Michelle Obama Launches F&B Brand, Wood Milk + More 

Image Credit: Forbes

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.

Two exciting headlines in the food industry have recently caught the food world’s attention. Former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, has launched PLEZi Nutrition, a health-conscious brand. The company’s first product line includes four fruit drinks, aimed at reducing the sugar intake of kids. Meanwhile, Hollywood star Aubrey Plaza recently caused a stir with a parody advertisement for “Wood Milk,” which mocked plant-based milks in support of dairy consumption.

In other news, we’ve wrapped the first season of 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, and be sure to subscribe and share!

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1. Michelle Obama Launches Health-Conscious Brand PLEZi Nutrition – Forbes

The company’s first launch is a line of four fruit drinks, a strategic decision made after realizing that added sugar beverages represent the main source of sugar intake for kids.

2. The Controversy Over Aubrey Plaza’s Ad for Big Dairy, Explained – Vox

Plaza was mocking plant-based milk on behalf of the Milk Processor Education Program, the quasi-governmental dairy industry organization administered by the USDA that ran the “got milk?” campaigns of the 1990s and 2000s.

3. Sweetgreen Will Unveil First Automated Kitchen This Week – Restaurant Dive

The chain’s Infinite Kitchen, part of ongoing efforts to improve profitability, will open its first location in Naperville, Illinois, on Wednesday.

4. South Korea’s CellMEAT Debuts Cultivated Osetra Caviar – Green Queen

South Korean startup CellMEAT says it has successfully developed a prototype for cell-based caviar, an alternative to traditional caviar that is sourced from sturgeons.

5. Ben & Jerry’s Cofounder Gets Fully Baked With New Nonprofit Cannabis Company – Forbes

Ben Cohen just launched a weed brand with a high-minded purpose—giving away 100% of its profits to right some of the racial injustices from America’s War on Drugs. Ice cream sold separately.

6. You May Never Eat Inside a Fast Food Restaurant Again – Vox

As diners increasingly turn to delivery, the future of fast food may be one with no human interaction at all.

7. Folium Capital Seeks $500M to Invest in Forestry and Agriculture – WSJ

The specialist firm aims to take advantage of demand for carbon-offset investments and healthy foods.

8. Netherlands: Mosa Meat Opens New Facility in Maastricht, Sees ‘a Clear Path Towards Price Parity’ For Cultivated Meat – AFN

Dutch cultivated meat startup Mosa Meat has opened a new 30k sq ft ‘scale-up plant’ in Maastricht as it edges closer to commercialization.

9. Biggest Grocery Union Opposes $20B Kroger-Albertsons Deal – WSJ

UFCW International plans to raise concerns with antitrust officials about potential divestitures and stores’ future viability.

10. Jenny Craig, the Once-Highflying Weight-Loss Brand, Is Going Out of Business After 40 Years – WSJ

The company was famous for its personalized meal plans and celebrity endorsements.