Online grocery shopping still rare in US

81% of Americans reported that they do not and have no plans to order groceries online, while a mere 11% said that they do so around once each month. Meal kit subscriptions were similarly rare, indicating that the traditional ways of getting food by shopping in-person at a physical grocery store, ordering take-out or delivery and eating meals at restaurants continue to trump online forms of grocery shopping. Read more at Gallup …

USDA: National THC test for hemp ‘as challenging as you think it is’

One USDA official recently told a group of dietary supplement and CBD business owners that the agency “is grappling with the 2018 Farm Bill’s requirement for a national THC testing protocol” using reliable testing methods. However, once they’re put in place, some hemp growers worry that the protocols could prevent them from producing cultivars rich in cannabinoids other than THC. Read more at Hemp Industry Daily …

Whole Foods CEO on plant-based meat boom: Good for the environment but not for your health

John Mackey isn’t convinced that plant-based meat substitutes, such as the products from Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, can be promoted in good conscience as a healthier substitute for consumers. The highly processed ingredients list has led Mackey, in addition to some dieticians, to label the plant-based meat movement as a beneficial one for the environment but not for human health. Read more at CNBC …

Battle of the bubbles

While LaCroix had a huge impact on the rise of bubbly, sugar and sweetener-free beverages in the U.S., it’s looking as though big soda companies that have mimicked the brand’s flavored seltzer are going to come out on top. LaCroix’s sales have continued to drop over the last few months, and it cannot compete against larger companies’ huge distribution channels in spite of its clever marketing tactics. Read more at Bloomberg …

The war on sugar hits the juice box

As pediatricians continue to caution parents about the effects of sugary beverages, alternatives to kid-friendly juice boxes—such as flavored water that contains no juice or sugar at all—are hitting grocery store shelves. Some doctors worry that an innocuous glass of orange juice can act as a “gateway drink” that leads children to seek out soda and other high-sugar food and beverage choices. Read more at The Wall Street Journal …