Image Credit: Patagonia Provisions
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.
A new report has found that agrifoodtech funding declined by 44% in 2022, bringing total funding to $29.6 billion. Kroger and Albertsons want to merge in a $20 billion deal. If antitrust regulators approve, the definition of a grocery store grows further. Food startups were scrambling at Expo West when news broke about Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse. Many with accounts may not make payroll this year.
In other news, we are excited to spotlight our podcast in partnership with AgFunder: New Food Order, a nuanced investigation into the business of tackling our climate and social crises through food and agriculture. Read all about why we launched the podcast.
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The macro headwinds startups face right now are also driving more interest in agrifoodtech as a climate tech solutions to our most pressing problems.
Kroger and Albertsons want to merge in a $20b deal. If antitrust regulators approve, the definition of a grocery store grows further.
Many small companies with accounts at the bank were showing off their products at Natural Products Expo West as the news went out, sending many founders into a frenzy.
In its first acquisition in more than 20 years, Patagonia bought cracker company Moonshot, which uses regenerative agriculture practices, in an attempt to further grow its new food division.
Investigation finds cases of the wellness product, hailed for its anti-aging benefits, being derived from cattle raised on farms damaging tropical forest.
Hospitality companies are reviving their hiring after making pandemic cuts, offsetting slower jobs growth in the technology industry.
Sweetgreen can’t compete as a restaurant chain with a Silicon Valley cost structure.
Divert, a firm that turns food waste into renewable natural gas, is gearing up for a nationwide expansion.
Decades after Cesar Chavez made the union a power in California fields, it has lost much of its clout. Membership dropped precipitously, from 60k to 5.5k. It hopes a new law will turn the tide.
Entering its 20th season, the sprawling Bravo franchise has changed the way Americans eat and become a mirror of the restaurant industry.
CarbonCloud has just released its free searchable database online, listing the carbon footprint of 10k branded food and beverage products found on American grocery shelves.