5@5: Fresh trends | Nestlé takes stake in meal startup Freshly5@5: Fresh trends | Nestlé takes stake in meal startup Freshly

Trends in produce

We know what's trending in center-aisle categories (hello, jerkies and bars), but what innovation is happening in the produce section? Snack packs, meal kits and DIY products are a few examples. Read more at Supermarket News...

Nestle leads $77M round for healthy meal startup Freshly

First Unilever. Then Campbell. Now Nestlé is taking a chance on convenient meals with an investment in Freshly that will help fund the company's national expansion. The startup delivers a full week of healthy meals (sans 85 banned ingredients) that customers pop in the microwave or stove. Read more at Tech Crunch...

What is Lidl? 5 things the German grocer is bringing to America

Buried underneath last week's news that Amazon was buying Whole Foods was another important story impacting the grocery industry: the German grocery chain Lidl opened its first 10 stores in the U.S. It already has some 10,000 stores in 27 countries and is hoping to win over U.S. consumers with deep discounts, smaller stores and cheap wine. Read more at The Washington Post...

Ikea aims to halve food waste at its restaurant by mid-2020

The furniture retailer—which also doubles as one of the world's biggest restaurant chains—throws away around 43,000 tons of food a year. A project launched last year at 84 of its restaurants resulted in a reduction of 79 tons of waste, but there's still much work to do. Read more at Reuters...

Many Americans taking too much vitamin D

Nearly 20 percent of Americans taking supplemental vitamin D, and in a recent study, researchers found that 3.2 percent of people take the maximum recommended amount (4,000 IU) or more—which could lead to excess blood calcium and phosphates. Read more at Reuters...