Food – Page 12 – Impact Lab

Agriculture, Breakthrough Thinking, Food, Green Friendly

This lab-grown beef will be in restaurants in 3 years

July 20, 2018

Mosa Meat has raised a round of venture capital and plans of bringing $10 burgers (without any cows involved) to tables by 2018.

This lab-grown beef will be in restaurants in 3 years

When the Dutch stem-cell researcher Mark Post unveiled the first lab-grown burger in 2013–handmade fiber-by-fiber from cow cells in petri dishes–he announced that the single serving cost more than $300,000. But the research was promising enough that Post launched a startup called Mosa Meat to pursue making cultured meat at scale. The company now says that its first products will be on the market by 2021, fueled by a Series A fundraising round of $8.8 million, announced today.

Continue reading… “This lab-grown beef will be in restaurants in 3 years”

Driverless vehicles, Food, Shopping

Kroger to bring driverless cars to grocery delivery

July 14, 2018

Kroger is partnering with autonomous car company Nuro to introduce driverless cars to its grocery delivery.

Kroger has made a number of investments toward expanding its digital and online delivery business.

“Last mile delivery” is one of the hardest feats in the delivery of fresh food.

Kroger announced plans Thursday to partner with driverless car company Nuro to deliver groceries using its autonomous vehicles.

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Automation, China, Food

Robotic waitresses: Alibaba launches automated restaurant in Shanghai

July 10, 2018

Serving food at Hema. GIF via Alibaba video

Select some live seafood in one of Alibaba’s Hema grocery stores in Shanghai, get it rung up and bagged, and a robotic arm will whisk it away to a kitchen. Minutes later, a pod will wheel out of the kitchen, pulling up to your table with your meal under a transparent dome.

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Breakthrough Thinking, Food, People Making a Difference, Shopping

Toronto pay-what-you-can store aims to tackle landfills and hunger

June 30, 2018

Initiative aims to reduce dumping of ‘waste’ and sell it at prices set by buyers.

In a bright, airy Toronto market, the shelves are laden with everything from organic produce to pre-made meals and pet food. What shoppers won’t find, however, is price tags. In what is believed to be a North American first, everything in this grocery store is pay-what-you-can.

The new store aims to tackle food insecurity and wastage by pitting the two issues against each other, said Jagger Gordon, the Toronto chef who launched the venture earlier this month.

Continue reading… “Toronto pay-what-you-can store aims to tackle landfills and hunger”

Automation, Business, Food, Inventions, Robotics, Science & Technology News

Taste test: Burger robot startup creator opens first restaurant

June 24, 2018

Creator’s transparent burger robot doesn’t grind your brisket and chuck steak into a gourmet patty until you order it. That’s just one way this startup, formerly known as Momentum Machines, wants to serve the world’s freshest cheeseburger for just $6. On June 27th, after eight years in development, Creator unveils its first robot restaurant before opening to the public in September. We got a sneak peek…err…taste.

When I ask how a startup launching one eatery at a time could become a $10 billion company, Creator co-founder and CEO Alex Vardakostas looks me dead in the eye and says, “the market is much bigger than that.”

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Augmented Reality, Entertainment, Food

VRstudios launches Jurassic World VR attraction at Dave & Buster’s restaurants

June 13, 2018

VRstudios is launching its virtual reality platform in 112 Dave & Buster’s entertainment restaurant locations with the new game Jurassic World VR Expedition. That makes it the largest deployment of commercial multiplayer VR to date, the partners said.

It took almost five years of work to make happen, according to Dave & Buster’s executive Kevin Bachus, who was the co-creator of the Xbox video game console. The VR game launches ahead of the film Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, which arrives in U.S. theaters on June 22, 2018.

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Amazon.com, Business, Food, Shopping

How Amazon is using Whole Foods in a bid for total retail domination

May 26, 2018

The Seattle giant believes selling you groceries is the key to selling you everything else.

At 9 a.m. on June 16, 2017, Whole Foods employees packed into the main level of the company’s Austin headquarters. Only an hour earlier Amazon had announced that it was acquiring the high-end natural grocer, and the corporate staffers were as shocked as the rest of the public. Amazon had been militant about leaks during the seven weeks that the two companies had been in negotiations, and the vast majority of those working inside the building had been unaware that the deal was afoot.

Continue reading… “How Amazon is using Whole Foods in a bid for total retail domination”

Amazon.com, Business, China, Food, Latest Trend

Alibaba’s futuristic supermarket in China is way ahead of the US, with 30-minute deliveries and facial-recognition payment — and it shows where Amazon is likely to take Whole Foods

May 24, 2018

The Chinese tech giant Alibaba is expanding aggressively into physical retail through investments in a variety of product categories to push its “New Retail” strategy of combining online and offline shopping.

Its most critical New Retail venture has been Hema Xiansheng, a futuristic supermarket launched in 2015 that offers free 30-minute delivery and payment using facial-recognition technology.

Deeply integrated with Alibaba’s technology and services, Hema provides a window into where Amazon may try to take Whole Foods in the future.

Continue reading… “Alibaba’s futuristic supermarket in China is way ahead of the US, with 30-minute deliveries and facial-recognition payment — and it shows where Amazon is likely to take Whole Foods”

Food, Latest Trend, Legalized marijuana

Marijuana soda startup California Dreamin’ wants to replace booze

March 23, 2018

“Enjoy a light, social high,” says the funky bottle of California Dreamin’ cannabis-infused sparkling pomegranate juice. Launching today at Y Combinator Demo Day, California Dreamin’ is serving up an alcohol alternative that still gets you lit, but without the same hangover or health issues.

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Agriculture, Farming, Farms, Food

Vertical farms have nailed leafy greens. Next up: tasty peaches

March 21, 2018

San Francisco-based Plenty already supplies produce for Google’s kitchens. Now it’s on a mission to expand what hydroponic farms can grow.

Of the many crops that Matt Barnard has developed, he has a particular fondness for his kale. “If you think about what most people imagine when then they think of kale, think again,” he says. “It’s nothing like the tough, bitter leaf we’re used to. It’s sweet and velvety. People say we should find another name for it.”

Continue reading… “Vertical farms have nailed leafy greens. Next up: tasty peaches”

Agriculture, Big Problems, Farming, Food

Fake processed food is becoming an epidemic in African urban life

March 12, 2018

In late February, 14-year-olds Nahima and Yayaya, died after eating tainted biscuits at a classmate’s birthday celebration in their school, located just outside Nigeria’s capital Abuja. Several other children in their class were hospitalized. Panic and threats from angry parents forced a temporary school closure, but to date, there have been no efforts to investigate the root causes nor track or shut down the responsible company.

Continue reading… “Fake processed food is becoming an epidemic in African urban life”