FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA (CJI) MN VENKATACHALIAH needs no introduction. He served as the 25th CJI from February 12, 1993 to October 24, 1994. His tenure was marked by efforts to reduce pendency. An avid champion of human values and rights, he served as the chairman of the National Human Rights Commission. In 2000, he headed the national commission to review the working of the Constitution where he gave many valuable suggestions. Justice Venkatachaliah was conferred the Padma Vibhushan in 2004. Currently, he is the patron and guiding light of India Legal. He imparted his wisdom on many topicsthe judiciary, religion, Ayodhya, upbringing of childrento RAJSHRI RAI, MD, India Legal and Editor-in-Chief, APN NEWS. Excerpts from the interview:

People call you Non-age Narayan, a person who doesnt age. Once you told us that the secret of your youth is green tea and omega fatty acids. How do you keep yourself young and vibrant?

Once Sir Winston Churchill was asked what was the secret of his durability. He said enduring qualities of alcohol and tobacco. (laughs) I dont take alcohol, but this is perhaps pure Gods blessing that has given me longish life. Thats all I can say.

When you retired, you refused to take up any position offered to you by the government. Instead you said that you will study Indian spiritualism and religion. Tell us about that decision of yours.

I said I will study the Upanishads. I didnt want to take paid assignments or arbitration because I thought that the chief justice of India has some restrictions about his post-retirement options. I was sounded by the then prime minister whether I will accept the vice-presidentship of the country. One of his minister came here. I told him that the moment I signed this offer, I would bring the edifice of the Supreme Court several notches down. Therefore, I pleaded my inability to respond to that offer. Other judges can do arbitration. They are good people. But the CJI should keep away from it. This is my personal conviction.

As a patron of India Legal, how do you see its role in the field of legal journalism and what is your take on the current state of legal journalism in India?

Legal journalism has come of age. In England once photograph of three judges was published upside down and captioned three-old fools. That sort of journalism was always there in the West. The Indian press was very deferential to the judicial system. Punch, the comic journal of UK, never touched the judges except one or two occasion. In this country judiciary was treated as a sacred cow. Now judiciary is more open to scrutiny. That is good.

Do you think that India Legal is maintaining the standards of legal journalism?

Sometimes I think that India Legal is practising that virtue in excess. (laughs) Thats good. As long as it is bonafide. As every institution, the judiciary must also be open to external assessment. The judiciary must be open to assessment of its social relevance and utility.

Your tenure is best remembered for your initiative to enforce judicial accountability. You famously said that no one can watch a watchman. You said that the judiciary has to adopt a culture of accountability. Please elaborate.

My impression is judiciary down the years in India has been treated as a holy cow. but respect shouldnt generate immunity from criticism. This will bring irresponsibility in the system. We should constantly guard against it. If the judicial system fails, the whole democratic system fails. The problem in judiciary is in the lack of speed in the disposal of cases. We concentrated on the problem during my tenure. My team of judges did enormous work. They worked half an hour more daily. The result is for all to see.

From 1991 to 1998 in eight years the backlog of cases fell from four and a half lakhs to 19 thousand. People said that it is the most commendable work of any post-Independence institution. That was the collective work of all the judges. There were great judges in our time. I am not in touch with the system now but I can say that those years were very productive.

Pendency is a major problem facing Indias judicial system. We are badly understaffed in terms of judges. Now, with the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other high-end technologies, will the judiciary embrace it to solve pendency?

Pendency is a serious problem plaguing our judicial system. There are 22,764 subordinate courts in the country. Each court lists around 60 case per day. Around one case per day is decided. There are 250 footfalls on the either side of advocates and clients. Multiply 22,764 by 300 footfalls everyday and then multiply that by 290 days of work. Then you will know the enormity in terms of loss of productivity and man hours. If you calculate it at the rate of Rs 300 per head, per day, it may amount to a lakh and fifty thousand crore rupees per year. This is the notional loss in addition to the actual expense involved in it.

Talking about Artificial Intelligence (AI), the scanner can read some four-lakh pages in about three to four minutes. But the language platform must be compatible with the material available in courts. Only then the advantage of AI solutions will accrue. AI has some limits but it can be done.

You were part of the group formed to review the working of the Constitution. What changes are you looking for in the Constitution?

We were part of the group which was formed to assess the Constitution. It was called the National Commission to Review the Working of the Indian Constitution. The Constitution provides the framework and if there is good and responsible governance, then the results of growth and development are visible. Take the example of Kerala where social indices have dramatically improved. For example, social welfare is exemplified in maternal mortality figures which have come down significantly.

You once said that you were the most unpopular chief justice ever. What did you mean by it?

A judge is unpopular in every sense. His views and world pictures somehow influences his decisions. Sometimes prejudices enter into his principles. So greater wisdom is expected of judges than mere technical knowledge and details. He should have an idea that into what kind of society he is administrating, what kind of system. We coin beautiful slogans, use expressions borrowed from foreign experience and try to incorporate them in our system. Indian predicament is totally different. It requires different solutions and one size doesnt fit all. There are regional differences, regional imbalances and what is needed is a kind of pervasive wisdom which can assess the utility of any system appropriate to any situation. That instinctively should develop in a judge. It is very difficult to straitjacket everything everything in one formula.

Somebody asked what does it take to be a Lord Chancellor. The answer was first and foremost he must be a gentleman. It doesnt matter if he knows a little also. So the importance of technical knowledge is being emphasised today. That also is important. Law is increasingly becoming a junior branch of economics. Economics is increasingly becoming a junior branch of technology. When explosion of technology is witnessed then all other systems also have to change to suit the demands of innovation. Thats why every institution requires introspection. Because the world is changing rapidly. It should also suit the mindset of the present generation. According to me, the present generation of Homo Sapiens is not a genetic descendent of caveman. It is a new specie in itself. It has immense potential. We are not able to imagine the magnitude of potential of the human brain. This is my take on how system should change to suit the present generation.

India is essentially a religious country. Does inculcation of scientific temper as envisaged in our Constitution preclude its religious ethos and practices?

You cant eliminate religion through scientific thinking. Science cant replace religion. Both have a unique place and can mutually coexist. Religious values are of paramount importance and we shouldnt abandon them. We should expose our children to religious values and traditions. Development of a scientific temper doesnt in any way rule out embracing religious values.

India is a land where diverse faiths have flourished. But now with modernisation and rapid social change, religious practices are being freely questioned and challenged in courts of law. Womens rights and essential religious practices are at odds. Sabarimala is a case in point. What is your view about it?

Cases involving questions of religion, essential religious practices and constitutional rights are being brought to courts more frequently. Its being seen as the rule of law versus tradition and cultural practices. Courts have been adjudicating such matters for some time now. Arguments in such cases should be televised live and people, especially children, should watch these proceedings. The bottomline is that we should value everything for the common good.

Our political system is under tremendous strain. Deviant political behaviour and electoral malpractices have created havoc in the system. What solution do you prescribe for the ills affecting the political system so that it becomes healthy once again?

BR Ambedkar once said: Democracy in India is only a top-dressing on an Indian soil, which is essentially undemocratic. Democracy is a new soil and it has to be nurtured carefully. In India, strict electoral reforms are needed in order to overhaul the political system. Laws for the formation of political parties, funding and public scrutiny of the workings of political parties are needed. I worked along with a group to draft a model legislation to this effect. Sources of political funding should be revealed by proper audit. Cash and caste are a dangerous mix, and if used wrongly can ruin democracy. Dynastic politics should be done away with. Holding party presidentship on account of heredity is a crime. We have to bring changes in these areas. By political reform, we can nurture the soil of democracy and make it healthy and whole.

