5@5: CDC reports little progress targeting foodborne illness outbreaks | Walmart unveils AI-powered 'store of the future'

Little progress made on targeting incidences of foodborne illness, according to new CDC report

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that foodborne illness outbreaks have increased in recent years. Regardless of whether we are just better able to detect instances of foodborne illness as technology improves, it is clear that “consumers need more effective protections against contaminated food." Read more at New Food Economy …

Walmart unveils an AI-powered store of the future, now open to the public

Walmart’s new “store of the future,” which officially opened on Wednesday in Levittown, New York, uses AI-enabled cameras as well as interactive displays and spans 50,000 square feet. Unlike AI-powered store Amazon Go, Walmart's version is staffed by over 100 employees and uses the AI-powered cameras mainly to monitor inventory levels in real time. Read more at Tech Crunch …

Supreme Court’s ruling on making SNAP retail data public has broad public health implications

The USDA has thus far refused to share publicly the individual SNAP sales data from food retailers, but several food access advocates are making the case that the data could “offer a clearer picture of the challenges associated with food access across the country.” To them, revealing the data would help food access programs develop better methods of incentivizing healthy eating and distributing food in more helpful way. Read more at Civil Eats …

Researchers say adding sweet smells to food could cut sugar intake and help tackle obesity

Groundbreaking new research has shown that taste cells on the tongue also contain odor-detecting proteins. This opens up the possibility “of using odours to trick us into healthier eating—for example by adding a very low concentration of an odour to a food to make us think it is sweeter than it is—thereby reducing the need for sugar and helping tackle the obesity crisis.” Read more at The Guardian …

Kombucha is as bad for your teeth as soda is, according to dentists

It’s been a bad press week for kombucha, with multiple media outlets reporting that the beloved fizzy health drink is actually on par with soda in terms of destroying teeth’s protective barrier. In spite of this, there are several helpful dentist-approved tips for consumers who want to continue enjoying kombucha, such as sipping on brands that nix the sugar and pairing the beverage with foods lower in acidity. Read more at Delish …