Almost half of food allergies in adults appear in adulthood

While much of the conversation around food allergies relates to children, new research presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting found that 45 percent of adults with food allergies developed them in adulthood. As with childhood food allergies, adult food allergies are also on the rise across all ethnic groups, according to the researchers. Read more at ACAAI…

Defensible strategies for food tech entrepreneur facing the Amazon juggernaut

How should food tech companies compete with Amazon—or should they even? Patricia Nakache, general partner at Trinity Ventures, writes that despite the competition, there are still low penetration rates for e-commerce (especially in grocery) and, thus, there’s still opportunity to thrive. She suggests focusing on areas outside of Amazon’s core strengths, which are operations and distribution. Build aspirational brands that care not just about health but also about sustainability and convenience. Create proprietary or research-backed products for specialized market segments like businesses, schools, hospitals and hotels. Read more at Tech Crunch…

Are urban cities an opportunity for independent grocers?

Urbanization is under way among young professionals and retired empty nesters, and it’s creating opportunities for small retailers. Some independents are already investing in city stores, like Pete’s Fresh market in Chicago and Perelandra Natural Food Center in Brooklyn. Read more at National Grocers Association…

How Geisinger treats diabetes by giving away free, healthy food

The hospital network’s Fresh Food Farmacy, started in 2016, addresses the issue of food insecurity, which makes people more likely to have diabetes and be obese. Geisinger used its electronic health record database to identify food insecure adults with type 2 diabetes in select zip codes and provided them with a “prescription” for healthy food, as well as group classes and a care team. It created a food pantry where patients could pick up food. Geisinger reports that payer-side costs have fallen by two-thirds across the program, and patients’ HbA1c levels have dropped by an average of more than two points. Read more at Harvard Business Review…

Childcare staff behavior may encourage kids to sample healthier food

In a study of strategies to get children to eat healthier foods, researchers found that children in daycare were more willing to taste nutritious foods when staff members sat and ate with them and when they talked about healthy food. Read more at Reuters…