Today, the country is embroiled in controversies and conflicts related to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, sedition laws and the National Population Register. What is your take on these controversies?

Every nation has its laws and is free to enact them. If some apprehension has crept into the minds of a section of people regarding some law, then these fears need to be addressed. This can be best addressed by debate and discussion. You have to use the power of persuasion to show that nothing is intrinsically wrong with the laws. The apprehension that laws will be applied discriminately is probably creating problems.

We today operate in a polarised atmosphere. Conflict is common and often leads to violence. In such a strife-ridden atmosphere, the role of the police is often under the scanner, and when matters relating to communal conflict reach courts, questions get raised on the judgments. How justified is this?

We have to trust our judiciary and accept its decisions on critical issues. If we dont trust the judiciary, we will lose confidence in it and also in democracy. Judges are aware of both sides of the matter. They know what is horrific for the nation. Dont substitute their wisdom with your impositions. Let the system work.

The judiciary must interpret the law and apply the rule of law. It should do so without taking sides or taking personalities into consideration. That is the only way in which it can gain public confidence. We shouldnt depend on the judiciary for everything. It is a mark of a weak society. This will prevent people from settling disputes democratically. For the protection of human and fundamental rights, the judiciary is the best institution and we should trust it.

In times when executive action is found wanting in important areas of public concern and policy matters, the judiciary takes on a proactive role. This is often termed as judicial activism. This has been on the rise, and in many cases, led to a face-off with the executive. What are your views on this?

Judicial activism is a slippery slope. You are acting in an area where legislators or administrators should be doing their duty. You see somewhere and somehow some institutions are not performing their constitutional duties and obligations. Then the courts have to intervene. Someone else has to do the job so that the demand of the Constitution is met. The government has no choice. It has to take the decision of the court in a gracious way and work out democratic equality.

Going back in history, you were criticised for not acting to stop the appointment of a multi-member Election Commission and for allowing the symbolic kar seva in Ayodhya. Given a chance, would you have acted otherwise?

I dont think so. There are limits of judicial intervention. The courts can only instruct and set goals. It is the executive that has to execute the action plan. The court sets the objective, for example, protect the structure, but the executive has to perform, taking into account all the ground realities.

The Ayodhya judgment has now become a case study of sorts. It was not only one of the longest-running legal battles, but the judgment touched upon the sensitive issue of faith versus rule of law. How do you see the verdict in retrospect?

This case didnt turn on pure legal logic, but on the broader issue of national conciliation and consensus. There is a power peculiar to the Supreme Court under Article 142. It empowers the Court to pass such decree or order as may be necessary for doing complete justice between the parties. This power was invoked during the Ayodhya judgment. It was a broader exercise and not limited to mere determining of the legal rights of the land. It wasnt an emotional judgment, but based on wisdom.

You have given so many ideas to bring about reforms in the social, political, judicial and constitutional arena. Now, when optimism has become a political war cry and Prime Minister Modis slogan achhe din has been hailed as a game-changing mantra, when do you think the wait for better days will come?

For the judiciary, there will always be achhe din. This is because they take the responsibility to resolve tensions and help people carry on with their lives. They make the world a better place to live in. Its not their technicality but wisdom which we should respect. We should trust the Supreme Court.

In the past and in recent times, inter-community strife has led to bloodshed. Politicians indulging in hate-mongering have been let off without punitive action. In this context, the political class needs to be more responsible and responsive.

Political parties have the responsibility to evolve systems that go beyond their interests. They should sit together and evolve systems to improve electoral politics. Though the executive and the civil servant work in tandem, pressure is often brought on the bureaucracy by the political class to serve its interests. Hence, the executive and the civil services should be separate and there should be a buffer between them. Civil servants shouldnt be misused by the political class.

EVMs are seen as tools to correct electoral malpractices. Now a question mark is being raised over them also. Do you think EVMs are a good solution?

There is an expansive message in the paper trail of EVMs. By collaborative evidence, model statistical analysis and big data analysis, we can assess the degree of divergence. It is working quite well and the results are coinciding with exit polls. It is one of the tests. You cant achieve perfection in assessment but EVMs are better than paper ballots. I have seen bunches of paper ballots being manipulated. They are not reliable and are more open to mischief than EVMs. The paper trail analysis is significant. Some margin of error is all right.

Swami Vivekananda said that if you are very logical, you cant be spiritual. What is your view on this?

Vivekananda says so many things beautifully. He talks about evolution and not revolution. He talks about diversity of religious traditions and the need for coexistence. Vivekananda stresses unity of religious values and their integration. He doesnt talk about one religion for all, rather, to each according to his own is his motto. This is relevant for our times.

The new generation is very attached to the internet which has become the primary mode of knowledge transmission and interaction. However, the State has clamped down on the internet in troubled times. In this context, the Supreme Court recently held that access to the internet is a fundamental right.

We are now thinking of its ill-effects and potential for misuse. The internet is one of the greatest inventions mankind has seen, almost next to the railroad. If the question is how to protect children from its ill-effects, the answer lies in the fact that the internet is a protection against itself. There lies a way in which the internet can be manipulated to prevent unwanted information reaching children or vulnerable groups. AI is exciting. It is based on logic and logic is a friend of justice. Humanity has a lot to look forward to. Spirituality and human evolution are taking an upward course.

Can you expand on the underpinnings of the judgment on internet access and its importance?

Times have changed. Access to the internet is equated with the right to information, the right to knowledge. It is an attribute of the human being or human personality. Internet access can be abused, but then everything can be abused.

Social media has the potential for misuse. With current cyber laws, are we ready to regulate the internet?

No, we are not conscious of the magnitude of the problem or the ill-effect it can produce. Take a kitchen knife. It can cut vegetables and it can injure a human being. Science is like that. The nuclear bomb killed millions but when nuclear science was used for medicine or constructive purposes, it enhanced the quality of life. How to minimise bad effects and maximise good effects depends on the genius of the man.

Religion seems to have become a divisive tool and much hatred is being generated in its name. Is the political system to be blamed for this?

Religion per se doesnt divide. No religion says that. Some religious practices are peculiar to a certain social context and when seen without that context, they are construed to be divisive. Nothing should be seen outside context. When we understand this, then the message of religious traditions is properly understood. We should also assess the potential of science and governance. Today, human dignity is coming centre-stage. The great challenge before todays political leadership is how to mobilise positive forces for the good of one and all. Political leadership has the immense task of synthesising the positive forces and taking it forward. That can be done by the right-thinking sections of society. It is possible that some day, science will lead to that. Internet, AI will do that. Perhaps God will be made manifest by the scientist. Scientists will place before us the conception of God.

Today, everyone has a mobile phone and this can cause mischief. Have we not properly harnessed the mobile phone revolution?

A hand-held mobile phone is a symbol of immense social and technological change. We not only communicate through it but also access information and control devices. The responsibility to use it correctly lies with the individual.

Finally, what message would you like to give our readers?

Give kindness and understanding to one and all. Admire people who do good and can change the world. Take care of children. Make them good citizens with beautiful, blossoming minds. Give them positive thoughts. I am the founding chairman of Sarvodaya International Trust. It is a beautiful institution. We encourage that each Hindu boy should have a Muslim friend and vice versa. The families of boys meet every three months and this promotes mutual understanding and communal harmony. It is this spirit which we should promote in society. Be positive. Things will happen. There is so much of beauty and goodness in the world.

You are the patron of India Legal. What would you like to say to us?

