5@5: General Mills picks next CEO | Mushrooms, protein and a bitter blocker

General Mills has elected a new CEO

Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey Harmening will take over when Ken Powell retires this summer. Harmening led the company's U.S. retail business, which has faced sales challenges as consumer preferences shift to healthier products and smaller brands. General Mills has made a number of plays in natural in recent years, acquiring Annie's in 2014 and EPIC in 2016, and creating a venture arm that's invested in D's Naturals, Rhythm Superfoods, Good Culture and Kite Hill. Read more at Fortune...

New startup uses mushroom extracts as a natural bitter blocker

Five-year-old MycoTechnology has so far raised $10 million in capital from Seventure Partners, Middleland Capital, S2G Ventures and Closed Loop Capital. It extracts compounds from the roots of mushrooms grown in an aqueous environment to create a complete protein with all nine essential that's easy to digest. It's also used the process to create a bitter blocker so that manufacturers don't have to add tons of sugar to mask off-notes in their products. Read more at Snap Munk...

The government is going to try to persuade you to like GMO foods

Under a bipartisan agreement to keep the government funded through September, the Food and Drug Administration will allocate $3 million to consumer education and outreach on agricultural biotechnology, including genetic engineering of crops and food products made from them. The agreement specifies that FDA will work with the Department of Agriculture to create the program. Environmental groups and House Democrats attempted to have the measure struck from the bill or the funding redirected but did not succeed. Read more at Washington Post...

These free pantries popping up around Charleston divert food waste to help neighbors in need

Little wooden cupboards are popping up on lawns across the neighborhood encouraging passers by to, "Leave what you can. Take what you need." Read more at The Post and Courier...

Natural food company to create 180 jobs in South Carolina

Moore's Food Resources will open a $15 million facility in Greensville, South Carolina, that is expected to employ 180 people. Read more at U.S. News and World Report...