Each day at 5 p.m. we collect the five top food and supplement headlines of the day, making it easy for you to catch up on today's most important natural products industry news.

New Hope Network staff

October 23, 2020

2 Min Read
5@5: Small producers squeezed out of organic boom | Stands against single-use plastic

The pandemic has given organics a big boost—but most profits aren't flowing to small producers

While organics have seen sales increase in double digits and outpace conventional produce sales, small- and mid-sized organic farmers say large-scale producers are snatching up all the shelf space and "taking over the industry." Some in the industry, however, argue that these large-scale producers are helpful in bringing down the cost of organics and increasing access. Regardless, the trend is likely to continue into 2021 as consumers continue to cook at home and seek out products that optimize their health. Civil Eats has the full story.

Supermarket and packaging giants call for UK-wide ban on degradable plastics

A new open letter written by representatives from Tesco, Waitrose, Aldi and more urges the U.K. to adopt a legally binding ban on oxo-degradable plastics than can only be broken down in industrial conditions with chemical additives. While the U.K. voted in favor of a similar ban when it was part of the European Union, which has already enacted said ban, the environmental benefits of oxo-degradable plastics have been overly emphasized to Britain's Ministers. Head to Edie for the scoop.

A pop-up store in NYC is stocking products made entirely of single-use plastic as retailers grapple with changing laws

The Plastic Bag Store is a pop-up grocery store art installation in New York City that intends to raise awareness about plastic waste. The thousands of items on display in the grocery store replica are entirely made of single-use plastic that would ostensibly be used once before ending up in a landfill or polluting the ocean. The show's chilling description reads, "Water bottles, yogurt cups, coffee lids—these will be the pottery shards of our era." Take a peek at the exhibit at Business Insider ...

The Farmers to Families Food Box program is about to end. Some farmers say it left them high and dry

USDA has apparently severed many contracts with farmers who now can't afford to harvest the produce they planted over the summer for the Farmers to Families Food Box program. These changes in the third round of the program also left food banks nationwide in the lurch and lacking in food boxes for the skyrocketing number of food-insecure Americans. Read more at The Counter ...

High flavanol diet may lead to lower blood pressure

Flavanol-rich foods—think tea, apples and berries—have been linked to lower blood pressure in a study that objectively evaluated thousands of U.K. residents' diets using nutritional biomarkers. This effect was most apparent among participants with hypertension. Get the details at Medical Xpress ...

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