The leading US cell-based meat startups just forged an alliance

Five companies leading the cell-cultured meat and fish movement in the U.S. today announced that they are banding together to form a group called the Alliance for Meat, Poultry and Seafood Innovation in order to better represent themselves as an industry with a unified voice. JUST, Memphis Meats, Finsless Foods, BlueNaly and Fork and Goode hope to work toward overcoming the remaining regulatory, technological and educational barriers preventing cell-cultured meat products from being brought to market and widely accepted. Read more at Quartz …

Newly released emails reveal how Monsanto conspired to discredit its critics

Cargill, one of North America’s largest beef processors, has invested $75 million in Beyond Meat’s pea protein supplier. This funding will allow the supplier, Puris, to “own and operate three facilities in North America that focus solely on pea protein production.” Beyond Meat, in turn, will be able to increase production of its popular meat substitute to fulfill the booming consumer demand. Read more at New Food Economy …

Duped in the deli aisle? ‘No nitrates added’ labels are often misleading

A new report reveals that terms such as “no nitrates added” mean little to nothing when it comes to processed meat labels—in spite of the fact that consumers tend to view these products as healthier. Processed meats with the “no nitrates added” label were found to contain the same nitrate and nitrite levels as traditionally cured meats, so even though their curing agents were derived from natural sources rather than synthetic sodium nitrate, the health risks are equal. Read more at NPR …

Is titanium dioxide in sunscreen safe for skin?

Titanium dioxide was recently cleared for UV protection in a February report from USDA, although the ingredient has been under scrutiny in scientific literature since 2011. But scientists recently confirmed that titanium dioxide is nontoxic to skin cells in small amounts, and that even in nanoparticle form the substance can protect cells against UV damage. Read more at Inverse …

Amazon has ceded control of its site. The result: Thousands of banned, unsafe or mislabeled products

Amazon is struggling to police its site as third-party sellers continue to offer subpar, and often dangerous, products; recent lawsuits resulting from this lack of authority underscore the fact that America’s tech giants “have lost control of their massive platforms—or decline to control them.” And yet: These sellers are crucial to Amazon’s business because they comprise 60% of physical merchandise sales from the site. Read more at The Wall Street Journal …