groceries
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Sensor-laden fake fruit ensures you get fresh produce
It's challenging for shippers to check the quality of fruit on its way to your grocery store. Most sensors won't reflect the conditions inside the boxes, and plucking a sample isn't going to give you a comprehensive look. That's where some Swiss researchers might come to the rescue. They've created artificial, sensor-packed fruit whose composition is enough like the real thing to provide an accurate representation of temperatures when placed alongside real food. If the fruit in the middle of a delivery isn't properly refrigerated, the shipping company would know very quickly.
Amazon and online grocery services will soon accept food stamps
Thanks to a pilot program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, families who rely on the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) to buy groceries will soon be able to use online services like Amazon and FreshDirect. When the two-year program goes live this summer, it has the potential to improve access to healthy food choices in communities that are often lacking in options.
Walmart tries using blockchain to take unsafe food off shelves
It's scary when stores have to pull unsafe food. It can take days to pinpoint the batch or supplier that caused the problem, which could lead to people getting sick... or at best, force the store to yank more products than necessary. Walmart believes technology could offer a better way. It's trying out blockchain's distributed ledger as a means of identifying the sources of poisonous food. Digital receipts for the food identify everyone in the supply chain, ranging from the original location through to the inspectors and shipping companies. If everything passing through a specific warehouse is making people ill, Walmart can identify that troublesome food and yank it within minutes -- and there's no easy way for unscrupulous suppliers to alter the info.
Amazon's grocery deliveries now cover 190 London postcodes
Amazon announced today that its Fresh grocery delivery service is now available in 190 Greater London postcodes. The online retailer is keen to highlight that the number of eligible postcodes has more than doubled since Fresh launched in early June; though, it almost achieved this milestone just a couple of weeks later when the service expanded past the 69 launch postcodes to cover a total of 128. Today's update comes soon after Amazon brought its £35 Dash scanner to the UK. With the device, you can add products to your virtual basket by simply reciting your shopping list into its microphone, or by using the on-board barcode scanner on your dangerously light bag of frozen chips.
Amazon opens up grocery deliveries to more of London
Amazon's grocery delivery service only went live in the UK a couple of weeks ago, but already the company is expanding beyond the launch footprint of various central and east London areas. As of today, Amazon Fresh is now available in 59 additional postcodes in northern, eastern and southern parts of the capital, taking the total up to 128 (full list here). Reside within one of those postcodes, and you can order any of over 130,000 everyday products for home delivery, including meat, seafood, fresh fruit and vegetables.
Paris fears Amazon Prime Now will 'destabilize' its economy
Amazon has brought its one-hour grocery delivery service to Paris, and the city isn't thrilled. Prime Now is available to Premium subscribers who pay €49 per year (Prime is called "Premium" in France) with free two-hour deliveries and €6 for one-hour shipping. Besides groceries, the company will ship "thousands" of other products like Kindles and electronics. However, it's the food deliveries that have Paris and its mayor, Anne Hidalgo, most upset. "This service could seriously destabilize the retail balance in Paris," she says.
Amazon Fresh UK grocery delivery service launches in London
After months of testing and logistical planning, Amazon has finally launched its Fresh grocery delivery service in the UK. The company confirmed today that it will offer deliveries to Prime customers in 69 postcodes across central and east London in its first expansion outside of the US.
Tesco now lets you automate your shopping with IFTTT
Now we're at the point where shopping for groceries no longer requires you to trudge down to the local supermarket, retailers are constantly working on new ways to make filling our baskets a little bit easier. For its latest trial, Tesco -- still the UK's largest supermarket despite mega financial setbacks -- has launched a new platform that lets you automate some of your shopping. It's teamed up with task-managing service IFTTT to roll out a bunch of new "recipes" that can automatically add items to your basket when prices drop or even when the weather is unexpectedly favourable.
You can order groceries from the door of Samsung's new fridge
When Samsung announced its latest smart refrigerator earlier this week, we were intrigued. After the company demoed the appliance during its CES press conference, we had to stop and take a look. If you missed the initial news, the new Family Hub fridge is packed with tech. The first thing you notice is the 21.5-inch display in the door, and that screen is the centerpiece of the Tizen-based system. As you might expect, you can mirror what's on your TV or stream music from the likes of Pandora, but entertainment options are actually the less exciting features.
