Frozen Food 3.0, Delivery Startups Face Road Bumps + More

Every week we curate and deliver the latest food tech and innovation news, trends and research to our readers’ inboxes. Tracking the top technology and innovation happenings across agriculture, CPG, retail, restaurants, cooking and health, our newsletter is the absolute easiest way to stay on top of the emerging sector.

From an inside look at the innovators who are pioneering the future of frozen food to a deep dive into the tricky economics of food delivery, these are last week’s top food tech news and innovation stories.

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1. Frozen Food 3.0: The Future Of The Freezer Aisle

How companies like Veestro and Luvo are pioneering frozen food options that meet consumer demand for nutritious, delicious and convenient meals.

2. Connect With Investors & Game-Changing Startups At FoodBytes! Brooklyn

Join us at FoodBytes! Brooklyn on March 3 and mix and mingle with the entrepreneurs, investors and industry leaders shaping the future of food. Get 15% off now!

3. MemphisMeats Closes Seed Round Oversubscribed on $2.75m, Expects Huge Demand for Cultured Meat –AgFunderNews

Funding came from SOS Ventures and New Crop Capital. The funding will be used for continued R&D.

4. Delivery Start-Ups Face Road Bumps in Quest to Capture Untapped Market – New York Times

The economics of food delivery are complicated. Delivery startups like DoorDash, Postmates and Instacart, for example, face issues around high, costly churn with their contract delivery drivers.

5. Label Insight Raises $10M Series B to Help Retailers Know What’s in That Lean Cuisine – Chicago Tribune

The Series B was led by KPMG Capital and will be used to hire data scientists and build out new services.

6. Food Delivery Start-ups Raise Plenty of Funding But Face Lots of Competition – Los Angeles Times

Delivery startups raised $5.7B last year, an increase of 152% from 2014. But if your business isn’t already up and running and gaining traction, chances are it’s already too late.

7. Panera Says Digital Sales Could Hit $1 Billion By 2017 – Fortune

The QSR chain has more than 21M loyalty members and more than 17M active users in its digital loyalty program.

8. Quitting Season: Why Farmers Walk Away From Their Farms – Civil Eats

Most farmers don’t decide to leave their farms lightly—but sometimes it’s the only economic choice that makes sense.