"Why is this now newsworthy, when JB has been pioneering and doing Veggie Sampling for years?"

I understand that it takes twenty years for new practices in medicine (in the United States) to become widely accepted and applied.  Despite mandatory continuing education requirements, this essentially means that for most people learning stops after one enters their profession - medicine, earth science, law, etc.  ...the way the world works.  Look at how long it is taking for everyone to understand that Socialism doesn't work.  There are always vested interests in the old ways of doing things, resisting change.  JB's fault, if you want to call it that, is in being ahead of his time.