Image Credit: New York Times
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.
In recent high-profile food industry legal decisions, a US federal judge has blocked the proposed $25 billion merger between supermarket giants Kroger and Albertsons following the Federal Trade Commission’s push to prevent potential negative impacts on consumers and workers. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, a UK court has ruled against Oatly and other plant-based dairy alternatives using the term “milk” on their product labels. The judgment represents a significant victory for the dairy industry and may influence global labeling standards.
In other news, we’ve wrapped the first season of our podcast in partnership with AgFunder: New Food Order, a nuanced investigation into the business of tackling our climate and social crises through food and agriculture. Read all about why we launched the podcast, and be sure to subscribe and share!
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1. Federal Judge Blocks $25 Billion Kroger-Albertsons Grocery Merger – NYT
The Federal Trade Commission notched a victory in its efforts to block the supermarket merger over concerns about harm to shoppers and workers.
2. In a U-Turn, UK Court Bans Use of ‘Milk’ on Oatly & Other Plant-Based Dairy Labels – Green Queen
A UK court has dealt a blow to Oatly by ruling that ‘milk’ should not be used on plant-based products, in what is a big win for Big Dairy.
3. Turkey Introduces Regulations for Vegan Product Labeling for the First Time – Vegconomist
Using terms such as “milk” for plant-based beverages is prohibited, while traditional or geographical names associated with animal products cannot be used to prevent deceptive food packaging and misleading claims.
4. Trump Won’t Be Able to Save the Struggling US Beef Industry – Bloomberg
Even before the Republican’s upcoming return to Washington, the country’s cattle industry has been in a deepening rut.
5. Cargill to Cut Thousands of Jobs Globally as Profits Shrink – Bloomberg
The world’s largest agricultural commodities trader will cut 5% of its 164k-strong workforce, owing to corn and soybean prices tumbling and compounded by the smallest US cattle herd in seven decades.
6. Delivery Hero Sees $105M Hit From Making Spanish Riders Employees – Reuters
Delivery Hero will hire freelance riders at its Glovo unit in Spain as full-time employees in order to avoid legal uncertainties.
7. More Clues About What the MAHA Agenda May Look Like – Food Fix
How Robert F Kennedy Jr’s advisor sees food additives as a ‘rigged system.’ The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee releases its scientific report. USDA mandates broad bird flu testing for milk.
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