5@5: Vitamin World will reportedly file for bankruptcy | Baby food entrepreneur trades in hoops for scoops

Vitamin World says it will file for bankruptcy protection

Reuters reports that Vitamin World CEO Michael Madden said the supplement seller will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in order to “restructure the company’s real estate portfolio” and exit costly leases negotiated by its previous owners. Vitamin World was formerly owned by NBTY, which sold the business to Centre Lane Partners last year for $25.6 million. Read more at Reuters…

How one of the most powerful women in the NBA became a food entrepreneur

Saskia Sorrosa was a vice president of marketing for the NBA for over a decade. The entrepreneurial role primed her to start and grow her baby food business, Fresh Bellies (which is a finalist for a NEXTY Award at Natural Products Expo East). Some of the most important lessons she learned? Recognizing her own limitations and digging into the research. Read more at Inc…

Brand building through irresistible packaging design

Jason Cohen, who has helped bring brands like Chef’s Cut jerky and Skinny Pop to market, says the goal with packaging design for better-for-you foods should be “to make consumers feel confident when they pull the package out of their bag.” He says he likes to gather feedback from retailers before finalizing the design, because they have valuable and interesting insights that can help move product off the shelf. Read more at Packaging Digest…

Juicero, start-up with a $700 juicer and top investors, shuts down

Who would buy a $700, WiFi-connected juicer? Apparently not enough people to keep the Silicon Valley startup Juicero alive. The company announced last week it was shutting down operations, saying in a statement: “It became clear that creating an effective manufacturing and distribution system for a nationwide customer base requires infrastructure that we cannot achieve on our own as a stand-alone business.” Read more at The New York Times...

The rise of mock meat: How its story reflects America’s ever-changing values

Today’s plant-based alternatives are getting closer and closer to the flavor and texture of real meat. But it’s taken a long time to get here, as NPR discovers in a deep dive into the history of vegetarian burgers. Read more at NPR…