5@5: GNC forms joint venture to expand reach in China | 5 food tech accelerators to know

GNC announces partnership with Chinese pharmaceutical company

Harbin Pharmaceutical Group Holding Co., which operates under the name Hayao, has formed a joint venture with GNC to manufacture, market, sell and distribute GNC branded products in China, the companies announced today. The Chinese pharmaceutical company will also invest $300 million in struggling GNC and become its largest single shareholder. Read more at Pittsbugh Post-Gazette…

Startup roundup: Foodtech incubators to watch in 2018

Terra, a collaboration between startup network RocketSpace and financing company Rabobank, is a 16-week accelerator program for CPG, agtech and foodtech startups. Its current cohort includes some familiar brands—Health Warrior Superfoods, Native State Foods, Know Brainer and Remedy Organics. Learn more about it and four lesser-known incubator and accelerator programs for food tech. Read more at The Spoon…

Supermarket food waste: What’s most likely to get tossed?

It’s bananas, according to a new study from Karlstad University in Sweden that measured the amount of waste from the produce departments at three supermarkets. The big issue with the banana is its perceived window of ripeness among shoppers. Other top food waste culprits include apples, tomatoes and lettuce. Read more at Modern Farmer…

Mushrooms are good for you, but are they medicine?

More than 2,000 species of edible mushrooms populate the planet, with most Americans familiar with the white button or Portobello. But mushrooms are popping up in supplement aisles as well, marketed for immune health, brain health, stress and more. The science on some of the more compelling mushrooms—lion’s mane, maitake, reishi, shiitake—oftentimes does indeed validate the claims, although much of the research is either in lab dishes or in animals. Here’s what the state of human research shows. Read more at NPR…

Scientists warn Trump: FDA’s war on a plant could worsen opioid crisis

In response to an FDA report released this week claiming there’s “no evidence to indicate that kratom is safe or effective for any medical use” and that it has opioid properties, a group of scientists from esteemed universities wrote an open letter to FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. “The available science is clear that kratom, although having effects on opioid receptors in the brain, is distinct from classical opioids in its chemistry, biological effects and origin,” they wrote. “As commonly used in raw plant form, it does not appear to produce the highly addictive euphoria or lethal respiratory depressing effects of classical opioids.” Read more at Fast Company…