Happy weekend! We’re packing our bags and preparing to fly to San Francisco next week for ArticulATE, The Spoon’s conference on all things food and robotics. It’s the first one of its kind, and we can’t wait!
But first, this week’s food-tech news. We’ve got some great stories from around the web, including rollouts from Soylent and Impossible Foods, a new food waste strategy from the U.S. government, and some really *chill* cold brew.
Evo Hemp unveils CBD-infused cold brew
This week Evo Hemp partnered with Forest Coffee Trading Co. to launch a new product: CBD-infused cold brew coffee. CBD, the non-hallucinogenic chemical in cannabis rumored to promote relaxation, has been showing up a lot in coffee lately, and is hailed as a way to eliminate caffeine jitters. Each 12-ounce bottle of Evo Hemp’s new cold brew contains 15 mg of Evo Hemp CBD extract. Cases of 12 bottles are available online and cost $60.
Soylent comes to Walmart stores across U.S.
Getting your hands on a sweet meal replacement beverage just got a lot easier. This week Soylent, maker of the meal-in-a-bottle drinks, announced it would be in all 4,378 Walmart stores in the U.S. Soylent first launched at Walmart in April of 2018, soon after the company decided to pivot from an e-commerce sales strategy to brick-and-mortar distribution. This expansion means that Soylent will be available in over 20,000 locations across the U.S — at Walmart and elsewhere.
Photo: Catherine Lamb for the Spoon.
Impossible Burger 2.0 now in all White Castles
It’s been one year since White Castle launched the plant-based Impossible Slider, and this week, the fast food chain announced over an emailed press release that it has transitioned to serving the Impossible 2.0 burger. We tried Impossible’s new recipe, which ditches wheat protein for soy and potato, at CES; we were very impressed with the taste. Impossible is rolling out its burger 2.0 at all its restaurant partners, including its new Impossible Whopper with Burger King.
Photo: Tyson.
Tyson Foods invests in food safety testing lab
This week Tyson Foods, the second largest meat processor in the world, announced it was investing in food safety testing company Clear Labs (h/t Bloomberg). Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Clear Labs uses robots and automation to detect pathogens, like E. Coli or salmonella, in 24 hours. This is Tyson’s first investment in the food-safety space, though they’ve also partnered with food transparency startup FoodLogiQ.
Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash
USDA, FDA, and EPA team up on food waste strategy
Food waste is a serious problem in the U.S. (and globally), but this week several governmental agencies took steps to help reduce it. The USDA, EPA, and FDA announced an interagency strategy to help cut back on food waste, focusing their efforts on six different areas including more accurate food expiration dates to increased consumer education. The agencies will also collaborate with private corporations, like Pepsico and Campbell’s, who have promised to reduce their food waste by 50 percent by 2030.
Did we miss anything? Hit us up on Twitter @TheSpoonTech!
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