Meet The Mobile Payment App That’s Taking NYC Restaurants By Storm, 6 Must-Attend Food Tech Events + More

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

From Q1 2014’s 5 year food and grocery delivery funding high to NatureBox’s mammoth Series B raise, these are last week’s top food tech stories. Like what you read? Feast your eyes on the full roundup here. Or better yet, sign up for our newsletter and get the latest and greatest in food tech delivered to your inbox every week.

1. Video Q&A With Cover, The Mobile Payment App That’s Taking NYC Restaurants By Storm

Cover allows customers to dine without waiting for the check, and it saves restaurants money to boot. Founder Mark Egerman dishes on his startup’s technology, philosophy and plans for growth.

2. Must-attend Food Tech Events This Spring & Summer

From The Food Book Fair to Menus Of Change, here’s the first installment of our quarterly list of upcoming food tech conferences, summits and other kick-ass gatherings.

3. Shocking No One, Frothy Food Startups Hit A Five Year Funding High – PandoDaily

CB Insights has a new report out saying that the first quarter of 2014 saw a five year high point of investments in meal, grocery and food delivery companies. Investors sunk more than $200 million into these deals.

4. ezCater Raises $4 million To Expand Its Online Catering Marketplace – TechCrunch

The startup offers a marketplace from which people can order catered meals from any number of providers around the country. It has 30,000 caterers on the site, and, with the funding, plans to add another 20,000 this year.

5. Healthy Snack Startup NatureBox Raises $18 Million Series B Led By Canaan Partners – TechCrunch

Founded in early 2012, NatureBox set out to become synonymous with providing healthy snacks direct to consumers. It’s made great strides toward that goal, and will continue to push forward with $18 million in new funding led by Canaan Partners.

6.The Same-Day War: Amazon, Google And Walmart Race To Bring Your Groceries – Forbes

Same-day home delivery of groceries is to retailers what Mount Everest is to climbers: The lure is obvious, the logistics fearsome, and tackling either without the right plan is suicide.

7. Plant Breeders Release First ‘Open Source Seeds’ – NPR

A group of scientists and food activists is launching a campaign to change the rules that govern seeds. They’re releasing 29 new varieties of crops under a new “open source pledge” that’s intended to safeguard the ability of farmers, gardeners and plant breeders to share those seeds freely.

8. In Corporate Wellness Programs, Wearables Take a Step Forward – CNN Money

A growing number of companies are issuing tracking devices to employees to help them manage their fitness and to allow managers to keep tabs on the health of the firm as a whole.