5@5: FDA cites Whole Foods for 'serious cGMP violations' | Can Big Food and sustainable ag coexist?

Whole Foods plant with drippy ceilings cited for dirty conditions

An FDA warning letter sent to Whole Foods Market last week notes several instances in which inspectors observed unsanitary conditions at a Massachusetts facility where quick-service food is prepared. For example, the letter notes that employees were "cutting chives and beets on a work surface directly underneath a leaking condensate drainage pipe in the Veg Prep Room," and that an "employee’s unprotected upper sleeves were frequently touching ready to eat leafy salad greens as leafy salad greens were packaged into retail packs in the Pre-Pack Room." Read more at Bloomberg...

What if the food industry ended monoculture farming?

Three-quarters of the world's food comes from 12 plants and five animal species, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. But planting the same crops on the same land is draining nutrients from the soil. This entrepreneur suggests that food businesses built on polyculture are key to a better future. Read more at Food+Tech Connect...

Martha Stewart gets into meal kit business

Yes, you really can cook like Martha Stewart. She's just signed a licensing deal with Marley Spoon and Sequential Brands Group Inc. to turn some of her recipes into ready-to-cook meal kits. Read more at The Denver Post...

Natural remedies join over-the-counter meds at new pharmacy

The new Valley Wellness Pharmacy in West Virginia stocks homeopathic and ayurvedic remedies alongside OTC medicines. Read more at Charleston Gazette-Mail...

This machine turns your food waste into gas for cooking

A company based in Israel has developed a biogas system that lets people create renewable energy in their own backyard. Anything from meat to kitty litter can be placed inside the system, where bacteria decomposes the organic matter and releases biogas. Read more at Huffington Post...