In this week’s Checkout: WM Partners acquires Jade Leaf Matcha; KIND updates its KIND Kids packaging as part of racial inequality commitments; the fifth annual PepsiCo Greenhouse Accelerator turns its focus to food tech companies; and Gainful and CookUnity close funding rounds.

KIND announced today an agreement to acquire soft-baked snack bar maker Nature’s Bakery. While terms of the transaction were not disclosed, sources told The New York Times that the deal valued Nature’s Bakery at $400 million. The acquisition comes just a few weeks after KIND itself was acquired by snack company Mars.

Roughly three years after it invested in the upstart brand, snack company Mars Incorporated announced today that it had acquired KIND Snacks. Mars previously placed a minority investment in KIND, a deal which gave Mars the rights to “lead the growth of the business” outside of the US and Canada.

This week in the checkout, plant-based brand Lightlife pens an open letter to Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods urging them to use cleaner ingredients, Meanwhile, KIND commits to using only “bee-friendly almonds” and plant-based cheese and butter brand Miyoko’s comes out ahead in its labeling lawsuit against the state of California.

Since launching with a humble fruit-and-nut bar in 2004, KIND has evolved into a “global health and wellness platform” offering over 80 snack varieties. Now the brand is taking a step further, betting its success in bars and granola can translate to a successful extension throughout the grocery store.

In response to the death of George Floyd, some of the country’s largest food and beverage companies, as well as a large group of entrepreneurs and emerging brands, have offered statements of support, financial donations to advocacy groups and commitments to open a dialogue about racial justice in America.

KIND Snacks has launched the Frontline Impact Project, a centralized platform where healthcare workers and other organizations on the frontlines can request and receive necessary food, lodging and transportation assistance.

Ellenos, a fast-growing premium yogurt brand, announced today an $18 million investment by Equilibra Partners Management, the family office of KIND founder Daniel Lubetzky. The capital will be used to help the brand scale nationwide.

The USDA Agricultural Research Service has found that almonds, cashews, pistachios and walnuts all contain less calories than originally thought, according to a series of studies that began in 2012. This opens the door for brands with nut-based products to update their products’ nutrition panels — and potentially even position themselves differently to reach consumers who may be concerned with calories.

KIND Healthy Snacks (KIND) is continuing its KIND Snack & Give Back Project with the launch of KIND HEROES, its first limited-edition offering that applauds and thanks the military community.