Low-sugar products market hitting higher gear

Nearly three in five consumers are choosing low-sugar products to support their general health, which is why big players in the sweets space are building up their better-for-you confection portfolios. TPG Growth acquired low-sugar candies maker SmartSweets for nearly $400 million after it generated about $100 million in sales last year, and Hershey recently announced plans to acquire low-sugar chocolate maker Lily's. Beverage and snack companies are similarly transforming nostalgic sips and bites into healthier, low-sugar versions and seeing major success. The Food Institute has the scoop.

Exorcising Aunt Jemima

Is a paradigm shift finally underway for racist imagery in brands' logos and designs? This Eater article explains that while some have questioned whether the past year's drastic image overhauls are necessary, many experts argue that they only begin to scratch the surface when it comes to compensating communities of color for capitalizing on racial caricatures. This is because rebranding efforts display little more than a company's ability to "read the room;" a better alternative would be to hire a diverse workforce and make financial pledges to communities of color.

Delivery has a small but vital role when it comes to normalizing cultured meat

Getting consumers to buy cultured meat regularly and en masse is one of the major roadblocks ahead for this nascent market, but food delivery could play a key role in helping them view these products as, simply, meat. The Spoon spoke with Eat Just CEO Josh Tetrick about his decision to partner with Delivery Hero's food panda service to deliver meals containing cultivated meat from Singapore-based restaurant 1880 and finds that choosing the right restaurant partners, involving prolific chefs and pushing out targeted messaging could all help consumers get on board.

5 strategies to give grocery stores a leg up on delivery apps

During the pandemic many grocery stores updated their layouts to create more convenient in-store shopping experiences; this means streamlined product layouts, more digital in-person shopping tools, grouped related products, an improved pickup area and unique experiences or gathering places. These are all ways to get timid shoppers back into stores after over a year of getting accustomed to grocery delivery. Forbes reports.

The reason wild forests beat plantations

Businesses have been relying on tree planting to mitigate their carbon emissions over the past few years, but planting the wrong trees in the wrong place can do considerably more damage than good. Experts are also noting that the focus should be on letting forests grow naturally, as long as the conditions at the site such as soil quality and proximity to existing forests are adequate. New research shows natural regeneration could absorb 40 times more carbon than plantations, as well as provide habitation for more species; it is also marketly cheaper than tree planting. BBC delves into the issue.