Nutiva, an Organic Superfoods company, has decided to expand its initial voluntary product recall of the Organic Plant Based Protein Superfood 30 Shake – Vanilla to include all lots of both Vanilla and Chocolate flavored products after identifying that this product may contain trace amounts peanuts. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to peanuts run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product. “We are choosing to voluntarily recall all of our Organic Plant Based Protein Superfood 30 Shakes as a precautionary measure to provide the safest products for our customers,” states John W. Roulac, Nutiva’s CEO.

These items were sold on the internet and through distributors in Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Consumers who have purchased these items and have an allergy or severe sensitivity to peanuts are urged to not eat the product, and to dispose of it or return it for refund to where it was originally purchased. Nutiva has taken these steps strictly as a precautionary measure to assure our customers of our commitment to quality. No other Nutiva items are impacted by this recall.

Customers with questions may contact (800) 993-4367 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., Monday – Friday, or email help@nutiva.com.

ABOUT NUTIVA:
Nutiva was founded in 1999 with a single purpose in mind—to revolutionize the way the world eats. Today Nutiva nurtures vitality by conscious curating of the world’s finest plant-based organic foods including coconut, hemp, chia and red palm. We contribute one percent of sales ($4M to date) to projects supporting healthy communities and sustainable agriculture. For more information, please visit nutiva.com

Walmart.com is hiring hundreds of workers at its tech operations to boost its free two-day shipping offer for online orders. This move comes as part of its continuing competition with Amazon Prime. (xanax)

Recently, the retailer also launched free two-day shipping on orders of US$35 or more, with no subscription required. This challenges Amazon’s offering of free two-day shipping for Prime customers, which costs $99 per year. Walmart is also pushing free grocery pickup for products bought online.

This reflects the plight of retailers everywhere, who are now trying to create new omnichannel sales strategies.

“Our integrated offering means customers are shopping with us through multiple channels,” says executive vice-president and CFO Brett Biggs.

Walmart is now the second-largest U.S. online retailer by revenue, one of the top three online retailers by traffic, and its Walmart app is among the top three apps in retail.

With these two online giants battling it out, smaller e-tailers and independents with online stores will have to up their game. Ensuring that you have great product selection, as well as expedited shipping options, will further your success. If possible, consider offering free shipping—or other rewards, such as free product—when customers spend over a certain amount of money. Moreover, amp up your in-store game with various promotions—while e-commerce is booming, many consumers still prefer a bricks-and-mortar experience to online shopping.

Earth Mama® welcomes Guinevere C. Lynn as the vice-president of Sales. With over twenty years of sales experience and leadership, she brings a strategic approach along with a range of management talents applied to customer service, sales operations, strategic planning and innovative programs designed to serve the customer, the retailer and the distributor all at once. Guinevere will be responsible for all domestic sales for Earth Mama across all channels. Previous to joining Earth Mama, Guinevere applied her talents at some of the best companies in our industry, Gaia Herbs, Vega and for 15 years Sun Chlorella. She has been a material part of each of those industry leading company’s growth and success.

Founder and CEO Melinda Olson welcomes Guinevere’s innate understanding of natural brands and that she’s put Earth Mama products to use for her own childbirth experiences, “With her history and knowledge, we welcome her guidance as we expand our brand and presence. It’s a perfect fit, she’s a mama of three who knows a thing or two about both the wonders and indignities of pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum and she knows the products firsthand.”

“Anyone who’s met Guin knows her glittering personality, but her knowledge and strategic sales leadership, consciousness of spirit and passionate love of all things Mama and Baby will help bring Earth Mama to another level, ensuring that every mother and every baby, through the world, will have efficacious plant based solutions,” says Papa in Charge Jagatjoti Singh Khalsa.

As for Lynn, she’s excited to be a part of the Earth Mama family, especially during this time of transition and growth, “It feels like such an exciting time to bring my strengths to Earth Mama, especially being a mama too!” She especially appreciates Natural Nipple Butter, “I lugged a breast pump across the nation for three kids and I swear the Natural Nipple Butter also helped with pumping nipple pain.”

Earth Mama Angel Baby manufactures trusted, certified organic, Non-GMO Project Verified and natural herbal products, gentle castile-based soaps, and teas that are specifically formulated to support the entire journey of childbirth, from pregnancy through postpartum recovery, breastfeeding, baby care, and even baby loss.

About Earth Mama®

For over a decade Earth Mama has offered trusted natural and organic herbal products for pregnancy, postpartum recovery, breastfeeding, baby care, and even the loss of a baby. Chosen by hospitals, Safe as Mama’s Arms®.

