Amazon Takes On Fedex and UPS, Trump Replaces SNAP with Blue Apron Model, Instacart Raises $200M + More

Every week we track the business, tech and investment trends in CPG, retail, restaurants, agriculture, cooking and health, so you don’t have to. Here are some of this week’s top headlines.

Retail news is on fire this week. Amazon launched its delivery service for businesses that will rival FedEx and UPS. To take on increasing competition from the e-commerce giant, Instacart has swallowed $200 million in a Series E round led by Coatue Management and Glade Brook Capital Partners. Israel-based CommonSense Robotics has scored $20 million for online grocery fulfillment. In China, the checkout-free chain He Ma plans to roll out 30 more stores in Beijing.

Hamburger-flipping robot maker Miso Robotics has landed $10 million as it rolls out Flippy to 50 Caliburger locations. In India, Ola is pumping $62.2 million into recently acquired Foodpanda to bolster its logistics and tech capabilities.

And finally, the Trump administration proposed a radical overhaul of the SNAP program with a Blue Apron-type “Harvest Box” that only includes shelf-stable and canned food. Reaction has been largely negative.

Check out our weekly round-up of last week’s top food startup, tech and innovation news below or peruse the full newsletter here.

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1. Amazon to Launch Delivery Service That Would Vie with FedEx, UPS – Wall Street Journal

Dubbed “Shipping with Amazon” (SWA), the new service will pick up packages from businesses and ship them to consumers. It will first roll out in Los Angeles in the coming weeks.

2. Instacart Adds $200M to Defend Against Amazon Delivery – Bloomberg

The Series E financing was led by Coatue Management and Glade Brook Capital Partners, valuing the company at approximately $4.2b.

3. Israel: CommonSense Robotics Raises $20M for Robotics Tech for Online Grocery Fulfillment – TechCrunch

The round was led by Playground Global, with participation from previous investors Aleph VC and Innovation Endeavors. Funds will be used to scale up its facility deployment rate, develop robotics and AI as well as expand global operations and sales.

4. This Week in China Tech: Alibaba Brings AI to Pig Farming and Retail Tech on the Rise – Forbes

Ali Cloud, Alibaba’s answer to Amazon Web Services, has partnered with Te Qu and Kang De groups to raise pigs using AI. The Amazon Go concept has been in China since 2016 through the company He Ma. It is expanding with 30 more stores opening in Beijing this year.

5. Miso Scores $10M to Bring Its Hamburger-Flipping Robot to More Restaurants – TechCrunch

The latest windfall was led by Acacia Research Corporation, bringing total disclosed funding to $14m. The company is ramping up production and getting ready to deliver its hamburger-cooking robot Flippy to 50 CaliBurger locations.

6. India-Focused Agtech VC Omnivore Partners Holds First Close on $46M for Second Fund – AgFunder

Investors included KfW, the Small Industries Development Bank of India, the Dutch Good Growth Fund, the Rockefeller Foundation, Ceniarth, RBL Bank and Sorenson Impact Foundation. The fund is focused on increasing profitability for smallholder farmers.

7. India: Ola Parent to Pump $62.2M in Newly Acquired Food Delivery Platform Foodpanda India – Inc42

The capital infusion will be geared towards bolstering Foodpanda’s logistics and tech capabilities. Foodpanda aims to make onboarding of new restaurants more seamless.

8. Safe Catch Snags $5M to Extend Line of Mercury-Tested Fish – Food Dive

Funding came from Echo Capital, Essential Investments and unnamed angel investors. The company plans to expand and promote its products.

9. Yakult Declines After Danone’s $1.8 Billion Share Sale Plan – Bloomberg

Yakult shares tumbled the most in 19 months after Danone announced plans to sell $1.8b of the Japanese company’s stocks amid pressures from an activist investor to boost returns.

10. Nestle Buys Majority Stake in Organic Food Company Terrafertil – Reuters

The move is the latest step by Nestle to expand its profile in healthy foods as it seeks to offset weakness in the packaged foods sector. Financial terms were not disclosed.

11. Agrylist Raises Another $1.5M for Its Intelligent Indoor Farming Platform – TechCrunch

The round came from iSelect Fund, Argonautic Ventures, Horizons Lab and Onlan Capital Fund along with existing investors Compound and the New York State Innovation Capital Fund. It plans to use new funding to support its growth of product lines and expand into new markets.

12. TechAccel Backs Chloroplast Engineering Startup Plastomics – AgFunder

Plasmotics is increasing the speed and lowering the cost of designing new seeds. TechAccel’s investment will fund a science advancement initiative designed to accelerate the startup’s technology and insect control trait currently in development.

13. What’s in a Name (for Lab-Grown Meat)? – The Spoon

The United States Cattlemen’s Association filed a petition with the USDA asking for new beef labeling requirements to make sure anything labeled “beef” or “meat” comes straight from a cow.

14. Trump Administration Wants to Decide What Food SNAP Recipients Will Get – NPR

Under the proposal, low-income Americans who make up 80% of all SNAP recipients would get about half of their benefits in the form of a USDA foods package, which would not include any fresh fruits or vegetables.

15. Vegan Burger Brand Impossible Foods Launches Food Bank Program – Live Kindly

The company has partnered with Alameda County Community Food Bank and Second Harvest Food Bank to provide regular donations of its plant-based burger patties to residents in food assistance programs.

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