Every week we track the business, tech and investment trends in CPG, retail, restaurants, agriculture, cooking and health, so you don’t have to. Here are some of this week’s top headlines.
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1. Atkins Owner to Acquire Protein-Food Maker Quest for $1B – Food Dive
Simply Good Foods Company, the maker of meal kits, breads, pizzas, frozen foods, shakes, bars and other products under the Atkins brand, is buying Quest Nutrition for $1 billion. The pairing of Atkins and Quest will result in a nutritional snacking company with combined net sales of more than $800 million annually, the companies said.
2. Target is Launching Grocery Brand Good & Gather in Bid to Boost Its Food Business – CNBC
The brand will include more than 2,000 items ranging from organic snacks to fresh salad mixes and frozen meals. Target expects Good & Gather to be a multibillion-dollar brand by the end of 2020.
3. Whole Foods CEO on Plant-Based Meat Boom: Good For The Environment But Not For Your Health – CNBC
“I don’t think eating highly processed foods is healthy. I think people thrive on eating whole foods,” says John Mackey.
4. Plant-Based Eggs Are Starting to Compete With the Real Thing – Quartz
JUST announced 2,100 Kroger-owned stores will sell its plant-based liquid eggs. According to IRI, the vegan liquid eggs are the second-best performing in the category.
5. The Banana is One Step Closer to Disappearing – National Geographic
A fungus that devastates banana plants has now arrived in Latin America, the Colombian government confirms.
6. How to Help the Amazon Rainforest: 9 Things You Can Do During the Fires and Beyond – Fast Company
7. The Barbaric History of Sugar in America – The New York Times
How sugar became the “white gold” that fueled slavery — and an industry that continues to exploit black lives to this day.
8. Diet Brand Whole30 Opens its First Delivery-Only Restaurant in Chicago – Eater
The company is partnering with restaurant group Lettuce Entertain You and GrubHub to launch the delivery only restaurants that offers items that adhere to the diet.
9. In The Largest Prosecution of Organic Fraud in U.S. History, Iowa Grain Seller Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison – The New Food Economy
After being sentenced, Randy Constant was found dead, apparently by suicide.
10. Rebranded Ginkgo Spinout & Ingredients Innovator Motif FoodWorks Raises $27.5M, Hones in on Animal-Free – AgFunder
General Atlantic lead the round with participation from CPT Capital. Motif FoodWorks will use Ginkgo’s fermentation technology to provide food companies with ingredients for alternative protein product lines in the plant-based and meat alternatives space.
11. The Rise of the Pea: How an Unassuming Legume Emerged as a Frontrunner in the Race to Replace Meat and Dairy – TIME
A look at how and why peas have become so popular
12. This Startup Created Compostable Plastic Wrap That’s Made From Shellfish Shells – Fast Company
The plastic films CuanTec makes out of shellfish shells that are left over from seafood production is naturally antimicrobial and lets people keep using plastic wrap without worrying about plastic.
13. McDonald’s Just Launched Its First New Type of Restaurant Since the Drive-Thru — Here’s What It’s Like to Eat There – Business Insider
McDonald’s recently launched its first “McDonald’s to Go” restaurant in London. It has no seating areas and serves only takeout.
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