Kroger stock soars on strong earnings, same-store sales

Rapid growth in same-store sales and focus on organic and natural foods helped the grocery giant meet analysts expectations for revenue and earnings per share last quarter, sending its stock to a record high Thursday. Read more at Investor's Business Daily...

Industry asks FDA for more time to define 'natural'

The Natural Products Association welcomes the efforts of the FDA to explore defining natural but is asking the agency for an additional 90 days to gather feedback from the industry. Read more at The Hill...

'Less is more': Trend toward fewer ingredients to continue in 2016

Consumer demand for natural ingredients poses a challenge to the food industry, because some ingredients like natural food colors are more expensive and less stable than artificial ones. Read more at Food Dive...

Kakadu plum—Australia's native vitamin C bomb everyone wants a piece of

Indigenous Australians have long used the native fruit, which is the richest source of vitamin C, for its medicinal properties. Recently, it's grabbed the attention of cosmetic and health food companies, and some suppliers are worried about losing the crop to offshore production. Read more at Huffington Post...

New organic plant breeding effort sprouting at UC Davis

Graduate students will lead a program aimed at providing California growers with seeds specially bred for organic farming. “Seeds bred to account for the difference between growing organically and conventionally could improve farm yields and marketing potential for produce, yet organic seeds available to farmers are rarely developed with these organic management considerations in mind,” said Charlie Brummer, director of the UC Davis Plant Breeding Center and coordinator of the new organic breeding project. Read more at University of California...