AI’s Dirty Secret: Data Centers Fund Clean Energy, Then Burn It
AI data centers are bankrolling US wind and solar at record scale, but their net climate impact remains deeply troubling.
food news. food policy. food tech.
food news. food policy. food tech.
Paula Weigel
Smart Money Is Betting Big on Natural Colors
A fund's $4 million Sensient stock buy signals that institutional investors see the natural colors boom as a durable, high-growth market shift.
Kroger’s E-Commerce Finally Profits, But Stores Lag
Kroger's e-commerce turned profitable for the first time in Q1 2026, but CEO Greg Foran says Kroger store performance remains uneven across the chain.
AI Isn’t Fixing Restaurants. It’s Adding More Dashboards.
Orbis AI's Temo Benidze argues that AI restaurant software pitfalls stem from tools built by people who've never run a shift.
Mars Snacking Has a New Tech Chief. Here’s Why It Matters.
Mars snacking digital transformation gets a named leader as Kemal Cetin steps in to integrate Kellanova's sprawling tech stack.
Kroger and Wegmans Let AI Fill Your Cart Now
Startup Cooklist powers agentic AI grocery shopping for two major chains, automating cart-building from conversational prompts.
Nestlé’s AI Advisor Targets Women Food Sellers in Africa
Nestlé's Maggi Mami AI advisor pilots across Africa, targeting women micro-entrepreneurs in informal food markets.
Big Pharma’s Loss Is Clean Ingredients’ Gain
A Merck chemist who spent 20 years targeting disease with precision molecules is now letting nature lead the molecular blueprint.
AI Food Waste Startup KITRO Bets Big on New Rules
KITRO's AI food waste reduction platform is expanding internationally, timing its growth push to align with tightening regulatory pressure on hospitality operators.
Will AI Kill Restaurant Jobs? Chipotle and Starbucks Show Us
An opinion piece uses Starbucks and Chipotle as case studies to examine whether AI restaurant jobs will shrink, shift, or survive.
McDonald’s AI Drive-Thru Bet Gets Serious
McDonald's is upgrading its drive-thru with AI ordering technology, a move that signals where fast-food operations are heading next.
DyeConverter Gets Nod From HALO Science
Halo Science, the open innovation platform connecting academic researchers and industry, published its 2026 analysis of CPG reformulation infrastructure this week. The piece, titled “Who’s Solving CPG’s Reformulation Backlog in 2026,” profiles six specialized startups working on different bottlenecks inside…