The Food and Drug Administration has authorized the first menthol-flavored electronic cigarettes for adult smokers. Friday's action is the government's strongest acknowledgment that switching to flavored vaping can reduce the harms of smoking. The FDA authorized four menthol e-cigarettes from Njoy, the vaping brand recently acquired by tobacco giant Altria, which also makes Marlboro cigarettes. The decision gives new credibility to vaping companies' longstanding argument that their products can help blunt the toll of smoking. But parent groups and anti-tobacco advocates immediately criticized the decision, saying flavors like menthol are more popular with teens.

A grocery store that features thousands of products made entirely of discarded plastic opens to the public on Tuesday. The Plastic Bag Store is a custom-built public art installation and film experience designed to encourage visitors to think more about the enduring impact of single-use plastics. The store in Ann Arbor, Michigan, features shelves stocked with items such as meat, eggs and cakes that all are made from single-use plastics taken from streets and garbage dumps. The Plastic Bag Store runs through Feb. 5. Tickets are $30 for general admission. Student tickets cost $12.

A new federal law requiring that sesame be listed as an allergen on food labels is having unintended consequences — increasing the number of p…