India Legal is providing substantial leadership and it will contribute in making a better future. It is examining critically every issue. Critical analysis is the foundation of progress. The India Legal conclaves are beautifully arranged. People who have participated in them are eminent personalities. The thoughts expressed by them are so relevant. There is no negative thinking about the society. Thirty thousand years back, we were cavemen. Now we are civilised. We are constantly evolving as human beings. People who constitute India Legal have great responsibility for bringing an era of peace, contentment and progress. We should aim for a society where everybody is happy and well looked after. We should aim for creating a society where everyone gets the best opportunity to develop ones higher self. India Legal should aid this process.

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The Judiciary Makes the World a Better Place to Live In: Former CJI MN Venkatachaliah - India Legal

Roundup Here's a handy little roundup of all the bits of AI news that you may have missed.

Uh oh, another surveillance company has secretly been purloining data from social media: Banjo, the AI startup that believes its software can detect and surface crimes and other activities in real-time from all kinds of data feeds, also scraped information from peoples public social media profiles.

However, it wasnt as brazen as Clearview, the controversial upstart known for downloading over three billion photos from Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and more to put together a massive dataset for facial recognition. Banjo apparently created a shadow company called Pink Unicorn Labs, according to Vice.

Pink Unicorn Labs went on to develop three apps directed at fans of things like the British boyband One Direction, EDM music, and Formula One racing. These apps asked users to connect and sign-in using their accounts on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google Plus, FourSquare, as well as VK and Sina Weibo, commonly used in Russia and China. Linking the Pink Unicorn Labs Apps to peoples accounts makes it possible to scrape those netizens' data, such as images or location history.

Code across all the three apps contained links to Banjos website. Both companies were registered at the same address in Redwood City, California and headed by Banjos CEO Damien Patton.

Pink Unicorn Labs apps were removed from the Google Play Store in 2016. Even though data might be publicly posted on peoples accounts, scraping them to use for commercial purposes is against the terms of service of these platforms.

AI helps historians read messages carved on ancient bones: Researchers from Southwest University in China used a convolutional neural network to classify and read ancient scripts carved on bones dating back to more than 3,000 years between 1600 to 1046 BC.

The Chinese characters written in Yi script, the oldest examples show it was used in the Middle Kingdom from the 15th century. Studying these ancient texts is difficult; not only does it require extensive knowledge of the language and its history, but the messages imprinted on these bones are cracked and worn out over time.

Heres where the machine learning bit comes in. A convolutional neural network was trained on images of these texts where each character was labelled so it could recognize scripts carved on other types of bones, according to a paper published in IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications.

The researchers used a dataset consisting of 1,476 tortoise shell rubbings and 300 ox bone rubbings, from which they chose one-third as the test set and two-thirds as the training set. Experiment results show the proposed method reaches a level close to that of oracle experts, Synched explained this week.

As I said, classification is the first step,Shanxiong Chen, first author of the paper and an associate professor of computer and information science, told Synched.

This study specifically focused on telling between animal bones and tortoise shells, and were continuously working with Capital Normal Universitys Center for Oracle Bone Studies on further classifying different types of animal bones.

ICLR 2020 goes virtual: Tech conferences are dropping like flies amidst the current outbreak of the coronavirus. Now, the International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), a top academic machine learning conference, has decided to cancel its physical event due to take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, next month.

Due to growing concerns about COVID-19, ICLR2020 will cancel its physical conference this year, instead shifting to a fully virtual conference, it announced this week. We were very excited to hold ICLR in Addis Ababa, and it is disappointing that we will not all be able to come together in person in April.

Organisers have called all academics with accepted papers to create a five minute video as presenting their work part of its virtual poster session. For those that were invited to give a talk, that video will be extended to 15 minutes and information should be conveyed in a series of slides. Workshops are a little trickier to put together; ICLR is currently contacting speakers to coordinate.

All registration fees and travel purchased for the conference will be reimbursed. Now, the price to attend the digital conference has dropped down to $50 for students and $100 for non-students.

New TensorFlow library! If youre bored at home and social distancing from all your friends, family, and colleagues then try this: TensorFlows latest library that allows you to build quantum AI models.

Your brain will probably turn to mush trying to understand and combine both quantum computing and machine learning. The library known as TensorFlow Quantum (TFQ) was built by folks over at Google, the University of Waterloo, X, and Volkswagen, to give developers tools to process data that could, theoretically, run on quantum computers.

We announce the release of TensorFlow Quantum (TFQ), an open-source library for the rapid prototyping of quantum ML models, the Chocolate Factory said this week. TFQ provides the tools necessary for bringing the quantum computing and machine learning research communities together to control and model natural or artificial quantum systems.

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TensorFlow gets its quantum of solace, lid lifted on 'all-seeing crime-detecting' AI upstart, and more - The Register

The "Brazil Organic Food Market, By Product, By Distribution Channel (Store-based Retail, Non-Store-based Retail and Direct/Institutional Sales), By Region, Competition, Forecast & Opportunities, 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Brazil organic food market is projected to reach $ 4.4 billion by 2025, exhibiting a CAGR of more than 20% until 2025.

The Brazil organic food market is showing higher growth due to increasing product innovations; rising disposable income; and a growing number of people becoming more aware of healthy eating practices and the side effects of using chemically processed food products. Earlier, organic food products were mainly popular among the older generation but now these products are gaining popularity among the youth as well, which is driving the market in the country.

Increasing availability of organic food products through various e-commerce platforms is also contributing to the growth of Brazil organic food market. This trend is expected to gain further traction in the coming years, which would result in higher sales of organic food via online channels in Brazil over the course of next five years.

Brazil organic food market is segmented into product type, distribution channel and region. Based on the product type, the market is categorized into organic fruits and vegetables, organic processed food, organic meat, poultry & dairy, organic cereal and food grains, organic beverages, organic spices & pulses and other organic food products. Among them, the organic fruits and vegetables segment dominated the market until 2019, and the segment is forecast to maintain its position in the coming years as well, which can be attributed to their regular consumption among a broad section of consumers.

Years considered for this report:

Objective of the Study:

Researchers performed both primary as well as exhaustive secondary research for this study. Initially, researchers sourced a list of organic food producers across the country. Subsequently, conducted primary research surveys with the identified companies. While interviewing, the respondents were also enquired about their competitors. Through this technique, researchers could include the market players which could not be identified due to the limitations of secondary research. Researchers analyzed the distribution channels and presence of all major players across the region.

The author calculated the market size of Brazil organic food market by using a bottom-up approach, wherein data for various segments was recorded and forecast for the future years. They sourced these values from the industry experts and company representatives and externally validated through analyzing historical data of these product types and applications for getting an appropriate, overall market size. Various secondary sources such as company websites, news articles, press releases, company annual reports, investor presentations and financial reports were also studied.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Organic Food: An Introduction

2. Research Methodology

3. Executive Summary

4. Global Organic Food Market Overview

5. Brazil Organic Food Market Outlook

5.1. Market Size & Forecast

5.1.1. By Value

5.2. Market Share & Forecast

5.2.1. By Product Type (Organic Beverages; Organic Cereal and Food Grains; Organic Meat, Poultry & Dairy; Organic Spices & Pulses; Organic Processed Food; Organic Fruits and Vegetables; Other Organic Food Products)

