Court strikes down San Francisco’s soda health warnings

Despite 80 percent of California voters having said they’d support health warning labels on soda advertisements, policies aiming to curb sugary beverage consumption are facing intense industry blowback within the state. Last week, a federal appeals court “unanimously struck down San Francisco’s 2015 law requiring health warnings on ads for sugary beverages, a law which has never been implemented.” The court ruled that the law was an unconstitutional restriction on commercial speech. Read more at New Food Economy …

How energy bars became America’s snack food

The energy bar market hovers around $5 billion globally and has long since expanded from a niche endurance athlete snack to a meal replacement in and of itself. Learn how bars evolved from sports nutrition products to anytime, better-for-you options, and why certain brands have risen meteorically to fame while others are still struggling to become household names. Read more at Outside Online …

How Chinese restaurants are shut out of the organic food movement

Consumer demand for organic continues to grow—except, strangely, when it comes to Chinese food. Even though many Chinese chefs in the Bay Area use organic, sustainable ingredients, consumers have largely pigeonholed the cuisine as cheap and lacking in nutrition. This culinary racism has manifested in an American celebration of Chinese heritage—but only so long as it’s incredibly affordable. Read more at The San Francisco Chronicle …

Ritual raises $25M for its subscription-based women’s daily vitamin

The Los Angeles-based company has raised $41.5 million to date as well as expanded its management team to include a Harvard-trained physiologist and a director of scientific and clinic affairs. The Ritual team plans on introducing a postnatal and post-menopausal vitamin to its arsenal of women-friendly supplements in 2019. Notably the subscription amounts to $30 per month, or a $360 annual price tag, which the brand says is because of additional services provided. Read more at Tech Crunch …

Food industry giants invest $4M in vegan research

Vegan food has evolved into a major point of interest for giants in the food industry, which is why it may come as no surprise that giants Nestlé, Bühler, and Givaudan have now formed The Future Food Initiative. This program “unites leading academics and industrial partners specializing in nutritional science and food technology” in order to “accelerate the development of healthy plant-based food and sustainable products." Read more at Live Kindly  …