5@5: Unilever enters hemp and CBD space | Greenleaf Foods plans $310M production plant

Unilever’s Schmidt’s Naturals to launch hemp-oil deodorants at retailers including Target in September

Unilever is dipping its toe for the first time ever into the hemp space via subsidiary brand Schmidt’s Naturals. The brand has been working on a hemp-oil deodorant line that will be compliant with FDA regulations for a year and a half according to CEO Michael Cammarata. Read more at Market Watch …

Elmhurst meat alternative company plans $310M Indiana production plant

Elmhurst-based Greenleaf Foods will be expanding to include a 230,000-square-foot production facility in central Indiana. Greenleaf’s two brands—Lightlife and Field Roast—have become increasingly popular as part of the growth in sales of plant-based alternatives, which has increased 17% over the past year to over $3.7 billion. Read more at The Chicago Tribune …

Poland Spring might get soaked with new $100 million state tax

A proposed 12-cents-per-gallon extraction fee on water—paid only by Poland Spring—would raise more than $100 million for residents of Maine. The measure would “direct 65 percent of the new revenue to a municipal broadband fund and the rest to grants to help Mainers pay for college … some may be carved out for early childhood education as well.” Some are arguing that the measure would punish one of the state’s biggest employers and endanger livelihoods should the bill pass. Read more at Press Herald …

Why can’t Amazon convert Prime shoppers into Whole Foods shoppers?

In spite of repeated efforts on the part of Amazon, 70% of Prime members say they “rarely or never” shop at Whole Foods according to a recent survey. The challenges of converting Prime shoppers to Whole Foods shoppers (and vice versa), however, extends past price reductions. Natural and organic food products can be found abundantly in conventional channels, for example, and Amazon’s own wide range of offerings could also be hampering Whole Foods’ ability to compete. Read more at Forbes …

Roundup, the world’s best-selling weedkiller, faces a legal reckoning

As allegations against Bayer-owned Monsanto’s Roundup weedkiller continue to mount, some plaintiff’s attorney’s are pointing to Monsanto’s ties to the scientific community as a huge reason for its harmful ubiquity. Bayer continues to argue that hundreds of studies and regulatory decisions proved that the herbicide was safe and non-carcinogenic, but emails showing Monsanto’s edits to certain key scientific manuscripts put the conclusions of these studies further under question. Read more at The Wall Street Journal …