5.2.2. By Distribution Channel (Store-based Retail; Non-store based Retail; Direct/Institutional Sales)

5.2.3. By Region

5.2.4. By Company

5.3. Market Attractiveness Index

6. Brazil Organic Fruits and Vegetables Market Outlook

6.1. Market Size & Forecast

6.1.1. By Value

6.2. Market Share & Forecast

6.2.1. By Distribution Channel

6.3. Pricing Analysis

7. Brazil Organic Processed Food Market Outlook

8. Brazil Organic Meat, Poultry and Dairy Market Outlook

9. Brazil Organic Cereal and Food Grains Market Outlook

10. Brazil Organic Beverages Market Outlook

11. Brazil Organic Spices and Pulses Market Outlook

12. Brazil Other Organic Food Products Market Outlook

13. Import and Export Analysis

14. Market Dynamics

14.1. Drivers

14.2. Challenges

15. Market Trends and Developments

16. Policy and Regulatory Landscape

Story continues

17. Brazil Economic Profile

18. Competitive Landscape (Company Profiles)

18.1. Usina Sao Francisco S.A.(Native)

18.2. Otsuka Holdings Co Ltd- (Jasmine Products Alimenticios LTDA)

18.3. Korin Agropecuaria Ltda,

18.4. Unilever Brasil Ltda (Me Terra Produtos Naturais Ltda),

18.5. Camil Alimentos SA.

18.6. Jatob Produtos Agroecolgicos

18.7. Apis Vida Indstria e Comrcio de Produtos Farmacuticos Ltda

18.8. Be Ingredient

18.9. Carrefour S.A.

18.10. Itaja Organico

19. Strategic Recommendations

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/20mkj2

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200313005328/en/

Contacts

ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com

For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

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Brazil Organic Food Market is Projected to Reach $4.4 Billion by 2025, with a CAGR of More than 20% to 2025 - ResearchAndMarkets.com - Yahoo Finance

Jessica Sturzenegger, CEO and founder, Amara Organic Baby Food, scored $2 million in seed funding ... [+] from institutional investors

Theres no shortage of competition in the burgeoning organic baby food business, but Jessica Sturzenegger, the 30-year-old CEO of San Francisco-based Amara Organic Foods clearly has that optimism gene all good entrepreneurs possess. She is betting her newbie brand, which she developed with cofounder and chef Vicki Johnson, offers consumers something special.

Like many of the newer entrants into the baby food market appealing to Millennial parents, her line of fresh, plant-based baby food is free of preservatives, GMOs and additives. But unlike its competitors, the meals, which come in powder form, are also shelf-stable, requiring no refrigeration or freezing. That makes them easy to store and to carry on the go. (You just mix it with a liquid, such as water, breast milk or formula.) And the low price point per mealless than $3makes it affordable and accessible to more families than some of the other brands. Currently, her product is aimed at children six months to two years old, but she hopes to expand into toddler foods later this year.

For me, its important were not a niche brand, Sturzenegger tells me. Everybody deserves access to better food.

The products first launched in Whole Food Markets northern California region in 2017. Sturzenegger expanded its distribution from 100 to 1,000 stores, including some Targets, in 2019 alone, but the company couldnt cope with all the demand. We realized we couldnt just grow organically. People were paying attention to the category and we had so many people reaching out we couldnt keep up with production, she says.

That could soon change. The three-employee company will announce today that it has raised more than $2 millionthe round was slightly over-subscribed and some investors had to be turned away. The investors in the seed round include the ex-chairman of Hersheys CPG conglomerate, health and beauty e-commerce distributor Pharmapacks and Moses Ventures, the Connecticut-based investment fund started by Danny Moses.

Sturzennegger spent three years working with food scientists, nutritionists and engineers to develop her patent-pending technique, which she calls pressure protection.

What we do is is actually apply pressure to fruits and vegetables, grains and plant-based proteins and we take out the water, explained Sturzenegger. The dried food is then ground into a powder. It retains all the texture of fresh. Oats and berries has a totally different texture than the peas and carrots.

Amara offers fresh organic fruits, veggies, grains and plant-based protein for babies in a ... [+] shelf-stable powder that's mixed with liquid.

The funding will go toward hiring new employeesthere are just three right now and expanding distribution in stores and online.

The gold standard for moms is homemade baby food, said Sturzenegger. But the reality is a lot of them are working, and making homemade baby food is very time consuming, especially if you dont normally cook. We just saw this gap.

Sturzenegger, who always wanted to be a chef, was born in Switzerland and mostly raised in the U.S. She grew up in a French-speaking family with a stay-at-home mom who fed her family fresh homemade meals. She likes to tell the story of the school chum who had never tasted a fresh pea until she ate dinner at her house.

I had to understand why she was going crazy over it, Sturzenegger says. It was because it was fresh. In the 1980s, people cooked from cans.

Sturzenegger says that healthy eating needs to start with the youngest generation. Research shows that children form their food preferences before age 3.

The way you tell good food, is you look at the smell, the taste, the texture, says Sturzenegger.

And it should be the same for baby food. For her part, shes a big fan of Amara Oats N Berries. I eat it almost every day on the road, she says.

Read more here:

Organic Baby Food Startup Amara Raises $2 Million Seed Round To Expand Its Reach - Forbes

For years, organic advocates have spoken out against regulations over one big issue: dirt.There is a major divide in the organic agriculture world, with multiple factions debating whether hydroponic and aeroponic produce should be permitted to call itself organic. Last week, the Center for Food Safety, along with a coalition of farmers, filed a lawsuit to legally forbid this produce from carrying the certified organic label.

Hydroponics and aeroponics do not rely on soil to grow crops; instead, nutrients are dissolved in water, which is then circulated or misted directly onto the roots of plants. Its a very efficient way of growing food, and is often used in places where there isnt enough open soil and sunlightin cities, for example. But its also used by huge conglomerates, like Driscolls and Wholesum Harvest, to cut costs and produce crops year-round.

Hydroponics have never been forbidden to use the USDA organic certification program, and its often quite easy for them; indoor operations have little need for pesticides, for example. That has meant that these huge hydro farms can produce food very cheaply, and much cheaper than soil-based farmers. A common refrain among organic farmers is that organic certification is all about the soil, creating a sustainable model for the planet, and that indoor hydroponic operations dont contribute to this at all.

The Center for Food Safety, in a release about this lawsuit, cites that the original Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, which established the rules for organic agriculture, specifically lists caring for soil.

From that law: An organic plan shall contain provisions designed to foster soil fertility, primarily through the management of the organic content of the soil through proper tillage, crop rotation, and manuring.

Hydroponic organic operations responded, of course, saying that any restriction would limit the amount of organic food at a time when demand is rising. The Coalition for Sustainable Organics, which represents hydroponic growers, released a statement saying, This is not an issue that should be settled in the courts or politicized.

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Farmers and the Center for Food Safety Sue USDA Over Organic Hydroponics - Modern Farmer

Federal Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler is a former assistant U.S. attorney who spent much of her career as a top prosecutor for major federal crimes. Her latest assignment as Magistrate for the U.S. District Court for Northern California is to decide if the soil must be used to grow organic crops.

Beeler will be reviewing USDAs decision to permit the indoor agricultural evolution known as hydroponics to use the organic marketing slogan. Food safety is a driving force behind the hydroponics evolution, where plants are grown in water with specific mineral nutrient solutions, not soil.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture was sued March 2 in a civil action brought by organic interests that use soil to grow their crops. They claim the USDA decision allowing hydroponics to be sold under the organic label puts dirt growers at a disadvantage.

Led by the Center for Food Safety, the plaintiffs include Swanton Berry Farms Inc., Full Belly Farm Inc., Durst Organic Growers Inc., Terra Firma Farms Inc., Jacobs Farm/Del Cabo Inc., Long Wind Farm Inc., OneCert Inc. and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.

The crux of the groups argument is that the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA), which set up the National Organic Program, imposes standards that require organic growers to foster soil health.

