Specialty Food Magazine

Walmart, Getaway Open General Stores As part of a partnership with Getaway, a health and wellness hospitality company with a focus on the wilderness, Walmart will open General Stores by Walmart at Getaway Outposts. Getaway builds collections of cabins for rent near major cities and outfits them with pleasantries often found in hotels. The hope is to provide guests with the tools to unplug from the stress of daily life. The company currently has 19 Getaway Outposts with 784 cabins. The retail offerings will include a selection of seasonal products curated by Getaway outdoors experts. Additionally, the stores will feature goods from small, local businesses. The first General Store opened in Wimberly, Texas, in August, at a Getaway location near Austin and San Antonio, with openings in Connecticut, California, New York, and Missouri expected by the end of the year. "Walmart's partnership with Getaway furthers our mission to help people live better no matter where they are," said Casey Schlaybaugh, VP of brand marketing for Walmart U.S, in a statement. "We are going beyond just saving people money by enabling guests to maximize Getaway's experience and empowering them to spend more quality time with those who matter most." Waste Water Turns to Flour Mycelium, the root-like part of mushrooms, and waste water from food and beverage manufacturing, are the key ingredients in a new high-protein, low-carb flour being formulated by Chicago-based Hyfé Foods. By adding mycelium and bacteria to waste water, which companies like breweries pay to discard, fungal fermentation that consumes organic material in the water is created. The mycelium grows into small balls that are filtered out, dried, and transformed into flour. The production process diverts surplus sugar water from wastewater treatment facilities, which generate significant amounts of methane, a known contributor to global warming. According to Hyfé co-founder Michelle Ruiz, "an immediate climate benefit that our flour has is that its production directly reduces greenhouse gas emissions. However, the secondary benefit of the flour is its high protein content. One serving will have enough protein for a meal." She added, "We'll have to be very strategic about how we teach people to use our flour products as replacements for animal protein that would otherwise go on the plate. It's culture change, and we'll be at the forefront of redefining what protein means on the traditional plate." An infusion of $2 million in funding from The Engine, a venture firm out of MIT, has moved the company closer to bringing a beta product to the world, noted Ruiz. By 2023, it aims to go to market through branded partnerships with restaurants and CPG brands.—Denise Shoukas Things Are Looking Brighter for White Titanium dioxide, a color additive that was recently banned from use in food products in the EU for its toxicity, can still be found in U.S.-made products like frozen pizza, soups, pastries, and candy. Without it, creating the color white is a challenge. Scientists from Cambridge University, in collaboration with Impossible Foods, turned to nature for a solution. Poised to hit the market within three years, their cellulose pigment—which is renewable, sustainable, safer and more stable than if they used the beetle—was inspired by the structure of the exoskeleton of the Cyphochilus beetle. The rough and porous nature of the beetle's scales create the illusion of bright white, which the scientists mimicked to create an additive that promises white will remain bright in the food industry.—D.S. PHOTO: GETAWAY AND WALMART PHOTO: HYFÉ FOODS FALL 2022 11

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