Will fish get a humanely harvested label? These brothers bet $40 million on it

Store-bought seafood is awash in labels, but there's one designation that many consumers look for in their meat choices that's missing from the seafood discussion: humane treatment. Two brothers and long-time fishermen are trying to change that. The Burns brothers owned a grass-fed cattle ranch on the site and developed a deep admiration for Temple Grandin, a scientist and advocate of better treatment of livestock. Now they've launched a new $40 million fishing vessel, Blue North, designed to catch Pacific cod using bottom longlines—a "best choice" method as determined by Seafood Watch—and a stunning method to prevent fish from thrashing. Humane harvesting of fish isn't just on their minds—the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, the Marine Stewardship Council and Humane Farm Animal Care say it's on their radar, too. Read more at NPR...

The shelf life of John Mackey

"I'm just an Austin, Texas, guy who built a business. It's a lot bigger than I ever thought it would be," John Mackey tells Texas Monthly. This long-read chronicles Whole Foods Market's journey from a small health food store to a giant chain that's just a much gourmet specialty as it is natural, and has now become a victim of its own success. As tensions continue to rise between the Whole Foods co-founder and the hedge fund Jana Partners, which in April snatched up almost 9 percent of its shares and urged it to to overhaul its business or sell, Mackey is fighting to stay true to Whole Foods' mission and make it more than a grocery store. Read more at Texas Monthly...

Clean label isn't losing momentum, so where is it headed?

As the clean label movement continues to grow, a couple ingredient categories remain at the forefront of the discussion—like sweeteners, for example—and certain categories like beverages emerge as areas of innovation. Read more at Food Insider Journal...

Natural products center, USDA team to create natural insect repellents

With the goal of finding safer alternatives to synthetic chemicals, a partnership between the USDA and the University of Mississippi is working on a dozen projects to identify natural sources that act as insect repellents. Read more at Ole Miss...

Olivia Munn invests in jerky startup Chef's Cut

The actress joins the ranks of celebrity food investors with an investment in the jerky brand, which says it's on track to reach $100 million in retail sales this year. Munn has also invested in Uber and Bulletproof Coffee. Read more at Fortune...