Earth Mama manufactures natural and organic herbal products that work, combining generations of women’s wisdom and traditional plant medicine with the safety and assurances of contemporary evidence based research. Certified by Oregon Tilth. To learn more, please visit http://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com.

The Ontario Federation of Food Co-operatives and Clubs, Inc., operating as the Ontario Natural Food Co-op, of Mississauga, has signed a Letter of Intent to sell its business and key assets to the Horizon Group of western Canada.

The co-operative’s board of directors invited ONFC members to a Special Members Meeting on Mar. 20 to consider the resolution that would allow the sale.

If the sale goes ahead, it would be an important step toward preserving a strong Canadian natural and organic food distribution system in the province, says ONFC General Manager Randy Whitteker. He notes that the roots of the Horizon Group are co-operative, and ONFC and Horizon Group share many values. Horizon Group’s Ontario operations would remain at the existing location in Mississauga, he adds.

He says that recent pressures in the organic and natural food industry, the co-operative’s expansion during this time, a strong U.S. dollar impacting the cost of imported products, and other reasons led to the boards’ decision to look to a bigger partner to maintain service for independent and other retail organic and natural retailers in Ontario.

Until a decision is made, the co-operative will continue to serve its members and customers which are buying clubs, local co-operatives, natural food retailers, restaurateurs, caterers and others dedicated to organic and natural food.

ONFC was founded in 1976. It now employs more than 120 people, and has close to 1500 members and customers. Its annual sales approach $55 million. ONFC owns Black River Juice Company Limited and the Ontario Natural Food Co-op brand. It distributes more than 4,500 grocery, refrigerated, frozen, bulk, and household items to natural and organic retailers in the eastern half of Canada. It is the 2016 Canadian Health Food Association Supplier of Excellence Award winner.

Also dating to 1976, the Horizon Group of companies is a key player in the natural products industry representing a wide array of categories shipped from a number of warehouses across Canada. Its subsidiary, Horizon Distributors, is western Canada’s leading distributor of organic and natural products in the dry, chill and frozen grocery categories, serving 1,800 locations annually including natural and organic retailers, grocery retailers, online retailers, buying clubs and major retail partners such as Whole Foods Market.

The spread of the Zika virus, which can cause devastating birth defects, has become a pressing public health issue in many countries. To this day, there is no vaccine to prevent and no medicine to treat Zika virus infections.

The Honourable Jane Philpott, Canada’s Minister of Health, announced a $3 million investment for Zika research in May 2016. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), in partnership with the International Development Research Centre, today announced the names of the three teams of Canadian scientists who will collaborate with Latin American and Caribbean researchers to study the Zika virus.

The leaders of the three research teams include:

• Dr. Tom Hobman, from the University of Alberta. He and his team will study how the Zika virus changes host cells during infection, with the goal of developing anti-viral therapies that can be used against the virus.
• Dr. Keith Pardee, from the University of Toronto. He and his team will test a new, low-cost tool to rapidly detect the presence of Zika virus in patients’ bodily fluids. The new diagnostic tool is designed to be used in remote, under-resourced locations and will be field tested in Ecuador, Brazil and Colombia. Current tests to diagnose Zika virus are time consuming and prone to false positives due to the possibility of a patient’s prior infection with other flaviviruses such as dengue.
• Dr. Beate Sander, from Public Health Ontario. She and her team will conduct field studies in Argentina, Colombia and Ecuador to better understand how the virus is spread from mosquitoes to humans, predict which areas in the region are most at risk and use computer simulations to assess the most effective intervention methods, including mosquito control measures and vaccine development.

“The health research community is only beginning to come to grips with this dangerous pathogen. These three research teams have the potential to shed new light on the Zika virus and save lives,” says Dr. Marc Ouellette, the Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity. “They may come up with faster ways to test for infection, finding the best methods to stop the mosquitoes that spread the virus and develop therapies that are effective against Zika.”

To date, there have been 481 cases of Zika virus detected in Canada, most of which have been travel related. However, the virus can also be transmitted from mother to fetus and sexually transmitted. There are currently no cures for Zika virus infections or vaccines available against the virus.

Additionally, Zika is linked to severe birth defects, like microcephaly. Moreover, it may cause neurological disorders including Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare condition in which the body’s immune system attacks its nervous system. The Public Health Agency of Canada recommends that pregnant women and those planning a pregnancy avoid travel to countries or areas in the United States, like Florida, with reported mosquito-borne Zika virus.

Together, the international teams will create new knowledge to help develop diagnostics for Zika virus infection, understand the pathology caused by the virus, and ultimately prevent its transmission and morbidity.