Carol Ortenberg

Whole Foods Market has issued a variety of policy changes for vendors who come in contact with store employees as it works to cut back possible routes of transmission of the COVID-19 virus.

Senior executive Carla Vernón has left General Mills, where she led the organic brand and the rest of the company’s natural and organic division. Looking forward, Vernón said that she has “exciting new ventures” that she is working on, but for now, they remain confidential.

Plant-based dairy brand The Coconut Collaborative is pushing ahead to strengthen its position in the US market. Today the brand announced it had closed on a round of funding from PowerPlant Ventures, has brought on new US CEO Meiky Tollman, and that it is rebranding as The Collaborative.

Despite new challenges due to an uncertain business climate, things are looking sweet for low-sugar chocolate brand Lily’s Sweets. Driven by the success of its chocolate chips, which account for 30% of sales, the brand launched its first snack item — a low-sugar chocolate chip cookie — into stores last week.

Following a deluge of other food and beverage show cancellations and delays, the Specialty Food Association (SFA) announced today that its Summer Fancy Food Show will be cancelled. The trade show was slated to run June 28 through 30 in New York City.

As consumers meet with the stress and chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic and its disruption of daily life, finding ways to relax and unwind has taken on even higher importance. Many brands from both the THC and CBD sides of the ledger quickly found sales growth as consumers rushed to stockpile goods from nearly all CPG sectors, but cannabis suppliers and entrepreneurs are now wondering what their industry will look like once the crisis passes.

Covid-19 has upended many traditional consumer shopping habits, including how holidays are celebrated. Brands that look to these events as major sales drivers, such as Kosher food company Kayco, are keeping a close eye on how the pandemic will impact their annual forecasts.

After a week when companies, investment firms and trade groups sought clarity as to whether venture-backed companies can receive loans via the newly issued Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the Small Business Association (SBA) issued further details on Friday. However, while the document does provide some clarification, many questions still remain unanswered.

As healthcare workers become today’s heroes, food and beverage brands across the country are banding together to give back and donate to New York City metro hospitals under a new initiative, FoundersGive. Founded by entrepreneur Cole Riley, the group has collected over a half million products from roughly 230 brands.

It’s not just what you sell that makes or breaks a brand, but where you sell it. That’s the thesis behind venture firm Coefficient Capital, which last week announced it had raised $170 million for its first fund. Coefficient’s two founding partners include Franklin Isacson, formerly of Verlinvest and UBS, and technology adviser and investor Andrew Goletka