Clif Bar Launches Ag Fund, 50 Future Foods For a Better Food System + 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.

WWF has partnered with Knorr to help tackle the negative environmental impacts of global food production. Together, they’ve launched The Future 50 Foods report, a collection of diverse, plant-based foods from around the world that can boost the nutritional value of our meals while reducing the environmental impact of our food supply.

Despite CBD’s opaque legal status, M&A activity continues to shape the market. This week, Tilray, the second-biggest cannabis company by market value, will acquire Manitoba Harvest, maker of hemp-based products sold at more than 13,000 points of sale across the U.S., for $216 million. CBD products are now in the pipeline.

In other news, JUST is now seeking $200 million from Chinese investors. Clif Bar has just launched a Sustainable Ag Fund to support organic farmers weather economic challenges.

And finally, Blaze Pizza, the restaurant chain backed by basketball star LeBron James, is expanding deliveries across the US to take on Domino’s and ready itself for an initial public offering.

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. Introducing Biodiversity: The Intersection of Taste & Sustainability

We interviewed 45+ CEOs, execs, farmers and investors about the role biodiversity plays in our food industry. Read this week’s published responses from Arabella Advisors, MAD, Sweetgreen, Believe in Bambara and GODAN.

2. Knorr, WWF Suggest 50 Future Foods to Fix Our Food System – Sustainable Brands

From naturally pest-resistant grains to vitamin-rich flowers and drought-defying roots, they outline 50 nutritious foods that are better for our health and environment.

3. Tilray Taps US Hemp Food Market With Manitoba Harvest Deal – Bloomberg

Tilray is acquiring Manitoba Harvest for $216m, tapping into its extensive US distribution network and an upcoming line of CBD products.

4. Egg-Free Mayo Startup Just Seeks $200M Funding – Bloomberg

The company has been gauging preliminary interest from Chinese investors.

5. Clif Bar Creates Ag Fund to Aid Organic Farmers – Baking Business

The company is providing $500k in initial seed funding to a $10m wind energy program, with other large investors slated to invest the remaining $9.5m.

6. Non-Traditional Protein Options Gain Steam in the Meat Department – Progressive Grocer

Sales of meat alternatives rose 22% to $8.8m. While it represented a small percentage of overall sales compared to traditional animal protein, growth levels continue to indicate a gradual shift in consumers’ eating behavior.

7. Glanbia Nutritionals Strikes Deal to Acquire Watson Inc – Food Navigator

The $1.4b nutritional ingredients and cheese business will Acquire Watson for $89m.

8. LeBron’s Blaze Charts IPO Path with Deliveries, 500-Store Target – Bloomberg

Blaze Pizza, the restaurant chain backed by basketball star LeBron James, is expanding deliveries across the US to take on Domino’s and ready itself for an initial public offering.

9. France: French Insect Farming Startup Ynsect Raises $125M Series C Breaking European Agtech Record – AgFunder

The investment round was led by Astanor Ventures. Ÿnsect will use the funding to construct the largest insect farm in the world, with the first phase able to produce 20k tons of insect protein a year.

10. Kroger and Ocado Begin to Roll Out Automated Fulfillment Centers – The Spoon

Kroger will roll out two new Ocado-powered customer fulfillment centers — also called “sheds” — in the Central Florida and Mid-Atlantic regions.

11. For His Next Act, Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick Is Quietly Building a New Kind of Food Delivery Service – Business Insider

CloudKitchens, one of the units of Kalanick’s company City Storage Systems, has hired dozens of people including former Uber employees.

12. 640 Labs Founder Raises $8.25M Series A for New Venture Tillable, an Online Farmland Rental Marketplace – AgFunder

The Production Board led the round, along with participation from First Round Capital. Tillable will use the funding to expand its engineering, sales and marketing teams.

13. Women, Women of Color & Gender Non-Conforming Innovator Database

We created this open-source list to increase representation, support and investment in women, women of color & gender-nonconforming innovators in food. Join the list & help us spread the word using #womxninfood

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