The future of convenience stores: fewer smokes; more healthy food, upscale jerky

At the National Association of Convenience Stores trade show last week, an evolution in the $550 billion industry was on display. As sales of soda and cigarettes continue to fall, convenience retailers look to healthier options that appeal to millennial consumers, like fresh fruit, protein bars and drinks, and upscale jerky. Read more at Chicago Tribune…

The FDA will decide whether 26 ingredients count as fiber

Inulin, soluble corn fiber and polydextrose—these are some of the isolated or synthetic fibers that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is weighing as it considers what counts as dietary fiber in packaged products. Critics argue that companies use highly processed or synthetic ingredients to make unhealthy foods appear to be high in fiber and, thus, more appealing to health-conscious consumers. But big food industry advocates say that research has shown benefits of at least some of those fibers. Read more at NPR…

True Story Foods expands from local to national brand

It already has a strong presence in grocery stores in California and the Pacific Northwest, but the Fairfield, California-based maker of non-GMO and organic meats is about to go national. Cofounders Rob Engelhart and Phil Gatto pride the company on using old-school, artisanal methods to make their products. True Story took home the NEXTY Award for best new organic food at Natural Products Expo East 2017. Read more at The Reporter News…

Survey: Millennials don’t mind if retailers track their purchases

If the tradeoff is more relevant communications—like notifications of sales that match the categories they’re interested in, or recommended products—seven in 10 millennial shoppers say they are comfortable with retailers tracking their browsing and purchasing behaviors, according to a new report from SmarterHQ. Read more at SmarterHQ…

Northwest Wisconsin Chippewa tribe plans to grow hemp to turn into medicine

The St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin will start their own hemp-growing operations to get in on the budding CBD oil industry. Read more at Wisconsin State Journal…