Sustainability: Page 157

Walmart Expands Grocery Pickup To Eight More Cities

The company announced it is launching free grocery pickup in Kansas City; Boise, Idaho; Richmond and Virginia Beach, Va.; Austin, Texas; Provo, Utah; Daphne, Ala.; and Charleston, S.C. These eight locations expand a service already offered in 20 markets.

An order is delivered at the Walmart Pickup - Grocery in Bentonville, Ark.

USDA To Strengthen Local Food Supply Chains

The project, dubbed “Food LINC,” will connect demand for local food in in those 10 urban areas with supply from farmers, strengthening each region’s local food business sector and increasing consumer access to local food.

Food LINC is part of USDA's Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Initiative (KYF2) supporting the Obama Administration's work to strengthen economic bonds between rural and urban areas, creating sustainable wealth for rural communities and putting more money into the pockets of rural producers.

U.S. Cattle Industry Calls For Vote On TPP

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Coconut Oil Prices Surge On Changing Market Demand, Challenging Supply Chains

The result has been a jump in prices since February, to an average in March of $1,448 a metric ton, according to World Bank data released late Wednesday. That is more than 50 percent higher than the average price in 2013.

The trend toward specialty products is being felt throughout the coconut industry, suggesting that prices for conventional oil aren’t likely to drop significantly in the near future, analysts say.

USDA Seeks Stricter Rules For Organic Farming

The proposed rules lay out for the first time minimum indoor and outdoor space requirements for organic chickens, with many egg-laying hens needing the equivalent of 2 square feet per bird both inside and outside.

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Snyder’s-Lance Inc. To Switch To Cage-Free Eggs By 2025

The company will consistently increase its percentage of cage-free eggs each year and reach 100 percent by the end of 2025.

The transaction expands Snyder's-Lance's footprint in 'better-for-you' snacking and increases the Company's existing natural food channel presence.

Trucking Industry Loses Jobs For Second Straight Month As U.S. Employment Rises

The second consecutive month of job losses is a warning to carriers struggling to recruit truck drivers that wages may have to rise again, and a signal to shippers that the “abundant” truck capacity they’ve enjoyed since last summer may have its limits.

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Walmart Commits To 100% Cage-Free Eggs By 2025

Walmart U.S. and Sam’s Club U.S. have announced their goal to transition to a 100 percent cage-free egg supply chain, based on available supply, affordability and customer demand by 2025.

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California Seeks New Labels To Reduce Food Waste

This bill is intended to address the large amount of healthy, consumable food wasted every day in California.

AB 2725, proposed by Assemblyman David Chiu, (D-San Francisco) would create a statewide standard on all foods that display date labels by creating two phrases: “Best if used by” would signify the date after which the food’s quality may begin to deteriorate, whereas “expires on” would signify after when a high level of risk would be associated with consuming the food product.

USDA Certification To Help Growers Meet Retailers’ On-Farm Safety Requirements

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

The USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has announced the official launch of GroupGAP, a new certification program that helps small and mid-sized growers and cooperatives meet retailers' on-farm food safety requirements.

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United Natural Foods, Inc. Acquires Nor-Cal Produce Inc.

United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI)

United Natural Foods, Inc. has acquired all the outstanding stock of Nor-Cal Produce, Inc. and an affiliated entity as well as certain real estate, in a cash transaction for approximately $68.6 million.

Judge Dismisses Claims Against Nestle And Hershey Over Not Disclosing Child Labor

The Hershey Company

A federal judge ruled that the nation's largest chocolate companies have no duty to disclose that their cocoa suppliers use child slave labor.

The suits state that such children are trafficked from countries neighboring the Ivory Coast, sold to plantation owners by brokers and smugglers, and forced to work under conditions of physical violence without pay. According to the World Cocoa Foundation, 47 percent of the total U.S. imports of cocoa beans come from the Ivory Coast.

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