Amazon brings grocery deliveries to the UK with 'Pantry'
Clearly, Amazon isn't content with a small, AmazonFresh-style delivery service. The company is expanding its UK operations today with Amazon Pantry, a new way to order "everyday essentials." It's exclusive to Prime members and offers next-day delivery for more than 4,000 products, including basic food, drink, beauty products and cleaning supplies. The service isn't meant for fresh produce -- you can't order a pack of bacon or some bananas -- but rather cupboard regulars like cereal and tinned soup. As you pick items from Amazon's store, you'll see a "Pantry box" beginning to fill. The exact dimensions aren't clear (they're probably flexible) but Amazon says each one can hold 20kg. The first box in your order costs £2.99 to deliver, followed by 99 pence for each additional box. These prices are on top of your Prime membership and what you'll pay for each individual item.
Amazon's grocery service now requires a $299 yearly membership
Amazon warned late last year that it would eventually require a $299 yearly membership just to use its AmazonFresh grocery delivery service. And like or not, the internet giant is making good on its word: shoppers in New York City, Philadelphia and Seattle (and possibly other cities) are finding out that they need that pricey Prime Fresh subscription before they can go food shopping. The outlay gives you free delivery on all orders over $50, on top of the benefits of a regular Amazon Prime membership, but it's now considerably more expensive if you only occasionally want groceries shipped to your door. So far, tests that would open the door to standard Prime members (who'd always pay delivery fees) haven't led to anything concrete.
Amazon brings grocery deliveries to the UK via Birmingham
While we've known for a while that Amazon is looking to bring something similar to its "Fresh" grocery delivery service to the UK, details regarding its launch plans have been scarce -- at least until this week. Retail Week reports that the company has quiet begun offering around 50 chilled products to selected customers in Birmingham in what appears to be a small test ahead of a nationwide rollout. Amazon introduced its same-day service in the US last year and it was believed London would play host as its first UK region. It won't be long until customers can arrange deliveries in the capital, however, as the retailer has earmarked the city for its next expansion in the coming weeks.
Target takes on Amazon with same-day grocery delivery of its own
Amazon may already offer grocery delivery, but Target is looking to take on the online retailer when it comes to same-day drop-offs. To power its grocery delivery effort, Target is teaming up with San Francisco-based startup Instacart, a company what already works with Costco, Whole Foods and others. Unlike AmazonFresh that requires a $299 annual fee, Instacart's pricing starts at $4 per order and varies depending on size. Google's food delivery service, Google Express, is also set to begin testing a grocery option in two US cities this year, so the options for shopping from the couch could continue to grow. Right now, the service will only be available in Target's home city of Minneapolis and there's no word on when, or if, it'll expand to other areas. [Image credit: Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images]
Google will test fresh food deliveries in two US cities this year
Google's Express delivery service has already been delivering food for a while, but it's about to expand those efforts in a big, big way. The internet giant tells Bloomberg that it will start testing deliveries of fresh food and groceries in both San Francisco and another, unnamed US city sometime later this year. Yes, you may well get fruits and veggies (technically sourced from places like Costco and Whole Foods) through your web search provider. This isn't just a kindness, though. Fresh food is potentially cheaper, since Google won't have to deal with refrigeration and other logistics involved with frozen goods. Also, this gives it a better shot at competing with Amazon Fresh -- it can offer both lower delivery rates and more of the produce you want.
Amazon wants to build drive-up grocery stores
If you enjoy the luxury of ordering groceries online but would rather not wait at home for your food deliveries, Amazon might soon come to your rescue. Silicon Valley Business Journal understands that Amazon is working on a drive-up grocery store in Sunnyvale, California (a possible concept rendering is shown here) that will rely solely on internet orders -- you'd schedule pickups instead of wandering aisles. Think of it as an AmazonFresh depot that could save you shipping costs while adapting to your schedule.
