Food safety and labeling

BrightFarms opens fifth indoor leafy green facility in North Carolina

06-May-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

BrightFarms has opened its latest indoor farm in Hendersonville, North Carolina, capable of producing 2 million pounds of lettuce per year in the Southeast US region which currently has limited options for indoor-grown leafy greens on store shelves, says...

Impossible Foods applauds 9th Circuit ruling over safety of its heme, slams ‘anti-science, anti-GMO activist group’ for ‘spreading lies’

04-May-2021 By Elaine Watson

Impossible Foods has applauded a decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the FDA’s approval of soy leghemoglobin (aka 'heme') - the star ingredient in its plant-based burgers - as a color additive.

Heavy metals in baby food: New York AG demands info on inorganic arsenic from Gerber, Beech-Nut, Hain, Nurture Inc

30-Apr-2021 By Elaine Watson

New York Attorney General Letitia James has requested detailed information from four of the companies named in the recent Congressional report into heavy metals in baby food on their approach to monitoring inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal – the...

Heavy metals in baby food... 69 lawsuits and counting: 'Inconsistent rulings could result in manufacturers being held to different standards...'

28-Apr-2021 By Elaine Watson

At least 69 lawsuits have now been filed against firms named in the recent Congressional Subcommittee report on heavy metals in baby food, prompting a legal wrangle over how best to handle the cases.

CBD watchdog finds 25% of products don’t test for microbials, pesticides, or heavy metals

27-Apr-2021 By Danielle Masterson

A report from a watchdog group found found that just 42% of CBD brands tested all their products for potency. Additionally, the vast majority of products tested were outside the limits of acceptable variance.

Hungry Planet raises $25m to meet ‘pent up demand’ for plant-based meat beyond burgers, sausage

19-Apr-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

After finetuning a diverse range of plant-based meat and seafood that goes far beyond the burger- and sausage-heavy offerings of today, Hungry Planet is ready to ramp up production and distribution of all nine of its proteins across retail, foodservice...

FDA unveils ‘Closer to Zero’ action plan on heavy metals in baby food, cautions that requiring levels that are 'not currently feasible' could be counterproductive

09-Apr-2021 By Elaine Watson

Under pressure to act in the wake of the recent congressional report into heavy metals in baby food, the FDA has unveiled a new action plan - ‘Closer to Zero – setting forth its approach to reducing exposure to toxic elements in foods commonly eaten by...

PBFA slams ‘anti-competitive, anti-free market’ Wisconsin bills targeting plant-based dairy and meat

08-Apr-2021 By Elaine Watson

The Plant Based Foods Association has slammed bills proposing restrictions on the use of terms such as ‘milk’ and ‘meat’ on food labels and restaurant menus in Wisconsin, while state lawmakers insist they are urgently required to prevent consumer confusion....

Study highlights ‘troubling’ absence of animal welfare knowledge in aquaculture

05-Apr-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

With traditional fishing methods in decline, aquaculture – the industrial farming of fish, shellfish, and other aquatic species – is on the rise, but with little knowledge of the impact it’s had on animal welfare, says a team of researchers at New York...

Investing in the Future of Food: RCV Frontline sees potential for startups to fill innovation demand post-pandemic

31-Mar-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

A new early-stage venture capital fund sees significant upside for financing food and beverage startups that may be too small for many other VC investors, but which in a few years could help meet “pent up demand” for innovation from large CPG players...

Baby Food Safety Act proposes maximum levels for heavy metals in baby food, but are they feasible?

26-Mar-2021 By Elaine Watson

The Baby Food Safety Act – just introduced to Congress in the wake of a House Subcommittee report alleging ‘dangerous’ levels of heavy metals in baby foods - sets maximum levels for lead, mercury, cadmium, and inorganic arsenic that are well below internal...

Home baking continues in 2021 giving rise to comfort and wellness trends

22-Mar-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

The trend of home baking, which soared in popularity during the pandemic, is still going strong with sustained elevated sales expected through 2025, according to new market data.

Baby food companies now facing at least 43 lawsuits over heavy metals

15-Mar-2021 By Elaine Watson

Baby food companies named in a recent Congressional Subcommittee report are now facing at least 43 lawsuits about heavy metals in their wares, according to plaintiffs seeking to consolidate all of the cases in New York.

Kroger expands access to indoor vertically-grown produce in the Midwest

10-Mar-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Kroger is expanding its partnership with vertical indoor farming company, 80 Acres Farms, to provide fresh produce to more Midwest consumers.

FDA to set action levels for contaminants in ‘key foods,’ in wake of baby food heavy metals report

05-Mar-2021 By Elaine Watson

Under pressure to act in the wake of the recent congressional report into heavy metals in baby food, the FDA says it will issue "guidance to identify action levels for contaminants in key foods," as lawsuits against baby food brands pile up,...