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.

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Is cultured meat about to hit your dinner plate?

Will lab-grown meat EVER hit retail shelves? This Mother Jones article points out that many of the challenges that faced cultured meat 10 years ago are still huge barriers now, including finding ways to grow cells efficiently without fetal bovine serum, which is why many experts remain skeptical amid the current wave of analogue meat optimism. The industry will likely require years of expensive basic research before it’s ready to seriously challenge conventional meat, and even then it will struggle to reach a competitive price point. Here's a final quote for you to mull over: "It’s unlikely that the solution to the problems generated by industrial-scale meat production will come from a bioreactor pulsing with cells gleaned from a chicken, cow, or pig."

PepsiCo to sell Tropicana, other juice brands for $3.3B

Continuing on its trajectory toward creating a better-for-you food and beverage portfolio, PepsiCo revealed a $3.3 billion sale of Tropicana and its other North American juice brands to French private equity firm PAI Partners this week. The juice businesses made about $3 billion in net revenue in 2020 for PepsiCo, with operating profit margins that were below the group's. The company is now aiming to simplify its product range and move away from high-sugar beverages; this most recent sale will give the company more funds to develop and grow its portfolio of health-focused snacks and zero-calorie beverages, according to Chief Executive Officer Ramon Laguarta. Learn more at Reuters.

A carbon calculation: How many deaths do emissions cause?

A new study reveals that about 74 million lives could be saved this century if humans cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, compared with a scenario in which the Earth experiences a catastrophic 7 degrees Fahrenheit of warming by the end of the century. This information will be especially helpful to a federal working group currently reassessing how the government calculates the costs and benefits of climate policies, because the social cost of carbon informs trillions of dollars of federal policy. This includes regulations about vehicle tailpipe emissions, power plants and appliance efficiency standards. The New York Times delves into the findings.

Amazon to add delivery fee for Prime members who shop at Whole Foods

Amazon is introducing a delivery fee for Prime members who shop at Whole Foods Markets in in the Boston and Chicago areas, as well as Manchester, New Hampshire, Portland, Maine, and Providence, Rhode Island. The move is an indication that the economics of grocery delivery continue to pose a challenge for even the biggest, most advanced online retail operations. “This service fee helps to cover operating costs, so we can continue to offer the same competitive everyday prices in-store and online at Whole Foods Market,” Amazon said in a notice sent to some shoppers last week. Grocery pickup, however, remains a free service. Fortune reports.

Lab-grown dairy is the future of milk, researchers say

Startups across the globe are joining the race to create the first imitation cow’s milk that is based on artificially reproducing the proteins in casein and whey and (no small feat) get it approved for mass market consumption. Novel technology can recreate dairy’s authentic mouthfeel and temperature resistance, as well as constitute the perfect texture for vegan cheese that melts just like the real thing. Mainstream consumers are simply more likely to adopt plant-based or alternative products if they look and feel like the real thing; the problem now is bringing down the price point for such products. The Guardian has the scoop.

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