Cape Coral Puppy Bowl highlights shelter’s need for loving homesCaught on Camera: Car crashes into Lehigh duplex
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Puppy Bowl highlights shelter’s need for loving homes The Cape Coral Animal Shelter hosted its third annual Puppy Bowl late Sunday morning. The event aimed to highlight puppies in need of homes.
LEHIGH ACRES Caught on Camera: Car crashes into Lehigh duplex A car crashed into a duplex early Sunday morning in Lehigh Acres causing confusion for the building’s residents.
WINK News Photos of the Week Feb. 2 – Feb. 8 This Week’s edition features live music, some familiar faces wearing red and a fabulous charity event
FORT MYERS Colonial Boulevard continuous flow intersection opens Sunday in Fort Myers Drivers along Interstate 75 near Colonial Boulevard can expect changes soon.
the weather authority Sun and clouds with a stray shower possible The Weather Authority says sun and clouds overhead will lead to another day with above-average temperatures.
FORT MYERS LCSO offering youth boxing program The Lee County Sheriff’s Office youth boxing program is your kid’s golden ticket to mastering the art of self-defense.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man speaks on helping apprehend armed 13-year-old The man who helped apprehend an armed 13-year-old spoke on the incident.
NAPLES Naples Cars on Fifth event fuels $2M for local charity efforts For over two decades, car enthusiasts in Southwest Florida have gathered on Fifth Avenue in Naples.
MARCO ISLAND Caxambas Park boat ramp on Marco Island set to reopen Collier County announced the reopening of the Caxambas Park boat ramp on Marco Island.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Animal Shelter to host Puppy Bowl 3 ahead of big game Ahead of the big game on Sunday, Cape Coral Animal Shelter will be featuring its very own Puppy Bowl III.
FORT MYERS From the ballpark to the beach: the Minnesota Twins are back for Spring Training 1700 miles later the Twins truck is here and the team from Minnesota is ready to spend the next six weeks here in Fort Myers.
the weather authority Warm stretch continues throughout this weekend The Weather Authority says if you are a fan of the warmer weather, you are going to love this weekend.
SANIBEL Sanibel’s red tide raises health alerts and wildlife concerns With great weather in the forecast, it’s shaping up to be a perfect beach weekend. However, visitors to the barrier islands should exercise caution.
NAPLES Naples Automotive Experience raises funds for St. Matthew’s House The Naples Automotive Experience brought excitement and philanthropy to the community, raising money for St. Matthew’s House.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Puppy Bowl highlights shelter’s need for loving homes The Cape Coral Animal Shelter hosted its third annual Puppy Bowl late Sunday morning. The event aimed to highlight puppies in need of homes.
LEHIGH ACRES Caught on Camera: Car crashes into Lehigh duplex A car crashed into a duplex early Sunday morning in Lehigh Acres causing confusion for the building’s residents.
WINK News Photos of the Week Feb. 2 – Feb. 8 This Week’s edition features live music, some familiar faces wearing red and a fabulous charity event
FORT MYERS Colonial Boulevard continuous flow intersection opens Sunday in Fort Myers Drivers along Interstate 75 near Colonial Boulevard can expect changes soon.
the weather authority Sun and clouds with a stray shower possible The Weather Authority says sun and clouds overhead will lead to another day with above-average temperatures.
FORT MYERS LCSO offering youth boxing program The Lee County Sheriff’s Office youth boxing program is your kid’s golden ticket to mastering the art of self-defense.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man speaks on helping apprehend armed 13-year-old The man who helped apprehend an armed 13-year-old spoke on the incident.
NAPLES Naples Cars on Fifth event fuels $2M for local charity efforts For over two decades, car enthusiasts in Southwest Florida have gathered on Fifth Avenue in Naples.
MARCO ISLAND Caxambas Park boat ramp on Marco Island set to reopen Collier County announced the reopening of the Caxambas Park boat ramp on Marco Island.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Animal Shelter to host Puppy Bowl 3 ahead of big game Ahead of the big game on Sunday, Cape Coral Animal Shelter will be featuring its very own Puppy Bowl III.
FORT MYERS From the ballpark to the beach: the Minnesota Twins are back for Spring Training 1700 miles later the Twins truck is here and the team from Minnesota is ready to spend the next six weeks here in Fort Myers.
the weather authority Warm stretch continues throughout this weekend The Weather Authority says if you are a fan of the warmer weather, you are going to love this weekend.
SANIBEL Sanibel’s red tide raises health alerts and wildlife concerns With great weather in the forecast, it’s shaping up to be a perfect beach weekend. However, visitors to the barrier islands should exercise caution.
