5@5: Gummy supremacy | Healthy label update | US bees weakened by drought

A gummy for whatever ails you

There seems to be a gummy for everything these days. This Eater article delves into SKUs that make claims about reducing inflammation, detoxing or boosting one's mood and relaxation capabilities. One expert interviewed in the piece posits that they've gotten so popular outside of the candy aisle because gummies are a "particularly flexible delivery vehicle" that can be made with many different polymers, which allow for a range of inclusions with regard to drugs, supplements or other functional ingredients. (Also they're delicious.)

Is this food really healthy? New packaging labels would tell you

To crack down on misleading health claims on the front of food packages, U.S. lawmakers recently introduced the Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2021. This legislation would require and standardize a front-of-package labeling system that tells consumers if a product is healthy or not. The labeling system would include an easily recognizable symbol that rates foods on healthiness, but experts haven't yet agreed upon a specific system of doing so; the bill also includes more extensive requirements for claims of certain ingredients to help shoppers choose wisely. Scientific American has the pros and cons to this move.

Koby Nahmias knew cell-based meat had huge potential but was too expensive. He set about changing that

What would it take to bring down the cost of growing meat in a bioreactor to result in prices approachable enough for the average consumer? It's a tough question to answer, but this interview out of The Spoon that features FutureMeat founder Koby Nahmias explores how he achieved cost milestones that many have thought wouldn’t be achievable for at least the next five years. Throughout the podcast, Nahmias discusses his operation's microbrewery-like structure, scaling plans and his re-engineered process of cell-based meat production.

Stung by climate change: drought-weakened bee colonies shrink U.S. honey crop, threaten almonds

A scorching drought is slashing honey production in North Dakota, which is the top-producing state for the sweet stuff. What that means is fewer bees can thrive, and this down the road leads to even less honey. The shortage of strong bee colonies, meanwhile, is putting West Coast cash crops such as almonds, plums and apples at risk, according to more than a dozen interviews with farmers, bee experts, economists and farm industry groups. Scientists have, of course, linked these kinds of increasingly common weather extremes to man-made climate change. Reuters reports.

Aquaculture industry on the rise as wild fishery production slows

Thanks to rising consumer demand, global wildlife fishery production is virtually maxed out. Growing scarcity has raised the profile of aquaculture–the controlled cultivation of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms—as a means for developing new sources of protein as the growing world population strains the food supply chain. Although the practiceprotects coastlines and other aquatic environments, it can indirectly harm other areas by draining natural resources from surrounding habitats. Learn more at The Food Institute.