Why this group is trying to stop Amazon from buying Whole Foods

A letter to Federal Trade Commission from the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, which represents retail employees at several grocery chains (but not Whole Foods Market), warns the agency to carefully scrutinize Amazon's $13.7 billion bid for Whole Foods. UFCW's international president wrote that the transaction would give Amazon so much power over suppliers and competitors that it could raise prices and cut quality, plus destroy jobs. Read more at The Washington Post...

Board member exodus hits Hampton Creek, a healthy food start-up

Founder and CEO Josh Tetrick is the only board member remaining at the high-profile plant-based food company after four board members (including former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius) resigned last month. The company has also seen a recent departure of several senior leaders; Hampton Creek said in a June blog post that three senior managers had been terminated for attempting to change the company's corporate governance. Read more at The New York Times...

Trademarks show Amazon has sights on meal kits, 'single cow burgers' and other fast food options

Aside from acquiring Whole Foods, Amazon apparently has more plans to expand into fresh food services up its sleeve. The retailer recently filed trademarks related to a prepared food kit service, a new brand of snack food and burgers. Read more at TechCrunch...

Judge dismisses suit against General Mills over 'natural' oats label in granola bars

A class-action lawsuit filed last year accused General Mills of misleading the public by claiming that its Nature Valley granola bars were made with "100% natural whole grain oats." The plaintiffs said that third-party lab tests revealed traces of glyphosate in the bars. But a federal judge dismissed the case, saying those claims are "simply not plausible." Read more at StarTribune...

DuPont, Monsanto urge transparent GMO crop reviews in China

Chinese regulators have approved two more genetically modified crops for import—Syngenta's Agrisure Duracade and Monsanto's Roundup Ready. Two others were given approval last month, but four other products are still pending approval. China does not allow genetically modified seeds to be planted for food crops but does allow imports for use in animal feed. Read more at Reuters...