5@5: Bison's big comeback | Chef: It's time to address food labor issues

Bison returned from the brink just in time for climate change

Bison are making a comeback as a healthy and environmentally friendly source of meat. Their rise is part of a bigger ecological movement that poses that healthy grasslands keep the ecosystem thriving. And unlike some of its peers in the meat industry, the bison industry knows that climate change is both a threat and an opportunity for it. Read more at Bloomberg…

Farm-to-table may feel virtuous, but it’s food labor that’s ripe for change

“The ubiquity that makes farm-to-table meaningless also gives it its power,” writes James Beard Award-winning chef Andrea Reusing. And its rise to mainstream has unhitched it from the values on which the movement was founded, like local food and transparency. Chefs and the food industry should talk more about the economic realities of food production, including ongoing labor issues. Read more at NPR…

With its new Vea brand, Mondelez makes a big millennial bet

Chasing millennials’ hunger for healthier foods and unique ingredients, the owner of Oreos and Ritz launched a new line of crunchy snack products made with butternut squash, chickpeas and quinoa. Read more at AdAge...

PICS soda redesign personifies private-label success

U.S. grocery chain Price Chopper/Market 32’s redesign of its private label sodas reportedly resulted in a significant sales lift, providing an example of how savvy retailers can build brand loyalty with customers as e-commerce increasingly encroaches on brick-and-mortar grocery sales. To appeal to a younger generation, the grocer included bold colors and graphics on the cans, including characters who personify flavors attributes. Read more at Packaging Digest…

Esca Bona conference gathers experts and leaders to tackle big food access issues

The October event will address some of the industry’s biggest challenges including growing organic supply, lowering prices and increasing access to healthy food. Read more at Food Tank…