocoa sector against climate change & cocoa shortages?

  19-10-2018 13:14 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  Climate change is one of the biggest long-term threats to cocoa production. But is enough being done today to make the sector more resilient?
  
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• Incremental innovation or game-changing NPD: Have Unilever and Nestlé really started to tap new trends?

  19-10-2018 11:14 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  
  Two giants of the global food sector - Unilever and Nestlà - reported increased sales momentum yesterday (18 October). The news will be welcome respite for the two âbig foodâ manufacturers who have seen market share come under pressure from the fragmentation of the global food market. But does it point to a turning tide?
  
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• Walmart’s Yiannas agrees to take FDA’s top food safety job when Ostroff retires

  19-10-2018 06:05 via Food Safety News
  Analysis
  It came as no surprise that 54-year old Frank M. Yiannas, FDA’s newly named deputy commissioner for food policy and response, would be the one for the job.
  After the romaine lettuce fiasco and deadly E. coli outbreak linked to it earlier this year, somebody had to tell the fresh produce industry they have only until September 2019 to get on a blockchain network to track their product from farm to store.
  Frank Yiannas
  Yiannas, who is stepping down as vice president for food safety
  
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• Study documents that irrigating crops with wastewater can spread disease

  19-10-2018 06:03 via Food Safety News
  Urban farmers growing vegetables in Africa could accidentally be helping to spread disease by irrigating crops with wastewater, according to researchers.
  In a report published in the Environmental Research journal, the scientists found evidence in Burkina Faso canal water samples of virulent pathogens commonly responsible for waterborne diseases which could lead to people that are directly or indirectly exposed suffering from acute diarrhea, chronic gastritis and gastroenteritis.
  If the water is
  
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• McCain Foods recall causes Hy-Vee to recall meat, poultry, potato products

  19-10-2018 06:02 via Food Safety News
  Grocery retailer Hy-Vee Inc. is recalling some of its meat, poultry, and potato products because they contain mushrooms and tomatoes that McCain Foods has recalled because of potential bacterial contamination.
  Hy-Vee officials said in a notice yesterday that McCain Foods recalled the implicated caramelized mushrooms and fire-roasted tomatoes because of possible contamination with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. McCain Foods is a multinational corporation that specializes in froze
  
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• One ill in Sweden due to mislabeled beans; favism suspected

  19-10-2018 06:01 via Food Safety News
  One person in Sweden has fallen ill after incorrectly preparing chickpeas and beans that were not labelled correctly.
  Sweden issued a Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) notification after a report from the Sollentuna authority that a person had fallen ill. It was initially thought to be food poisoning but later changed to risk of favism.
  Favism is a genetic disease that affects people with a deficiency in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD), an enzyme that is essential for survi
  
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• BULLETIN: Ostroff retiring from FDA; Walmart’s Yiannas moving to agency

  18-10-2018 18:39 via Food Safety News
  In a letter to staff, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food and Veterinary Medicine Dr. Stephen Ostroff announced he will be retiring in January 2019. Frank Yiannas, Walmart’s vice president for food safety will leave the mega-retailer to fill the void at the agency.
  The FDA deputy commissioner position is being eliminated. Yiannas will go into the agency under the title Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response.
  FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb says Yiannas will report directly to h
  
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• Lawmaker says new outbreak shows USDA, poultry industry need to act

  18-10-2018 06:06 via Food Safety News
  Five years after U.S. representatives wrote to the USDA about the agency’s “unacceptable” response to Salmonella outbreaks traced to chicken, one of the lawmakers says déjà vu is not acceptable as a food safety policy.  
  Federal health officials announced yesterday that 92 people are confirmed infected in a new outbreak of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella Infantis traced to raw chicken. A few hours later, Rep. Rosa DeLauro D-CT, issued a statement telling indu
  
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• Four STEC infections; one person dead after exposure to raw pet food

  18-10-2018 06:05 via Food Safety News
  Four people were infected with Shiga toxin producing E. coli (STEC) O157 last year from exposure to raw pet food, according to a Public Health England report.
  In August 2017, the cluster infected with genetically related strains of STEC O157 was identified. The strains possessed the Shiga toxin (stx) 2a subtype, associated with more severe disease and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Three cases were hospitalized and one person died following development of HUS.
  Contact w
  