These mandatory specific soil-based production requirements create an equal marketplace for organic farmers and ensure that foods labeled and sold as organic are consistently produced to deliver the ecological benefits that consumers associate with the organic label, says the complaint.

. . . stakeholders in the organic marketplace have consistently held that as a soil-less crop production system hydroponic operations do not foster soil fertility, and cannot meet the requirement for organic certification under the National Organic Program.

USDAs last decision favoring hydroponic growers was date June 6, 2019. The pro-soil side says the decision weakened the integrity of the organic label.

Swanton Berry Farm, an organic with growing operations in Santa Cruz and San Mateo, CA, acknowledges in the complaint that it has difficulty competing against hydroponically-produced strawberries.

Swanton says its market competitiveness is injured by the confusion caused by the hydroponically produced strawberries labeled and sold as organic at lower prices than those that soil-based organic strawberry farmers can afford to match.

The complaint also says the plaintiff Full Berry Farm has experienced increased price competition in our wholesale and retail channels with hydroponically produced, certified organic produce. The 400-acre California grower produces tomatoes, berries, fresh lettuce, herbs, and other salad greens.

The organic growers say that hydroponic operations have their place in the diverse marketplace, but dont meet the soil-building requirements of the organic program requirements. No specific hydroponic growers are named in the lawsuit. Only USDA and its officials are named as defendants.

The Center for Food Safety is a 501c3, U.S. non-profit advocacy organization, based in Washington, D.C. It maintains an office in San Francisco.

Healthy soil is the foundation of organic farming, said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of plaintiff Center for Food Safety, Organic farmers and consumers believe that the Organic label means not just growing food in the soil, but improving the fertility of that soil. USDAs loophole for corporate hydroponics to be sold under the Organic label guts the very essence of Organic.

The federal organic law unequivocally requires organic production to promote soil fertility, said Sylvia Wu, senior attorney at the Center for FoodSafety andcounsel for plaintiffs. USDAs decision to allow mega-hydroponic operations that do nothing with soil to be sold as Organic violates the law.

Allowing hydroponics to be certified organic is another attempt to weaken the integrity of the Organic label, and has resulted in market confusion and inconsistent organic certifications, according to the CFS complaint.

BackgroundOrganic agriculture has always been partly based on principles of improving soil fertility and promoting ecological balance. The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), the expert body assigned by Congress to advise USDA on organic matters, has repeatedly called on USDA to prohibit organic certification of hydroponics, but USDA has ignored that recommendation.

As a result of USDAs inaction, CFS filed a legal petition in January 2019 formally asking USDA to prohibit hydroponic operations from the Certified Organic label on the basis that they do not fulfill the national organic standard of contributing to soil health, but USDA denied the petitions requests later that year. The lawsuit filed today states that USDAs rationale for denying the 2019 petition is arbitrary, capricious, and contrary to our federal organic law.

In 2016, CFS won a lawsuit closing a loophole that was permitting some organic operations to use compost contaminated with pesticides.

Some people contend that indoor hydroponic growing greatly enhances food safety by eliminating the possibility of animal incusions such as birds and deer. Pro-hydropinocs growers also say their growing water is free of pathogens that are naturally occurring in soil.

CFS is currently leading a lawsuit challenging the Trump administrations rollback of vital organic rules that set standards for organiclivestock care, such as adequate space and outdoor access. The challenged loophole for hydroponic operations would eliminate any need for organic farming to involve working with nature.

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Organic growers say it is in their economic interest to stay grounded in soil - Food Safety News

This file photo shows vendors selling food at the floating market of ICONSIAM shopping mall in Bangkok. (AFP Photo)

Other than its Instagram-able tourist destinations, Southeast Asia is well known for its variety of food. From the mouth-watering delicacies on the streets of Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia just to name a few to the Michelin starred restaurants in Singapore that serve fine dining quality cuisine with a dash of authentic local flavours.

However, there is pressure on our food system to produce 70 percent more food to feed a population of 10 billion people globally by 2050. By then, the population of ASEAN is slated to reach 700 million and its food demand is estimated to increase by 40 percent. It is then imperative to achieve food security, without expanding crop or pastureland all while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Food technology has been gaining traction in the region where scientific engineering of food has taken mankind a long way on the path to increasing its availability, access and quality.

High value nutrition foods

Food products that supply nutritional benefits beyond those of regular foods is called high value nutrition foods. They are made up of nutraceutical products (e.g. dietary supplements), functional foods (e.g. energy boosting and weight management food products), and high-value agriculture food products (e.g. organically grown and fair-trade food products).

Based on a survey by information, data and measurement company Nielsen, Vietnamese consumers consider health to be among their top two concerns, while 90 percent are concerned about the long-term health impact of artificial ingredients. 89 percent of Vietnamese are willing to pay more for foods that promote good health.

88 percent of Vietnamese consumers bought new products on their last grocery shopping trip, compared to 76 percent in Thailand, 72 percent in Indonesia, and 68 percent in Malaysia. All these indicate the interest and openness of Southeast Asians to new products launched in the market.

There is a vast potential for supplements, functional foods and high-value nutritional products in Southeast Asia. A growing awareness of food sustainability has prompted a rise in socially responsible food purchases. ASEAN governments are also increasing their focus on investing in preventive health measures while encouraging healthy food innovation, production and technology.

Regional progress

Between 2016 and 2017 there was a notable increase in non-animal sources of protein being consumed by both, urban Thais and Indonesians, who believe that non-animal protein is healthier. According to a 2018 report by global accounting organisation, KPMG and Australia-based Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), daily protein consumption in ASEAN has grown by 50 percent over the past three decades, contributing to an alternative protein market expected to be worth US$5.2 billion by 2020.

Singapore-based food-tech start-up, Life3 Biotech, aims to create functional foods which utilise natural, plant-based ingredients. They recently developed a meat substitute product that resembles lab-grown meat and tastes like chicken. Life3 Biotechs plant-based protein called Veego is slated to start production this year.

Shiok Meats is another Singaporean cell-based clean meat company which produces alternative healthy seafood and meats by harvesting from cells instead of animals. Other meat alternatives are insect protein and algae protein.

The island nation is also home to Alchemy Foodtech which combines food tech, biotech and medtech to develop foods that can help prevent and manage diabetes. Over in Indonesia, the likes of TaniHub, eFishery and Jala all aim to develop sustainable methods of sourcing and selling organic food products.

The growing market for functional foodin the Asia-Pacific region projected to be valued at US$5 billion by 2026 has piqued the interest of start-ups looking to tap into this immense potential.

Globally, there is a shift in the way urban populations consume food whether it is organically sourced, or genetically modified. Today, food technology is fast becoming a mainstream focus as people in general want to know more about the various foods that they consume.

Related articles:

Food security a key issue for ASEAN

Revolutionising food production with blockchain

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Engineered food on the rise in ASEAN - The ASEAN Post

Natural selection: these lemons were bought at the same time, but the ones on the right received the new coating. Photograph: Jesse Chehak/The Observer

Ten years ago, James Rogers was driving through some of the most productive farmland on the planet, thinking about food. He had recently read an article detailing the challenges of feeding the worlds growing population, and as he gazed out over the fertile fields of the Salinas Valley outside Monterey, California, he thought: how is it possible that people go hungry, that people starve, when growing food seems so simple? You just take these magic beans and... Rogers, recalling the thought, casts his hand as if tossing seed on the ground. I realise its a bit more complicated than that, but, still

Back then, Rogers was a PhD student in material sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). He wasnt working in anything food-related at all. His PhD research involved creating a kind of paint that, when dried, turned into a solar panel. There was a lab up in Berkeley that had the equipment necessary for his studies, but between the lab and his home in Santa Barbara, he passed the farmland, and the food problem gnawed at him. He wondered if it wasnt merely as simple as he supposed. He began taking classes in environmental economics and natural resources. He learned that, globally, we are indeed producing more than enough food. The problem isnt production, its what happens next.

