The low-fat vs. low-carb diet debate has a new answer

Recent research on dietary fat has nudged the public to re-think the notion that fat is bad. Cue the rise of coconut oil, “healthy fats” and the ketogenic diet. In a new study published in The Lancet that followed the diets of 135,000 people from 18 different countries, people on a high-fat diet were 23 percent less likely to die during the seven years of the study than people who ate less fat. On the contrary, people who ate a high-carbohydrate diet had a 30 percent greater risk of death than those on a low-carb diet. Read more at Time…

What happens when supply can’t meet demand in the natural beauty world?

Like food brands, natural beauty brands that use ingredients that grow on trees or vines and are affected by weather, labor and climate, can experience sourcing crises—especially as they scale to met the needs of large retailers like Target who are doubling down on natural personal care products. For example, after finding success with a serum that contained the Southeast Asian ingredient mangosteen, SkinOwl Founder Annie Tevelin couldn’t source enough of the stuff. Jessica Morelli of Palermo Body had the same challenges with organic rose hip oil, and Rachel Winard of Soapwalla had it with jojoba plants. The lesson learned? “Always have a plan B for every ingredient,” Winard says. Read more at Well and Good…

How an Ivy Leaguer’s need for caffeine launched a startup

Tyler Gage, cofounder of Runa, explains how a business plan he wrote in college grew into a full-fledged social enterprise based on the energizing qualities of the Amazonian plant guayusa. Read more at CNN…

Organic hazelnut growers band together

Nearly all hazelnuts grown in the U.S. come from Oregon—but less than 1 percent are organic. Linda Perrine, who runs Honor Earth Farm, has just started the Organic Hazelnut Growers Association to bring awareness to the concerns of the handful of organic growers, including processing. Read more at Capital Press…

Yale grad students look to expand homegrown frozen food line

Kitchen Table, the plant-based meal kit startup that won the Rising Star award at the Natural Products Expo East pitch-slam in 2016, has rebranded as Zoni Foods and launched in six East Coast stores. The next step? Investing in equipment to make production quicker and more efficient. Read more at New Haven Register…