Cigarettes are about to get uglier, Beyond Meat gets a taste of success, and more top news

The news Canadian professionals are talking about now, curated by LinkedIn’s editors. Join the conversation by clicking the hashtags below.

Cigarette packaging is about to get uglier as part of an effort to curb the appeal of smoking. Health Canada hopes new requirements taking effect Nov. 9, including using brown colours, grey text, minimalist design and standard sizing, will better convey the associated health risks after research found that more eye-catching cigarettes were perceived as less harmful. Though Canada is “leading the charge” on curbing tobacco's appeal, some manufacturers object to the change, saying it will “boost illicit sale of tobacco products” and ramp up supply chain costs. • Here’s what people are saying. 

Beyond Meat is enjoying the taste of success, reporting its first quarterly profit with a net income of US$4.1 million — up from a loss of $9.3 million a year earlier. The plant-based burger maker, which went public in May, saw sales more than triple to $92 million in the three months ending Sept. 28. Meat alternatives is one of the food industry’s hottest sectors: Sales increased 9.2% in the year ending August, compared with traditional meat sales, which grew just 1.9%. • Here’s what people are saying.

Canadian farmers will harvest six million tonnes of soybeans this season, but they aren't sure who will buy them. Shipments to China, the world’s largest soybean market, have been squeezed by mounting trade tensions, while cheap U.S. beans have cut into sales to the EU and within Canada. Local farmers are struggling to keep up with U.S. competitors that can out-price them using government subsidies. “I can do a lot to mitigate losses,” said a farmer and Soy Canada chairman, “but I can’t compete with the U.S. Treasury.” • Here’s what people are saying. 

Juul is set to cut about 500 jobs by the end of the year, accounting for 10-15% of its workforce. The cuts, first reported in The Wall Street Journal, come as the e-cigarette maker’s CEO says the company is undergoing “a necessary reset” in an attempt to repair its relationships with regulators. Recently, Juul has been hit by a proposed ban on vaping flavours, which account for about 80% of its sales, as well as its link to vaping-related lung illnesses. Until September, Juul had been hiring on average 300 new employees each month. • Here’s what people are saying.

The adage that you need to taste failure before you can truly succeed in your career is gaining credence from an unlikely source, The New York Times reports. Decade-long scientific research from Northwestern University published by “Nature” found that workers who encountered early-career stumbles are more likely to come through the experience stronger than those who hadn’t experienced a setback. It’s not merely “survival of the fittest,” the study’s co-author noted. Rather, an improved performance “is causally linked to the near-miss event itself.” • Here’s what people are saying. 

Idea of the Day: A good debate can help surface the best decision, says Brian Tyler, CEO at McKesson.

“Once you start regularly engaging in respectful debate, it becomes a very normal part of how thoughtful decisions are made. And the value of diverse perspectives becomes powerful and clear.”

What's your take on today’s stories? Share your thoughts in the comments.

— Riva Gold