Formula 1 aerodynamics will make grocery stores more efficient
No, that's not a typo. It turns out Formula 1 racing technology, specifically aerodynamics, can help rid grocery stores of the so-called "cold aisle" issue. Using aerofoils that are designed to guide the direction of air flow around a race car, Williams F1's engineering department and UK start-up Aerofoil Engery aim to keep the cool temps inside the open refrigerators at the market. The aerofoils attach to each shelf, guiding the cold air so that not only is that section more comfy for shoppers, but energy use is reduced as well. In fact, Sainsbury's, the second largest grocery store chain in the UK, is already testing the tech. "This Formula 1 inspired innovation has already shown it can cut carbon produced by major refrigerators," said John Skelton, the retailer's head of refrigeration. The project is still in the testing phase, so if could be a while before its ready for widespread installation.
Amazon's grocery service stops delivering beer and wine
We hope you weren't counting on AmazonFresh to stock up on alcohol for your next big party. GeekWire reports that beer and wine have vanished from the internet grocery service without either a warning or any indication as to whether or not the booze will return. We've reached out to Amazon for an explanation, but it's possible that Amazon is simply playing it safe with regulations. Some states don't allow alcohol delivery, and those that do (such as Amazon's home state, Washington) have regulations that determine both who can make deliveries and how the goods reach your door. Whatever the reasons, you're going to have to either switch to alternatives like Drizly or else get your adult beverages the old-fashioned way. [Image credit: Andrew Hitchcock, Flickr]
Sainsbury's new app will let you skip the checkout
Scan-and-pay isn't a new concept inside Britain's major supermarkets, but Sainsbury's is keen to ensure it plays a key role in its shopping future. The grocery chain today announced that it will soon begin trialling a new shopping app that's designed to cut down the time spent doing the weekly the shop. According to Sainsbury's, the app will let customers fill their baskets using their phone, guide them to the in-store location of their chosen products, and then let them scan and pay. Everything is handled inside the app, which skips the checkout to reportedly cut down bagging and payment time to "seconds." Although Sainsbury's has also teamed up with Zapp to let you pay at the checkout using your mobile from early next year, a spokesperson tells us that the two payment systems will be independent of each other. The supermarket says it will begin trialling the system with its own teams in the coming weeks, before rolling it out to Nectar cardholders sometime in 2015.
Amazon's grocery service hits Brooklyn starting today
Lately, Amazon's been playing a bit of back and forth with its services on either coast. What started with retail locations is now extending to its grocery delivery option, AmazonFresh. Folks living in Brooklyn, New York's Park Slope neighborhood will have access to the service that debuted in Seattle and California starting today, according to Recode. Naturally, you need a Prime membership to access the same-day (or next-day, depending on when you order), but starting next year a pricier $299 "Prime Fresh" subscription will be required. Not in Park Slope? Don't fret: the e-commerce juggernaut told Reuters that it will continue to be "thoughtful and methodical" in its expansion. Bezos and Co. failed to mention, however, if and when it'll be expanding into the likes of Manhattan or other boroughs. Don't get too excited to use that Dash just yet, greater Gotham. [Image credit: adpowers/Flickr]
Popcart turns your online recipes into deliverable groceries
It's safe to say food is one of the greatest things life has to offer. However, sometimes not everyone has the right ingredients on hand to prepare every dish of interest, particularly those that, for whatever reason (read: they looked good), randomly stood out while surfing the web. Here's where Popcart hopes to come in. The newly developed tool, which is the result of a partnership between online grocer FreshDirect and recipe-indexing site Foodily, can pretty much transform any recipe on the internet into goods that can be delivered right to your door. It's simple really -- all you have to do is install the service's bookmarklet on your desktop browser and the rest is a piece of cake (not literally). Once you've done this, just highlight the ingredients from your recipe of choice, then click "Popcart it" on the bookmarks bar and, voilà, everything gets added to your FreshDirect cart. The only minor letdown is that Popcart's only available in places where FreshDirect operates, which includes areas around New York City, New Jersey and Philadelphia, to mention a few. [Image credit: Shutterstock/Elena Shashkina]
