5@5: Meat snacks grab market share | Meanwhile, global opportunities abound for plant-based alternatives

This is why you're seeing so much beef jerky lately

Meat sticks and jerky aren't your desperate gas station snack pick-up anymore. They sit at the intersection of food trends—namely healthy snacking and protein—and have seen a number of new entrants into the space over the last few years that highlight animal welfare and special-diet claims like grass-fed and gluten-free. Big brands are adapting, too. Hershey acquired Krave in 2015, and Slim Jim parent company ConAgra announced it purchased the Duke's brand of snack sausages last month. Meat-based snacks have shown 7 percent compound growth over the last four years, according to Nielsen. Read more at The Washington Post...

Lab-grown meat is about to go global, and one firm is feverishly paving the way

The Good Food Institute, a nonprofit and venture capital firm, has grown its staff from two to 15 people in one year and has begun to make a name for itself helping get more plant-based foods into the marketplace by offering strategic support and lobbying on behalf of clean meat companies. It's working on a bipartisan measure in Congress to reform programs that favor traditional food groups, and is sees particular potential for plant-based meat alternatives in Brazil and China. Read more at Quartz...

Reebok will introduce plant-based sustainable shoes this year

The company claims it's working on a Cotton + Corn shoe made from sustainable materials that can be composted after they're worn out. Read more at Engadget...

On a quest to transform American agriculture, a startup sells dirt to pot farmers

Waste Farmers is a Denver-based business that started turning compostable food waste back into soil but pivoted to one that supplies rich potting soil to small-scale agriculture—for now, mostly cannabis growers. Read more at Forbes...

How retailers are thriving despite the supposed death of their industry

The belief that ecommerce is the reason for brick-and-mortar retail's struggles is overblown, some analysts say. Some big-box retailers who pursue online strategies may actually be taking brick-and-mortar sales away from themselves, not necessarily from others. Meanwhile, small retailers can make the most of their spaces by staying in close contact with customers, creating a dialogue and giving shoppers a one-of-a-kind experience. Read more at Entrepreneur...