5@5: Kroger divests Lucky's Market | Global greenhouse gas emissions to hit record high

Kroger calls it quits on Lucky's

After just two years Kroger is divesting natural foods chain Lucky's Market following a portfolio review. The retailer grew from 17 to 39 locations after Kroger's investment, many of them in Florida. But a crowded market consisting of competitors like The Fresh Market, Earth Fare and Sprouts Farmers Market hampered sales in recent years. Read more at Winsight Grocery Business... 

Global greenhouse gas emissions will hit yet another record high this year, experts project

Global greenhouse gas emissions are, unfortunately, projected to grow to reach another record high before the end of 2019. As a professor of Earth science at Stanford puts it, "We're blowing through our carbon budget the way an addict blows through cash." All the more reason to double up on your climate action efforts! Read more at The Washington Post...

Banking agencies give hemp the OK

This week several government organizations released a long-overdue three-page statement "clarifying that financial institutions should not report their farmer customers for growing hemp." Some big banks, however, are still refusing to back hemp farmers until 2020. Read more at New Food Economy...

Nearly 700,000 will lose food stamps with USDA work requirement change

The Trump Administration has formalized work requirements for participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that will cut off roughly 688,000 people from obtaining food stamps. The move will save the government $5.5 billion over the next five years, but hunger advocates are criticizing the move for its callousness toward America's impoverished, rural citizens. Read more at NBC News...

General Mills joins the plant-based frenzy with a new dairy-free yogurt

General Mills has launched its first-ever nondairy yogurt under the Oui by Yoplait brand. The company's U.S. yogurt sales have been declining over the past decade, pushing it to invest in trends consumers are enthusiastic about in the category such as plant-based options and added probiotics. Read more at Star Tribune...