We waste an extraordinary amount of food. In America its about 40%; in the UK, nearly the same. Around the world, almost a third of all the food produced approximately 1.3bn tonnes is lost one way or another each year. Much of the time its not merely lost, but brought into our homes only to be chucked in the bin, and then transported to a landfill, where it slowly releases methane back into the atmosphere, actively warming the Earth. Worldwide, a staggering 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions are linked to food waste. The question for Rogers was: what exactly was driving so much waste?

One day, while researching, he came across another article. He can still recall its first line: All fresh produce is seasonal as well as perishable. That insight so simple, so true struck him like a lightning bolt. The problem, he recalls, is youre either in season and have more than you know what to do with, or you have nothing. Plenty of animals have adapted to these natural cycles of boom and bust, fat times and lean: birds migrate, bears hibernate. Humans trade, converting this surplus into a non-perishable asset we call money. Some of the earliest forms of currency were, in fact, grains stored in clay pots. And clay pottery, Rogers is quick to point out, was one of material sciences very first breakthroughs. Clay pottery allowed us to continue eating long after the harvest. But clay pottery only got us so far. It was what material science might offer food today that interested him.

He decided, then, to switch tracks. No longer would he work on paint that dried into solar panels. He would instead begin to work on increasing the shelf life of fruit and vegetables. Eventually, he developed a substance that wasnt entirely dissimilar from the solar paint. This substance, however, was made entirely out of plant lipids, or fatty acids. Spray it on to an avocado, say, and the substance dries into a sort of second skin, which increases the avocados shelf life by two to three times.

The company Rogers founded, Apeel Sciences, is currently growing by hundreds of employees a year, backed by tens of millions of dollars in venture capital, and is revolutionising entire food systems and economies. But back then, in 2010, driving past those fertile fields, it was still early days. Rogers remembers calling his mother and telling her the news about his insight the big switch in his interests and research. Sweetie, she said to him. That sounds really nice. But you dont know anything about fruit and vegetables.

Apeel Sciences is headquartered in Goleta, California, just north of UCSB and south of farmland that quickly gives way to the rural, rolling Central California coast. The companys 100,000 sq ft building was formerly home to a medical-device maker and the labs and clean rooms easily swapped from their previous purpose building prototypes for entry into the human body to their current one: the study of the molecular structures of fruits skin.

This room is part of our food-manufacturing practice, says Molly Greathouse, who is giving me a tour. We peer in, but the lab is dark and empty and appears abandoned. Its still being set up, she says. Were still putting wires into things. Her colleague, Daniel Costanza, is my other guide. Both are recent hires, but recent is relative: Apeels employee count rose in the past six months from 130 to more than 200, so Greathouse, who has been here for nearly a year-and-a-half, counts as a seasoned veteran.

'This is the type of technology you look back on as revolutionary. I hold it up there with electricity or the internet'

We pass another lab, a clean room that houses, among other bacteria, E coli and listeria. The lights are on, and along one wall is another big door topped by a glowing red light. Here, Greathouse says, is where Apeels scientists put fruit and vegetables through a battery of tests mimicking conditions they might face while in transit. What happens when refrigeration shuts down? What happens when a contaminated batch of food is nearby, hence the reason for the dangerous bacteria. There are cascading effects to prolonging the shelf life of produce.

Costanza describes how one of the suppliers they work with no longer uses plastic wrap on cucumbers now that Apeels spray is in the mix. Its a seemingly small change that quickly adds up. In a single year, that one move will save enough plastic wrap to enfold the Empire State Building 11 times over. Imagine adding that to each food category throughout the globe, Costanza says. Thats a huge paradigm shift away from single-use plastics. Its pretty crazy. Costanza drops his voice, getting serious. This is the type of technology you look back on as revolutionary. I hold it up there with electricity or the internet. There are so many lives we can affect in a positive way. And we have such tight intellectual property no ones really able to replicate it we dont really have competition.

They do, really. Theres Hazel Technologies, which is based in Chicago and makes little packets that get stashed in produce boxes. The packets alter the atmosphere within the box, slowing the foods response to ethylene, a chemical that fruit and vegetables emit as they age that causes a breakdown in colour and texture. A similar company in the UK, called Its Fresh, makes ethylene filters, too, and recently received a $10m investment from AgroFresh, a company that sells a dozen or so products including fungicides and wax coatings, all of which aim to prolong produce shelf life and enhance their look.

Theres also Cambridge Crops, from Massachusetts, which makes a similar edible protective coating to Apeel, using silk proteins rather than plant lipids. Cambridge Crops received $4m in seed funding from the MIT venture fund last year, whereas Apeel recently landed $70m from the Silicon Valley fund Andreessen Horowitz, which has famously backed Facebook, Twitter, Airbnb and Soylent, the meal-replacement drink company.

All of these companies and investors are making a play for a market worth at least $218bn in the US, and several times that worldwide. That number $218bn is about how much grocery stores, restaurants and people at home spend on food that simply gets thrown away per year, according to ReFed, a food waste-reduction nonprofit based in Berkeley, California. ReFed also estimates that, last year, venture capitalists invested about $185m in technologies to combat food waste.

People have been trying to preserve fruit and vegetables for at least as long as theyve been putting grains in clay pots. We dry it in the sun (12,000 BC) or jam it (600 AD) or cure it (1400 AD), or cool it or can it, pasteurise it or vacuum seal it. The practice of coating a fruit in wax to seal its freshness and enhance its appearance is at least several centuries old, and today youd be hard pressed to find a supermarket apple without it. Today, wax seals also contain antifungal properties, which are perfectly safe, and are applied in so thin a layer as to be pretty much insignificant.

What sets Apeel apart is its specific coating technology the fact that it works more effectively than a wax and is an organic additive made from plant parts. That, and the companys comparatively huge cash influx from Silicon Valley, and its truly global reach. Apeel is already well on its way to spanning the globe. It has satellite offices in Mexico, Peru, the Netherlands and New Jersey, and it works with five different suppliers of avocados, including Del Monte and Del Rey, which are two of the largest. It also works with Sage Fruit, one of Washington states largest organic apple growers.

Greathouse and Costanza shepherd me past the analytical sciences lab, where the fruit is run through a series of taste and smell tests to make sure that the Apeel spray essentially disappears as soon as its applied. This is a complex task. The spray can be made of the lipids from any plant much of the source crop for their ingredients changes throughout the year, and is simply the excess or discarded produce from farms and vineyards but it has to be molecularly reconstituted to act more or less exactly like the specific fruit on which it is sprayed.

We arrive at yet another lab, this one home to the material sciences team the beating heart of the Apeel operation. Here, they use liquid gases to separate specific molecules from the lipid slurry, then reconfigure those molecules into a variety of combinations, essentially highly educated hunches as to what a specific fruit or vegetables skin might be like. If this seems like a lot of tedious guesswork, it is. The research and development for Apeels first product, a coating for avocados, took eight years.

Now were in a bright room lined with racks of mouldering strawberries and bananas. Well, some are mouldering, some are not. Each rack has a camera mounted and set to a timer, to scan the fruit and track its breakdown. Some of the fruit has been sprayed with the Apeel spray, some has not. Tim, an engineer and overseer of the rotting fruit, apologises for the fruit fly situation in the room.

Finally, our tour ends in a warehouse at the back of the building. The space is dominated by huge produce sorting and cleaning machines, rigged with a custom-made Apeel spray device that treats the fruit or vegetables at the very last step of the process.

