Amazon starts free, 2-hour Whole Foods deliveries in fresh test of grocery model

Amazon Prime Now customers in Austin, Cincinnati, Dallas and Virginia Beach will soon be able to have their Whole Foods groceries delivered for free within two hours after ordering, or within one hour for a $7.99 fee. Amazon says it plans to eventually expand the delivery efforts, which include fresh produce, meat, seafood, flowers and other items, across the U.S. In the past, the e-commerce giant has struggled to make grocery delivery work, ultimately scaling back its AmazonFresh service last year, but it still works with delivery partner Instacart. The move is the latest milestone in the integration of Whole Foods and Amazon following the $13.7 billion acquisition last summer. Read more at USA Today…

More depart from Grocery Manufacturers Association

Kraft Heinz Co. and DowDuPont are the latest to part ways with the trade association, joining Campbell, Nestle, Mars, Unilever and others, according to Politico. GMA, meanwhile, maintains that it’s working to adapt to a changing marketplace. Read more at Ag Net West…

The digital secret to storefront ‘surprise and delight’

Surprise, then delight. That’s the formula for connecting with shoppers today, according to Trevor Sumner of Perch in this article that explores how retailers are using digital displays and augmented reality as part of their omnichannel approach. Read more at PYMNTS…

High-tech meat is the unstoppable, sustainable food trend of 2018

The fact that Memphis Meats, a cell-cultured meat startup, has garnered investment money from Tyson, Bill Gates, Richard Branson and Kimbal Musk is just one sign that the meat replacement market is a hotbed of innovation. Read more at Mind Body Green…

US organic fresh produce sales reach nearly $5 billion in 2017

Americans bought nearly 2 million pounds of organic produce in grocery stores last year—10 percent more volume than the previous year, according to new data released by the Organic Produce Network and Nielsen. In dollars, that came out to $2.4 billion in organic fresh vegetables, $1.6 billion in fruit and $1 billion in value-added produce items. Read more at The Produce News…