All that online grocery shopping is causing a cold storage shortage

More and more younger consumers are engaging in online grocery shopping and prepared meal services—and refrigerated warehouses have been scrambling to keep up with the demand. Cold storage has been elevated in recent years by growing consumer concern regarding chemical food preservatives. Read more at L.A. Times …

Agriculture Department suspends data collection for honeybees after Trump budget cuts

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is temporarily suspending data collection for its Honey Bee Colonies report after recent fiscal cuts made by the Trump administration. The national survey is reportedly the third dataset with the aim of gathering information on bees that has been scaled back under Trump. Read more at The Hill …

Spurred by Amazon, supermarkets try swapping cashiers for cameras

Retailers are hoping that surveillance camera technology will “allow them to cut costs and alleviate lines as they face an evolving threat from [Amazon].” Product-recognition technology allows consumers to pick up a given product and be automatically charged for it via cameras and sensors, meaning cashiers will no longer needed should this technology be widely adopted. Read more at The Wall Street Journal …

How hydroponic school gardens can cultivate food justice, year-round

When grocery stores are concentrated in wealthier areas and local establishments cave under competition with big-box retailers, healthy and fresh food options can disappear from food deserts entirely. Enter hydroponic farming, which shows promise in helping to close the healthy food gap and can serve as a reliable source of fresh produce for year-round consumption. Read more at NPR …

The rise of the ‘ghost kitchen’ could change the restaurant delivery game

Delivery-only, “virtual” restaurants that operate without brick-and-mortar storefronts are set to seriously disrupt the $19 billion third-party restaurant delivery service sector. These establishments can produce meals more efficiently and for a lower cost to the consumer but still face a variety of logistical and financial challenges. Read more at New Food Economy …