It feels like moisturiser, Greathouse says, describing the spray. It is odourless and tasteless, too. Once, when Greathouse tried some of it on her hand, she thought, Maybe I can shave with this. In fact, she adds, The reason we wrinkle is oxidation and moisture loss same as fruit. I want to do an experiment with one half of my face on Apeel, one half not, and then see what happens.

James Rogers, the CEO, has an office filled with avocados. Some are pillows, some figurines, some are squishy stress balls shaped like avocados, some are the genuine article. Rogers loves avos. The joke with the av is: not now, not now, not now. Now? Too late, he says. But: When you get an Apeel avocado the joke no longer makes sense, because the fruit stays ripe for so long. The window to enjoy it, previously so fleeting, has been stretched by weeks. The one fruit he loves even more, though, is the strawberry. I know its not sexy, but its just my favourite, he says. And they go bad so quickly. The company is a few years into R&D on that one. When I can go pick up local Apeel strawberries in the summer and have them last until winter in my fridge, thats when I know well have made it.

These days, Rogers spends less time in material science and more on distribution chains. It turns out, when you create a new technology that extends the shelf life of produce, it creates another problem central to the whole business: who, exactly, does this create value for? The perishability of a fruit or veg dictates everything about its supply chain. Everything from when you pick it, right down to the season and the time of the day, to where its packed, in the field or a packing shed. Is it then force air-cooled, or hydro-cooled? Does it travel down a flume or a conveyor belt? Does it go in a bag? Or does it get boxed? Does it go in a box with big holes or small holes? Does it go into a shipping container? Does it go into an aeroplane? Does it go into a display in the grocery store? When it goes home with you, does it go in the fridge? Or does it go on your counter?

Within every supply chain for every different fruit or vegetable lies economic opportunity. The goal for each of Apeels produce lines, Rogers says, is that the savings accrued by the growers or grocers are so great that you and I are actually paying less for their fruit and vegetables in the market. This is crucial, because yes while its good for the environment and will cut down on waste, feeling good about what you buy can only rope in so many consumers; the rest, the real revolution, lies in sheer economic price cutting. A cheaper piece of fruit that will last four times as long? No one will pass that bargain up.

Where things start to get truly interesting, from a market perspective, is how this opens up whole new avenues of produce to put in front of people. Just as perishability dictates everything about its supply chain, how well a fruit or vegetable travels is the most important characteristic of any mass-produced produce. The best example of this is the banana. Nearly every banana sold in supermarkets is a variety called the Cavendish. The Cavendish isnt particularly tasty, as banana varieties go. Nor is it especially packed with nutrients. There are far better bananas out there. But none travel stay firm and unripe quite as long like the Cavendish. Only, the Cavendish is falling victim to its own success, and a fungus is rampaging through this particular variety. So diversity in our produce isnt just a nice thing for us as eaters, its essential for our future food security.

Just up the road from Apeels headquarters is a farm growing a strange kind of finger-shaped lime. When cut open, the flesh appears pearled, like caviar, which is why its known as a caviar lime. The farms caviar limes are a speciality item, trucked to high-end restaurants in LA and flown to New York for the same purpose. The limes last for 7-10 days after theyve been picked. But Apeel started working with the farm a few years ago, and was able to develop a spray that worked. A fruit with a shorter window of ripeness actually speeds up the development process, because you are able to quickly see whats working, and whats not. Now this fruit that was so highly specialised, appearing for just one weekend in a farmers market, and in a few dishes in fancy restaurants, can be sold in supermarkets.

The caviar limes werent Rogers idea. Some of his scientists became infatuated with the problem and went to work on it. But now, he sees how this might be the future: new fruit and heirloom vegetables: the weirder, more specialised, small-batch stuff, brought to the masses. The weird limes were actually the very first product Apeel brought to the market. Thank God no one listened to me on that one, he says, smiling, thinking back on it. It taught him another important lesson, one he carries forward now. The shorter the shelf life, the bigger the opportunity.

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Stopping the rot: the fight to save fresh food - The Guardian

At first the plan was to move to a new location in Greenville, but within a week of announcing the move, the owners of the Organic Cat Caf decided to close for good.

Just a week and a half after they closed shop, Jennifer Bronzel and Ernesto Cardenas, who started the caf in 2018, had already begun working on a new cat caf concept, The Frisky Whisker, which they plan to open in Atlanta.

The Frisky Whisker will marry their passions for expression and healing through art and cats, passions the two said, that were never fully realized while in Greenville.

For now, Bronzel and Cardenas are spending time planning their next venture and working on a move to Atlanta, where Cardenas is from and where Bronzel also lived for a time. The 25 cats that were central to the Organic Cat Cafe have taken up temporary residence in the couple's Taylors home, where on a recent Thursday they appeared quite content.

The decision to close the Organic Cat Caf was not an easy decision, Bronzel said, but it was necessary one. While the caf had a solid backing, it never quite found a rhythm within the community, Bronzel said.

We were a cultural art space that is trying to push education of music and art through cats, said Cardenas, a known DJ in Atlanta. We feel like Greenville doesnt get that yet.

While the caf began as a more traditional coffee shop that just happened to have 20-plus live-in cats, last year Bronzel and Cardenas decided to make some changes. They added a bar with beer and wine and incorporated art that included regular Deejaying, politically expressive installations and meditation and yoga.

But things never quite caught on, they said.

All the things we wanted to do, people still saw us as just that cat place, Bronzel said. And it was the thing that you do once a year with your family.

We couldnt become that regular place.

While the two remain a bit baffled by the push back they received on what they still see as an infusion of culture and expression into their caf, they also admit that they kind of changed from the original iteration.

When the caf opened it was focused on providing a calming and enjoyable experience with cats. Bronzel, a lifelong cat lover, who moved to Greenville from her native Germany with her job, conceived the idea while visiting a cat caf overseas and she saw her adopted home as a perfect place for such a venture.

In 2017, she opened the Organic Cat Caf at 123 College St. The cafe offered coffee and an all-organic food menu, along with cat adoptions and regular community events.

Last April, Bronzel, with Cardenas, moved the caf to 928 S. Main St. They hoped the new, larger space, plus adding beer and wine and being on Main Street would bring more walk-in customers and help them reach a broader demographic.

But once baseball season ended, so did the foot traffic, they said.

Come January, Bronzel and Cardenas knew they had to change course. They considered scaling back on the collective art space idea, but ultimately, decided to follow their passion.

Greenville, they said they now realize, is a more traditional market, but they have also realized that what they want to create is not just a caf with cats, but a lounge where you can come to hear house music, enjoy art that is a bit avant garde and benefit from the calm that 25 cats can bring.

Now, they will bring that concept to Atlanta. The two are looking at possible locations within the city.

While Greenville was not the right fit for their concept, they remain grateful to the city.

Money for us is not the final purpose, Cardenas said. "Its not why I do my music, its not why I do my art. We believe in the power of art and music and cats and how it can help peoples lives, and how its helped our lives.

Thats what we want to share.

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Owners of Greenvilles Organic Cat Cafe share why they closed and whats next - Spartanburg Herald Journal

Italico on California Avenue in Palo Alto has closed until further notice after Santa Clara County directed restaurants to implement new restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus. "WE WILL BE BACK STRONGER," the owners wrote in an announcement on social media. Photo by Michelle Le.

UPDATE: In a press conference on Sunday, March 15, Gov. Gavin Newsom directed all bars, wineries and breweries in the state to close. He ordered that all restaurants reduce their occupancy by half, "focus on takeout for those isolating" and "practice deep social distancing."

