Nutrition Business Journal's article about the increase in massive honeybee dieoffs has spurred online discussion about the true cause of this distressing phenomenon. And if the intricacies of honeybee health aren't confusing enough, it turns out 40 years of what we thought was credible nutrition research was based on flawed data collection methods. Whew, what a week.

In retail news, the top story this week addressed recent earnings calls with Whole Foods Market and Vitamin Shoppe. The companies revealed some interesting news about the direction they are headed when it comes to delivery and e-commerce. Scroll to the comments section at the bottom of the articles below and let us know what you think about these e-commerce developments, the state of honeybees and recent federal nutrition research.
 

1. What’s killing our honeybees?

November 13, 2013 · newhope360.com · The question shifted from academic to urgent this spring as the implications of losing a third of the world’s best pollinators every winter began to hit home. In California’s Central Valley—home to 80% of the global almond supply—farmers faced a shortage of commercial honeybees critical for producing a healthy crop, paying triple what they paid a decade ago for the colonies they could get. In Pennsylvania, U.S. Senator Robert Casey warned there weren’t enough bees to pollinate the state’s vast...
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2. 40 years of federal nutrition research flawed?

November 17, 2013 · newhope360.com · Oops. Forty years of government-funded nutrition research may be invalid because the data collection method was critically flawed, according to a new study by the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina.
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3. The future of delivery and e-commerce for Whole Foods, Vitamin Shoppe

November 21, 2013 · newhope360.com · Expect more multichannel interaction but not multimodal delivery from Whole Foods Market and other large natural retail leaders. “Our vision is core, what we are calling, extended experience,” Whole Foods Market Co-CEO Walter Robb said during a recent earnings call. “It’s the idea that ultimately a retailer integrates the digital world, the physical world and the space between. Our first priority is not the last-mile delivery.” He wasn’t the only natural products CEO touting an omnichannel retail approach during recent...
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