Kroger to ditch plastic bags by 2025

The country’s largest grocery chain will eliminate single-use plastic bags from all of its stores by 2025. The Pacific Northwest chain QFC will stop using them next year. Kroger says it is addressing customers’ request to reduce disposable packaging. Some cities have banned retailers from using plastic bags, while others charge for their use. In 2016, California banned retail groceries and foodservice retailers from using plastic bags. Read more at The Wall Street Journal …

U.S. hemp firm Charlotte's Web boosts Canada IPO to $77 million

Charlotte’s Web Holdings Inc., which is based in Boulder, Colorado and known for a CBD that many say treats seizure disorders in children, sold its Canadian IPO at CA$7 per share and earned CA$100.1 million ($77 million, per Bloomberg). About 14.3 million shares sold, which increased the earnings from the predicted CA$65.8 million. Read more at Bloomberg …

Bayer's Monsanto sued by 8,000 plaintiffs on glyphosate

At the end of July—before a California jury ruled that Monsanto’s RoundUp herbicide caused a San Francisco man’s deadly cancer—about 8,000 lawsuits had been filed against the chemical company, Monsanto’s CEO said in Thursday’s conference call. Werner Baumann emphasized that Monsanto will “vigorously defend this case and all upcoming cases.” Read more at Reuters.com …

Entrepreneurs push to grow food trucks' popularity as 'everyday' food

Food trucks are hot, and not just because it’s summer. Nationwide, more than 4,000 companies operate trucks and employ more than 14,500. The industry’s annual revenue is approaching $1 billion a year. To increase their popularity beyond events such as corporate lunches, parties and even weddings, operators are trying to create destination sites that will attract and create regular customers. Read more at Lancaster Online …

How the Halal Guys went from small-time hot dog vendors to fast-casual pioneers

When three Egyptian immigrants brought authentic halal food to New York City’s street cart scene in 1990, they discovered an unmet demand for quick, tasty halal food among Muslim taxi drivers. The Halal Guys now have franchises around the world, a mobile app and a delivery strategy that have built the company’s reputation and pushed sales for decades. Read more at The Spoon …