5@5: Is dark money behind vitamin D surge? | Vacant shops get new life as D.C.s5@5: Is dark money behind vitamin D surge? | Vacant shops get new life as D.C.s

Vitamin D, the sunshine supplement, has shadowy money behind it

A Boston University endocrinologist, Dr. Michael Holick, is a vitamin D enthusiast. He has argued in numerous papers that we humans are deficient in the mineral and we face disease and suboptimal health as a result. He advocates for widespread blood tests for vitamin D levels and pushes for supplementation in most people. But are his intentions good, or is he the mouthpiece of a pro-vitamin D cartel? Read more at The New York Times …

Why The Sam's Club store-to-distribution-center makeover is the shape of things to come

As consumers continue to embrace e-commerce, many brick-and-mortar stores are closing, leaving possibly hundreds of abandoned buildings behind. Walmart has found one way to employ some of those properties, as well as some of the people living nearby. The company is converting a shuttered Sam’s Club into a fulfillment center for online orders. The Chicagoland site is the second to be changed. Read more at Forbes …

State can label widely used herbicide as possible carcinogen

In yet another court battle regarding glyphosate, a California state appellate court has decided that listing the herbicide as possible carcinogen is OK. Glyphosate is the main ingredient in Monsanto’s widely used Roundup weed killer. Earlier this year, a federal judge ruled that California cannot require a warning label be placed on glyphosate products; Monsanto sued the state in state and federal courts after health officials put the product on the list in July 2017. Read more at SF Gate …

Nestlé USA denies it misled consumers over ‘No GMO’ seal

Nestlé USA says a Geneva, Switzerland-base company certified that the products labeled non-GMO actually are not genetically modified. Last month, a California woman filed a lawsuit against Nestlé USA, arguing that some of the company’s products that are labeled non-GMO contain genetically engineered ingredients. Read more at Natural Products Insider …

This app makes you a personalized nutrition label for any food

Pinto, a new app, can help consumers on special diets find products with the ingredients they want, while keeping them away from foods they should not eat. The company behind Pinto worked with food manufacturers and large grocery retailers to create a database of foods and ingredients. The app also knows what’s allowed and prohibited in certain diets, so it alerts the consumer if a product is a good or bad fit. All the consumer has to do is scan the label. Read more at Fast Company …