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• Catfish was on the menu for meetings with top USDA food safety officials

  18-10-2018 06:02 via Food Safety News
  Carmen Rottenberg and Paul Kiecker, USDA’s top food safety executives, met last Sept. 4 with Corey Rosenbusch and Lowell Randel of the Global Cold Chain Alliance about export issues.Rosenbusch and Randel’s expertise in temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics.
  According to the public calendar issued by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, it was the first of several meetings held during September by top FSIS officials with persons outside t
  
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• EU agencies practice response to multi-country foodborne outbreak

  18-10-2018 06:01 via Food Safety News
  Five European food safety agencies have met to practice response to an emergency food safety incident.
  The Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) of Germany, Economic and Food Safety Authority (ASAE) in Portugal, Spanish Agency for Consumer Affairs, Food Safety and Nutrition (AECOSAN), UK Food Standards Agency and Food Safety Authority of Ireland came together in Berlin earlier this month.
  The event was organized by the Joint Initiative Food Emergency Exercise (JIFEE) workin
  
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• Potentially contaminated corn prompts grocery chain to recall chicken salad

  18-10-2018 06:00 via Food Safety News
  A regional grocery chain headquartered in St. Louis is recalling chicken salad from 32 of its stores because it contains corn from a third-party supplier that has been recalled because of possible Listeria contamination.
  Schnuck Markets Inc. did not name the supplier of the corn or report how the potential contamination was discovered. 
  Similarily, other companies have recalled products in recent days saying they contain corn from a third-party supplier. Those recalls report the supplier wa
  
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• Online grocery sales more than tripled in past five years, expected to quadruple in next five

  17-10-2018 18:39 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  
  A report by market research firm Packaged Facts revealed that online groceries more than tripled between 2013 and 2018, though it still accounted for only 2% of total grocery spending.
  
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• Unilever launches mission-based Culture Republick probiotic ice cream

  17-10-2018 18:35 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  
  Unilever has introduced a premium, light, probiotic ice cream brand called Culture Republick containing three billion live cultures per pint from the patented strain GanedenBC30.
  
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• Plantible Foods targets food industry with plant-based duckweed protein that ‘functions like an egg white’

  17-10-2018 18:02 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  
  The plant-based protein market continues to evolve and diversify with companies cultivating new and novel sources, such as California-based Plantible Foods that's working with the aquatic plant Lemna (also known as duckweed) that it says offers benefits unmatched by other plant-based protein sources.
  
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• Investing in the future of food: Quevos co-founders share strategies to win with buyers & get on shelf

  17-10-2018 12:53 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  The days of landing a spot on store shelves simply by walking into a retailer without an appointment and wowing an employee with an unbranded, unpackaged product are becoming farther and fewer between as competition in the food and beverage space intensifies.
  
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• GUEST ARTICLE: From 'all natural' advertising to PR nightmare... Reflections on Rice v. National Beverage Corp (LaCroix)

  16-10-2018 23:57 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  
  Itâs a food and beverage manufacturerâs nightmare: the headline on People Magazineâs website announces you were sued in a class action because your 'always 100% natural' sparkling water allegedly contains an ingredient used in 'cockroach insecticide.' Itâs an all-too-common nightmare for companies that market 'all natural' food and drinks.
  
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• Instacart raises $600m in latest funding round: ‘The industry is at a tipping point’

  16-10-2018 18:41 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  
  Instacart has raised $600m in a financing round led by D1 Capital Partners, bringing its total funding raised â in Iess than one year â to $1.6bn, raising the e-commerce companyâs valuation to $7.6bn.
  
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• Apple sales soften but specific retail strategies could ripen the category

  16-10-2018 17:35 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  
  While available year-round, apple sales typically peak around the harvest season running from late August through early October. However, this year, dollar sales have contracted 5% over the last 52 weeks (ending Sept. 15, 2018), according to Nielsen data.
  
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• AeroFarms addresses environmental & sustainability concerns with aeroponic growing techniques

  16-10-2018 15:30 via FoodNavigator-USA RSS
  
  At a time when the rapidly growing human population is increasing food production demands, the Earth is pushing back and limiting yields previously garnered through traditional farming methods â inspiring companies such as AeroFarms to look for new ways to grow enough food to feed the world, according to a company executive.
  
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