Legacy Brands Offer Lebron Limited Edition Soda and Doritos Roulette, Tiny ReGrained Offers Dull Giants Insight on How to Innovate
It’s rare for this old industry goat to get excited about new products these days. The CPG innovations are as about as exciting as a self-flushing toilet while many natural/organic brands offer great products that are the grocery equivalent of a Maserati sedan. You know those oh-so-lovely ice creams that sell for $14 a pint […]
Starbuck’s Shuttering of La Boulange stores in SF Bay Area No Surprise
The $100 million acquisition now looks so clearly what many expected from the start. That the coffee giant cared less about anything La Boulange offered than a brand name and a bit of added cache to the chain’s superbly boring pastries and fresh food. Today they have a new brand, but the products are as […]
As Amy’s Kitchen Plans for East Coast Plant Emerge, Farmers There Get Excited
While Amy’s is an exceptional company, when it comes to locating their new plant, the organic frozen foods powerhouse is about as conventional as the bottom line. Not that’s there’s anything wrong with that but we’re certain more than a few public officials in Santa Rosa, California and Ashland, Oregon were disappointed as it looks […]
Supreme Court Won’t Hear Appeal by Monsanto Litigants
The Supreme Court will not review a lower court decision protecting Monsanto’s right to sue farmers inadvertently found to have crops containing the company’s GMO patents. As noted in the FoodDemocracyNow website, “farmers had sought Court protection under the Declaratory Judgment Act that should they become the innocent victims of contamination by Monsanto’s patented gene-splice technology they could not […]
San Francisco Green Festival November 9 & 10; Don’t Miss It
There are so many reasons to attend the Green Festival in San Francisco this weekend that we’ll spare you a long read and tell you “for crying out loud just get there.” Or said another way the recession has our underpaid editorial staff making money elsewhere. The catering company’s gain is our loss. Let’s hope […]
Health Activists Raise Their Fur to Protest BPA Laden Pet Toys
Decrying what he termed a “shocking lack of feline and canine respect,” Wilmer Stinky Formica called on Congress to “safeguard America’s four-legged furry friends from their chew toys by requiring manufacturers to make all products BPA free.” Bisphenol A, a chemical used in making plastics is associated with a variety of negative health impacts. Formica, […]
Monsanto Abandons GMO Efforts in Europe
As reported on July 18, Monsanto has abandoned its efforts to introduce a variety of GMO crops in the European Union. Read the story from The Telegraph here. An unnamed source quoted in the story, “pointed to the fact that the EU has not approved a new GM crop for cultivation since 1998, adding that it […]
Seattle’s Mayor and Whole Foods Debate Fair Wages and Benefits; PCC Shines Bright in Debate
We’ve written about fair wages here often and NBN was glad to read about Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn’s battle with Whole Foods. A controversy has emerged over the Mayor’s lack of support for efforts to open a new store in West Seattle because he believes that the non-union (our adjective, not his) retailer is likely to drive down […]
Consumers Union Continues to Highlight Trader Joe’s Sale of Meat on Antibiotics While FDA Seeks Speedy Approval for New Antiobiotics to Combat Super Bugs
Consumers Union continued to draw attention to Trader Joe’s sale of meat raised using antibiotics as part of its Meat Without Drugs Campaign. The campaign which is seeking to convince grocers to sell only meat raised without antibiotics has also included outreach at Trade Joe’s stores in Los Angeles, Berkeley, San Francisco, Oakland and Washington, […]
Pepsico Shocker! Taylor’s Tonics & Prometheus Springs Unite in Hostile Takeover of Pepsico; CEO Indra Nooyi to Remain
NBN EXCLUSIVE: In a shocking announcement Taylor Peck of Taylor’s Tonics and Lex Mincolla of Prometheus Springs announced their hostile takeover of Pepsico, the 2nd largest food and beverage company in the world. The two men, dubbed “the brashest bon vivant bad boys in beverages” by Maxim magazine were uncharacteristically subdued at a press conference […]