Thursday’s business headlines

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Jane King is in with the latest business headlines.

Hoosier Wine

Indiana’s wine industry generated $604 million in economic impact in 2016.

That’s according to the Indiana Wine Grape Council, Purdue University Wine Grape Team and the Indiana Winery and Vineyard Association.

Hoosier wineries produced nearly 2.4 million gallons of wine in 2016. The number of wineries in Indiana has increased from 73 in 2011 to 116 in 2016.

Papa John’s

Papa John’s founder recently had merger talks with Wendy’s.

The Wall Street Journal reports talks cooled after John Schnatter stepped down as chairman over his use of a racial slur.

No word on if talks will resume.

Whole Food Amazon

Grocery prices have fallen since Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods last year.

It wasn’t a big drop – prices lost three tenths of a percent nationwide after the merger closed.

Milk decision

The FDA may soon take up plant-based milk and if it’s really milk.

Some in the food industry are pushing the Food and Drug Administration to enforce “standards of identity” for such products and regulate the ability for non-dairy beverages to call themselves “milk.”

The high number of various plant-based or dairy alternative on the market such as soy, almond, coconut, other non-dairy product – all calling themselves “milk” – have long irked the dairy industry.