1. Loblaw Meal Kits Offer Revenue for Toronto Restaurants
In an expansion of its PC Chef direct-to-home meal kit service, Loblaw will now offer meal kits prepared by local Toronto restaurants. Customers can choose from 15 restaurant meal kits, which include pre-portioned fresh ingredients and step-by-step instructions prepared by the restaurants themselves. By using their existing meal kit infrastructure to support local restaurants, Loblaw could be paving a way forward for partnerships between meal kit services and restaurants, bringing much needed revenue to the foodservice sector and letting consumers enjoy their favorite local staples at home.
Read more on Supermarket News here: Loblaw teams up with local restaurants for meal kit delivery
2. Marfig, Dairy Farmers of America Make Sustainability Strides in Animal Agriculture
The Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) cooperative has committed to a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. This brings the DFA into alignment with the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy’s goal to make the U.S. dairy industry carbon neutral by 2050, according to a DFA press release, and makes DFA the first U.S. dairy cooperative to institute a science-based emissions reduction target. Meanwhile, Marfig has launched Viva, a new line of carbon neutral beef, working with the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation. The carbon neutral Viva beef, which will debut in Brazil later this year, is part of a plan to position the product for increased exports. Both initiatives align with Paris Agreement goals to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
Read more on Food Dive here: Marfrig, US dairy co-op boost sustainability pledge in animal agriculture
3. Leafy Greens Growers Set Sights on Increased Safety for Yuma Growing Season
Leafy greens growers are increasing safety precautions as they transition to the California and Yuma, Arizona, desert regions for the Fall growing season as recent years have seen E. coli outbreaks linked to harvests in this transition period. The added safety measures include increased inspections, added personnel, and more on-farm visits by the California Department of Food and Agriculture and Arizona state inspectors, as well as ongoing safety audits, required irrigation standards, compost monitoring, and traceability requirements.
Read more on The Packer here: Leafy greens growers prepare for Yuma, beef up safety measures
4. Nestlé Makes First Investment in Shift Toward Recycled Plastics
Nestlé, one of the world’s largest food companies, will invest $30 million with the Closed Loop Leadership Fund in an effort to expand its use of sustainable packaging. The Closed Loop fund aims to increase U.S. recycling by 25% and will give Nestlé access to food-grade recycled plastics to use in packaging. While Nestlé has previously said it would aim to reduce its use of virgin plastic by a third by 2025, it was named by a 2018 Greenpeace report to be one of the worst plastic polluters worldwide. Now, this investment comes as part of a $2.1 billion Nestlé initiative to shift away from virgin plastics and toward recycled sources.
Read more on Food Dive here: Nestlé invests $30M in Closed Loop fund to expand sustainable packaging use
5. Walmart Sets a Date for Walmart+ Membership Program Rollout
Walmart announced it will launch Walmart+ for public sign-up September 15, giving details on the long-awaited member subscription service set to compete with Amazon Prime. The program, available at an annual subscription price of $98—or $12.95 per month—offers customers benefits including unlimited free delivery from Walmart stores, discounts at affiliated gas stations, and options for faster in-person shopping such as skipping the checkout line by completing purchases through Walmart’s mobile app.
Read more on Supermarket News here: Walmart unveils long-awaited Walmart+ membership program
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