5@5: Food is fuel—and medicine? | Barnana lands new investment

Food as medicine: It's not just a fringe idea anymore

Ralphs grocery chain's Shop with Your Doc program is just one example of how health care and food are becoming increasingly intertwined. Some hospitals and physicians are making nutrition a formal part of disease prevention and treatment, while most grocery stores today employ dietitians on staff. Read more at NPR...

Barnana: How three friends created a multi-million dollar business upcycling bananas

Buying imperfect bananas from USDA Organic farms in Peru, Mexico and Ecuador, dehydrating them and turning them into snack bites has become big business for a trio of San Diego entrepreneurs. Barnana, a certified B Corp, has seen a compounded annual growth rate of 139 percent and has just secured $5.3 million in financing from Trently Advisors, Blueberry Ventures, Boulder Food Group and Finn Capital partners to launch new products and grow distribution. Read more at Forbes...

Pre-peeled, pre-halved avocados are the worst example of wasteful packaging yet

Talk about unnecessary waste. A California-based avocado grower and distributor has come out with a halved avocado—sans peel and pit—sealed in plastic and placed in a cardboard box. Read more at Gizmodo...

Givaudan says acquires Activ International

Flavor and fragrance company Givaudan acquired Activ, which offers a range of natural and organic flavors, marine extracts, seafood and vegetable-based solutions. Read more at Reuters...

The world's first vegan supermarket chain just went bankrupt

Veganz, a grocery chain in Germany, has reportedly filed for bankruptcy and has plans to close many of its locations—likely including a Portland location planned to open this summer. Read more at Munchies...