The Santa Clara County Public Health Department notified restaurants on Friday that they must adhere to new legal orders to slow the spread of the coronavirus -- including social distancing and mandatory conditions for gatherings of less than 100 people -- prompting a slew of local restaurants to decide to close, some temporarily and others, indefinitely.

The restrictions apply to all restaurants, bars, cafeterias and other food facilities in Santa Clara County, both during normal operations as well for special events or gatherings. They do not apply to grocery stores or certified farmers' markets.

"As a business that serves food and/or beverages, the county requires your assistance to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in our community," the Public Heath Department and Department of Environmental Health wrote to food businesses on Friday.

"The primary way that the virus spreads is by respiratory droplets (e.g. when someone coughs) or when a person touches a contaminated surface or object and then touches their eyes, nose or mouth. In these ways, the virus could spread from one employee to another, from an employee to a patron, or from a patron to an employee."

Santa Clara County issued the orders as its number of coronavirus cases continued to climb, with 91 confirmed cases as of Friday, March 13, including two deaths.

The new restrictions on public and private gatherings of 35 to 100 people which includes employees and practicing social distancing by keeping people at least six feet apart will prove challenging for some restaurants to implement. Within the weekend, a fast-growing number of local restaurants -- including the Michelin-starred Chez TJ in Mountain View and Palo Alto restaurants Maum, Zola, Italico and Taverna -- have closed temporarily. Some are continuing to serve food via take-out or delivery while others are fully shutting down.

"Given the increased advisements against public gatherings, we have determined it is in the best interest of our community to temporarily close Zola in efforts to 'flatten the curve,'" Zola owner Guillaume Bienaime wrote on Instagram on Saturday. "Despite this being a difficult personal and fiscal decision, our mission is to create a space for people to come together and this is precisely what we need to avoid for the time being.

"You, our patrons, are our livelihood and we hope that you understand and support this decision and do your part as well."

He plans to reopen Zola on April 7. Zola employees will have to file for unemployment.

"We don't have the funds to keep everyone afloat," Bienaime said. "Of course I will help where needed. We hope the government at all levels will help us later."

Michael and Meichih Kim of the Michelin-starred Korean restaurant Maum said they will close for at least three weeks, effective immediately.

"We will use this time to reflect and to show solidarity with citizens around the world by practicing social distancing," they wrote in an Instagram post.

Italico on California Avenue closed Saturday, March 14, until further notice, the owners announced on Instagram. Terun, their first, nearby pizzeria, remains open but they have had to let go 22 employees.

Greg St. Claire of Avenir Restaurant Group, which runs Nola in Palo Alto, Milagros in Redwood City and The Alpine Inn in Portola Valley, announced Sunday that his businesses would also close temporarily. Employees scheduled to work would be paid through the closure, he said.

"If you wish to help people whose livelihoods are directly impacted by lost shifts, now is the time. You can buy a gift card to your favorite restaurant to use when the situation normalizes," St. Claire wrote on Instagram. "You can donate to organizations like Second Harvest Food Bank who are working hard to feed those for whom lost jobs and school closures have created an urgent need for feeding."

Executive Chef Jarad Gallagher said that for Chez TJ, with its small kitchen and intimate dining room, the new restrictions on numbers for gathering and social distancing make closure "necessary." Gallagher said he also feels an "ethical" responsibility to make sure his staff feel safe at work. He hopes to reopen in three weeks and will reassess then.

In the meantime, Gallagher and Wise Goat Organics (which is run by his wife) will be hosting a pop-up at Chez TJ on Wednesdays. They'll serve a small menu of "healthy, organic foods," Gallagher said, including Wise Goat's fermented foods, soups, stocks and vinaigrettes made by Gallagher. The pop-up will be at Chez TJ (938 Villa St.) from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Many local restaurants were already struggling to stay in business as fewer people dine out. Rocco Scordella of Vina Enoteca in Palo Alto decided on Friday to close temporarily. He predicted that he wouldn't be the last to do so. Restaurants are also shuttering throughout San Francisco, New York City and Seattle.

Restaurants in San Mateo County, which issued on Saturday a three-week ban on gatherings of more than 50 people, also started to go dark temporarily, including the longtime Buck's in Woodside and Cafe Borrone in Menlo Park.

Santa Clara County instructed restaurants to "under all circumstances, practice social distancing by keeping patrons' tables as far apart as practical while seated. Leave empty tables in between patrons if space allows."

State of Mind Public House and Pizzeria in Los Altos, quickly responded to the new orders by limiting the number of diners in the restaurant at any given time, removing tables and half of the 132-seat restaurant's chairs and stools on Friday night to allow for social distancing and offering curbside pick-up for takeout orders.

"We are going to try and operate like this as long as it is safe for both guests and staff," chef and co-owner Lars Smith said on Saturday. "We are also very aware of the possibility of being required to close for a period."

By Sunday, he announced that State of Mind would be closing and moving to online ordering.

Zareen's in Palo Alto and Mountain View closed the station where diners can usually serve themselves condiments and grab utensils and started accepting credit cards for any payment amounts to limit the exchange of cash, owner Zareen Khan said in an Instagram post. The restaurant is also checking staff members' temperatures daily with touchless thermometers.

Many restaurants, from casual to fine-dining, are turning their focus to delivery. County public health officials told food businesses Friday that giving customers the choice to have food left at their doors or curbside "may prove beneficial to your operation."

Many third-party delivery apps such as Postmates and DoorDash have started offering no-contact delivery. DoorDash and Caviar are also distributing hand sanitizer and gloves to their drivers.

Ted Kim, owner of Steins Beer Garden in Mountain View, said the challenges of the public health restrictions have been compounded by the fact that there's been little information yet about how and when small businesses will get emergency financial support. (The U.S. Small Business Administration has said it will work directly with state governors to provide "targeted, low-interest loans" to small businesses that have been severely impacted by the coronavirus.)

"I understand the need for precaution but why aren't these new restrictions coupled with information on where to get financial emergency aid to help us through this?" Kim said. "It's impossible for us to continue like this."

By Sunday, he decided that Steins would close for up to four weeks, starting Monday, March 16.

Restaurant staff must wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds at the following times, the county stated:

- When entering the kitchen

- Before starting food preparation

- After touching their face, hair, or other areas of the body

- After using the restroom

- After coughing, sneezing, using a tissue, smoking, eating, or drinking

- When handling raw food then ready-to-eat food

- Before putting on gloves

- After cleaning, bussing tables or touching any items that patrons have used

- Between handling money/credit cards/phones/pens and handling food

- After engaging in other activities that may contaminate the hands

Restaurants should also minimize touching ready-to-eat food with bare hands, assign an employee to keep soap and paper towels stocked at handwashing stations at least every hour, post additional visible signage for customers to wash their hands frequently and provide hand sanitizer and/or wipes for patrons to use, the county said.

Food businesses should avoid accepting reusable utensils and containers from customers, which many local coffee shops have started doing with personal cups or mugs.

Any employee who is experiencing any fever and respiratory symptoms should stay home for three days after they are symptom-free to prevent the spread of any virus, the county told restaurants. Restaurants should maximize flexibility in use of sick leave to facilitate such time off, the guidance states.

A ban on gatherings of more than 100 people also went into effect at midnight on March 14.

The restrictions may be modified or extended and new ones imposed, the county said.

Find comprehensive coverage on the Midpeninsula's response to the new coronavirus by Palo Alto Online, the Mountain View Voice and Almanac here.

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Restaurants start to shutter, as public health restrictions increase and dining out declines - Palo Alto Online