Foodie brands have deep roots in rural California. Is it being ruined?

The ranchers that provide organic, sustainable dairy to many of California’s beloved local brands may have to scale back in light of new environmentalist concerns that their grass-fed cattle are destroying public land. These farmers have been stewards of the same plots of land for generations, but only now is the demand for organic so high that the grazing cows have become something of a nuisance to the 2.5 million annual visitors to Point Reyes National Seashore. Read more at The Guardian ...

Brick and mortar crucial for retail success, study finds

While many retailers are starting off in ecommerce these days, new statistics show that the relationship between online and offline retail is a synergistic one. If you open up a store, for instance, “your web traffic and outreaching goes up by 37 percent.” Even ecommerce giants such as Amazon aren’t immune to this relationship—its physical stores are as of yet underdeveloped, but the company has been striving to leverage its digital presence with its emerging physical one. Read more at Fox Business …

Walmart is building an AI lab inside one of its stores

Walmart wants to use AI to “test both associate and customer experiences.” It hopes the technology will lead the company to be become better at identifying when items are low on stock, or when shopping carts are running low near the entrance. The AI lab will also allow Walmart to test out concepts such as mobile checkout in a real grocery store setting. Read more at Tech Crunch  …

Greener Pastures: China’s fraught relationship with organic food

China has the fifth-most organic farmland of any country worldwide, according to a 2017 report from the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements. This is unsurprising when you factor in that Chinese consumers have continued to prioritize food quality and spend nearly $5.6 billion on foreign and local organic products. However, China’s ability to cultivate its own organic food faces myriad barriers; read this article to learn more about them. Read more at Sixth Tone …

Impossible Foods’ bleeding burgers to make grocery store debut in 2019

The Impossible Burger is available now in roughly 5000 restaurants across the U.S., but consumers have thus far been unable to purchase the product for home use. This is largely because Impossible Foods grew its following through partnerships with well-received restaurants such as Momofuku Nishi and Fatburger. Now, the company has announced that it plans to roll out the uncannily beef-like burger in retail as soon as 2019. Read more at Forbes …