NAPLES Naples Automotive Experience raises funds for St. Matthew’s House The Naples Automotive Experience brought excitement and philanthropy to the community, raising money for St. Matthew’s House.
FILE- This Jan. 11, 2019, file photo shows the Impossible Burger, a plant-based burger containing wheat protein, coconut oil and potato protein among it’s ingredients in Bellevue, Neb. From soy-based sliders to ground lentil sausages, plant-based meat substitutes are surging in popularity. Growing demand for healthier, more sustainable food is one reason people are seeking plant-based meats. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File) From soy-based sliders to ground lentil sausages, plant-based meat substitutes are surging in popularity. And carnivores — not vegans or vegetarians — are among the biggest consumers. Growing demand for healthier, more sustainable food is one reason people are seeking plant-based meats. That’s also the reason behind rising sales of oat milk, cauliflower pizza crust and even coconut oil-based makeup. “There’s a lot of messaging that plants are powerful. It feels like something that gives you a quick fix, something is really good for you,” said Melanie Bartelme, a global food analyst with the consulting firm Mintel. Better technology and marketing wizardry is also fueling sales. Newer startups like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat — both backed by investments from Microsoft founder Bill Gates — have won over carnivores with plant-based products that look and taste like meat. “Meat lovers don’t love the fact that their meat comes from dead animals. They love it because of the sensory pleasures and the familiarity,” said Impossible Foods CEO Pat Brown. “If we can provide the things they value and make it from plants, not only will meat lovers be willing to buy it, but they will prefer to buy it.” Los Angeles-based Beyond Meat is sold alongside regular meat in the grocery store, not shuffled into freezers or natural food aisles like traditional veggie burgers. It’s also served at juicy burger chains like Carl’s Jr. as well as TGI Friday’s. Impossible Foods, which is based in Silicon Valley, introduced its burgers three years ago at trendy restaurants like New York’s Momofuku Nishi. That led to partnerships with more than 5,000 restaurants in the U.S. and Asia, including the White Castle chain. Earlier this week, Burger King became the first global quick-service restaurant to embrace the Impossible burger. It’s testing an Impossible Whopper this spring at 59 restaurants in St. Louis. Burger King already has a veggie burger on its menu, a MorningStar Farms patty made from carrots, mushroom, oats, and other ingredients. But Chris Finazzo, president of Burger King’s North American division, said that primarily appeals to vegans and vegetarians. Burger King’s research indicated that 9 percent of people buying plant-based meat are vegetarian, but 90 percent are meat eaters looking for healthier options. “There’s a lot of people who want to eat a burger every day but don’t necessarily want to eat meat every day,” Finazzo said. Bartelme notes that only around 7% of the U.S. population is vegan or vegetarian and that hasn’t changed significantly in recent years. Instead, she says, many people are becoming “flexitarians,” picking and choosing from various diets. The Impossible Whopper is healthier on some counts but not on others. It’s 630 calories, compared to 660 calories for a meat-based Whopper. It’s lower in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol. But it’s higher in sodium and carbohydrates. The burgers have about the same amount of protein. MorningStar’s veggie burger, on the other hand, has 390 calories, less fat and cholesterol, but a similar amount of sodium and carbohydrates as a regular Whopper. There are other benefits to meatless burgers. Beyond Meat says it takes 99% less water, 93% less land and 50% less energy to make plant-based burgers. They also emit 90% fewer greenhouse gases. The North American Meat Institute, a lobbying group for the meat industry, counters that livestock production in the U.S. accounts for just 4% of total greenhouse gas emissions. And U.S. meat consumption was expected to reach a record high in 2018 because of the strong economy. Still, U.S. sales of plant-based meat are rising faster than sales of regular meat. Nielsen says annual U.S. sales of plant-based meats jumped 42 percent between March 2016 and March 2019 to a total of $888 million. Traditional meat sales rose 1 percent to $85 billion in that same time frame. Bartelme doesn’t see that trend slowing down. Over last five years, there’s been a 25 percent increase in the number of meat alternative products launched, like pinto bean-based “bacon bits” from Cool Foods. Going forward, some smaller brands could get gobbled up by larger rivals, she said. She also wonders if there will be consumer backlash against companies that rely on slick chemistry to make their meats. Impossible genetically engineers yeast to make heme, the molecule found in both plants and animals that gives burgers their meaty flavor. Memphis Meats, another California startup, is growing meat from actual animal cells. “Is that going to turn off someone who is looking for very unprocessed foods? Maybe there will be a resurgence in old-school burgers made of beans and vegetables,” Bartelme said. But Brown says that would be a mistake, because science is everywhere in the food chain. “Pretty much everything that’s in the world’s diet is not something that just fell off the tree,” Brown said. “The foods we eat are products of nature combined with science, research and ingenuity.”