5@5: Califia raises $225M | USDA to reassess calorie counts

Almond milk maker Califia raises $225 million on coattails of Beyond Meat IPO

Investors are rushing to back plant-based milk makers as cow milk consumption continues to fall, and Califia Farms plans on using its recently acquired capital in part to expand its oat milk-based offerings. Oat milk sales grew a whopping 662% in 2019. Read more at Reuters…

USDA scientists are rethinking calorie counts. Good news: They’re lower than we thought

As it turns out, calorie estimates for popular foods like almonds, chickpeas and lentils could be way off target; scientists are discovering that the caloric bioavailability of these foods is lower than was previously determined. But many experts are simultaneously calling for a reevaluation of how much sway the still-misunderstood calorie should have over our eating habits. Read more at New Food Economy…

How chickens became like Apple and Android phones

Most chickens are incredibly fertile, and this has led farmers to be able to produce thousands and thousands of them from just a few top specimens. As an unfortunate consequence of this—and other factors such as antibiotic overuse—chicken is now considered to be one of the world's most threatened bird species. Read more at Heated…

PepsiCo’s U.S. operations will be powered by 100% renewable electricity this year

PepsiCo recently announced its plans to bring solar power to all of its U.S. direct operations as part of a goal to cut global emissions 20% by 2030. The company's U.S. operations currently account for half of its global electricity consumption. Read more at Fast Company…

The dark side of 'compostable' take-out containers

Bioplastics, though increasingly popular, are proving to be a tough sell for most compost manufacturing facilities. Flaws in the system are making it nearly impossible for these operations to sort through the refuse successfully, making it clear that reusable rather than compostable is the way forward. Read more at Eater…