Online startup Crowd Cow wants to disrupt the meat market. The stakes have never been higher.

Crowd Cow, which just went national this summer, says it’s on track to record at least $7 million in sales this year. The “cow sharing” company founded by two tech startup veterans lets customers order the cuts and quantity of beef they want directly from a farm, and have it delivered to their homes. For ranchers, it allows them to sell their whole cows. But it’s also stirred up some controversy because it has sold some luxury Japanese beef, which critics say doesn’t follow its ethos of peddling local, sustainable meat. Read more at Grist…

Supermarkets are now using blockchain to keep food fresh

IBM has partnered with Walmart, Dole, Kroger and more to use blockchain technology to track food through its journey to the shelf—which would, in turn, make it easier to track down contaminated food when a foodborne illness outbreak occurs. Read more at Quartz…

One in every 12 senior citizens is hungry

In 2015, more than 5 million seniors lacked access to enough food to remain healthy or had limited access to nutritionally adequate foods, according to a new report from Feeding America. In 2001, the number was half that. Interestingly, the number of seniors that are food insecure have incomes above the poverty line, and less than half of eligible seniors are enrolled in SNAP. Read more at The New Food Economy...

Millennials and women trading soda for energy, sports drinks

People between the ages of 25 and 32 are most likely to consume energy and sports drinks, according to Packaged Facts. While women are less likely than men to drink them, millennial women and women over 50 exceed their male counterparts in consumption. Read more at Convenience Store News…

This woman quit her day job to start a ‘Whole Foods for dogs.’ Now it’s a million-dollar business

Marsha Lindsey, a former corporate lobbyist, left her career to open the high-end pet store Lucky Dog Barkery in Dallas that she designed with the feel of an old hardware store in mind. And she’s had great success. Read more at CNBC…