Top U.S. medical centers roll out DNA sequencing clinics for healthy (and often wealthy) clients
Capitalizing on the success of at-home DNA testing kits such as 23andMe, some medical institutions are opening clinics that will allow paying customers to get an even more thorough read on their genetic makeup. By analyzing hundreds or thousands of genes, these clinics can help diagnose mild genetic diseases in addition to “turning up markers of elevated risks for conditions both common and rare." Read more at Stat News …
Unilever wants to give mayo and Marmite a purpose
Alan Jope, the relatively new chief executive officer of Unilever, has ordered all of the executives under the Unilever umbrella to assign a clear, specific, value-based mission to each of their brands. Jope believes that “aligning each brand with a specific concern, rather than a wider abstraction of purpose at the parent company, will reinforce credibility” with consumers. Read more at Bloomberg …
Target is launching grocery brand Good & Gather in bid to boost its food business
Target recently revealed plans for a new private label brand, Good & Gather, that it expects will be the largest of all its private labels. By the end of 2020, the line is projected to contain over 2,000 items from organic pizza crusts to frozen veggies. The retailer is attempting to capitalize on the increase in sales of private-label brands at grocery stores over the past year as well as better compete with other big-box, one-stop-shop operations such as Walmart. Read more at CNBC …
Meet the company turning old milk into sustainable clothing
128 million tons of dairy products are dumped annually around the globe, which is what prompted one Los Angeles-based company to begin creating sustainable fabrics out of unused excess milk from a diary farm in China. The process takes about two months, with just one glass of milk able to be transformed into five shirts. Read more at Forbes …
Kroger is now selling vegan eggs
Vegan mung bean-based egg alternative Just Egg is coming to Kroger—yet another example of plant-based alternatives’ proliferation in mainstream grocery outlets. Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Just, says that the company is aiming for their egg replacement to be the “cheapest protein available … more cost effective than beef or pork or chicken." Read more at CNN …
