Cape Town is an omen

Although the South African city didn’t experience Day Zero—the predicted and hyped day water taps would stop flowing after years of drought—the perceived crisis woke politicians and residents alike to the need for water conservation and other political problems. The world’s cities should pay heed. Read more at The Atlantic …

Big safety testing failure rate for California pot products

Since July 1, nearly 1 in 5 marijuana products tested in California have failed tests for potency and purity. For cannabis-infused cookies, candies and tinctures, the failure rate is even higher: 1 in 3. But industry advocates say the tests set unrealistic standards and the products are safe. Read more at The Associated Press …

‘Free-from’ foods are changing the way your meals are produced

Shoppers want products that don’t contain antibiotics, pesticides or even gluten, and food companies have had to figure out how to accommodate those demands. General Mills, which makes naturally gluten-free Cheerios, built a special sorting facility to ensure that no tiny particles of wheat might have blown onto the oats while they were growing. Read more at Bloomberg …

Oregon’s oh-so-healthy Green Zebra Grocery plans West Coast expansion

Green Zebra founder Lisa Sedlar doesn’t want to be the food police; she just wants folks who eat healthy to have an easy, convenient place to shop. Green Zebra offers custom-made vegan sandwiches, radish kimchi, organic beer and even CBD-infused sparkling water. During the next five years, Sedlar wants to build a chain of Green Zebras to improve the health of the neighborhood residents. Read more at the Los Angeles Times …

Ready to kick the plastic straw habit? We tested 8 reusable options.

Even though straw waste is negligible compared to other ocean pollution, the movement to ban plastic straws seems to have taken hold. But what are you going to use instead? Fortunately, some Washington Post staffers tackled that question so you don’t have to. Read more at The Washington Post …