Kroger offers $1M prize for idea to eliminate waste

Kroger will give a prize of up to $1 million to a company with the best waste elimination idea. The program is part of Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative, which was launched in 2017 and aims to put an end to hunger in the communities it serves. Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen reported that a similar competition with a $10,000 cash prize that was held last November provoked over 80 applications from companies across the globe. Read more at Cincinnati Business Journal …

Shutdown could delay plans to block imports of fake organic produce

The 2018 Farm Bill stipulated that the USDA “develop and implement regulations to reduce the amount of fake organic food being imported,” but the U.S. government shutdown is officially stalling these plans. Laura Batcha, executive director of the Organic Trade Association, believes that the shutdown will push the new USDA rules from being implemented in 2019 to 2020. Read more at UPI …

Hilton Hotel unveils its first all-vegan suite

Hilton Hotel’s Bankside location in London is now home to the world first vegan hotel suite. The company consulted with The Vegan Society when constructing the suite, which features cruelty-free amenities such as plant-based pillow options and a couch made from a pineapple-derived leather material. The room service menu and minibar options are all, of course, vegan-approved, and the cleaning staff is required to use only vegan cleaning products and environmentally friendly detergents in the suite. Read more at Veg News …

Recalls of ‘potentially lethal’ US meat and poultry nearly double since 2013

USDA logged 97 meat recalls for serious health hazards in 2018, up from 53 in 2013. Some experts are lauding this increase as a sign that advances in food safety technology have made the process of foodborne illness detection more efficient; however, the report points out that more can, and should, be done to reduce the estimated 48 million foodborne illnesses and 3,000 deaths that are caused by food contaminants every year. Read more at The Guardian …

Food is helping Flint recover and reimagine itself

Multiple investments in the Flint food system have helped residents of Flint, Michigan attain fresh fruit and produce, in addition to milk products, which have been proven “to lessen the effects of lead on the body.” The city is striving to balance doling out enough fresh produce for residents with building and retaining a sustainable economy, which hasn’t been easy so far. 42 percent of Flint’s population still lives below the poverty line, with much of the development happening exclusively around the gentrified downtown. Read more at Civil Eats  …