Author

Anay Mridul 2883 posts 0 comments

Anay is Green Queen's resident news reporter. Originally from India, he worked as a vegan food writer and editor in London, and is now travelling and reporting from across Asia. He's passionate about coffee, plant-based milk, cooking, eating, veganism, food tech, writing about all that, profiling people, and the Oxford comma.

Alt Protein

South Korea’s Simple Planet Raises $6M in Pre-Series A Round to Speed Up R&D for Cultivated Meat Powder

Anay Mridul Feb 16, 2024

South Korean cultivated meat startup Simple Planet has raised ₩8B ($6M) in a pre-Series A funding round to optimise its technology for its powdered ingredient, secure regulatory approval, and expand internationally. Simple Planet's ₩8M…
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Seafood

Unhooked: Alt-Seafood Startups Face Headwinds Despite Urgent Need for Fish-Free Solutions

Anay Mridul Feb 16, 2024

San Francisco-based New Wave Foods and Germany's Ordinary Seafood have become the latest casualties in the alternative protein sector, spotlighting the troubles experienced by the vegan seafood category in recent times. In a short space…
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Alt Protein

Cargill Invests in ENOUGH’s Series C & Expands Partnership to Create Mycoprotein Products

Anay Mridul Feb 16, 2024

Cargill has added to Scottish-Dutch food tech startup ENOUGH's Series C funding round with an undisclosed sum to expand their existing partnership, which will see the meat giant co-create and market products with the latter's ABUNDA…
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Vegan

Meet the Entrepreneur Taking Hong Kong’s Vegan Bakery & Cheese Scene to the Next Level

Anay Mridul Feb 16, 2024

The Cakery founder Shirley Kwok speaks to Green Queen about her new businesses shaking up Hong Kong's plant-based scene: vegan cheese brand Cultured and plant-forward bakery Maya. Shirley Kwok is one busy lady. Under her entrepreneur…
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Cell-Based News

42% of Japanese Consumers Open to Trying Cultivated Meat, But Safety Remains Key Concern

Anay Mridul Feb 16, 2024

Over four in 10 Japanese consumers are willing to give cultivated meat and seafood a taste as long as it's safe, but 58% have never heard of it, highlighting the challenge for the country's alternative protein sector. In April, the…
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Vegan Dining

Smashburger Jumps on Whole-Food Plant-Based Trend with Jack & Annie’s Jackfruit Burger at All 235 US Locations

Anay Mridul Feb 15, 2024

US fast-casual chain Smashburger has partnered with jackfruit meat producer Jack & Annie's to debut a new burger across its locations nationwide, the latest example of a QSR embracing whole-food plant-based products. With health and…
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Fashion

Q&A with Redress & The R Collective Founder Christina Dean: ‘Our Work is Just a Few Little Sprinkles of Goodness Right Now’

Anay Mridul Feb 15, 2024

Christina Dean, founder and CEO of Redress and The R Collective, speaks to Green Queen about the evolution of sustainable fashion, what she's learnt in her 17 years as an activist, and the impact of online shopping and e-commerce. A…
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Fermentation-Based Alt Protein

TurtleTree Achieves First Vegan Certification for Precision-Fermented Dairy Proteins

Anay Mridul Feb 15, 2024

Singaporean startup TurtleTree has become the first precision fermentation dairy company to earn a vegan certification, with its animal-free lactoferrin protein LF+ now sporting the Certified Vegan logo by Vegan Action. Called LF+,…
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Alt Protein

Plant-Based Meats Grow by 14% in Australian Retail, with Burgers Making Way for Deli Meats & Ready Meals

Anay Mridul Feb 15, 2024

Despite facing a tough time globally, Australia's plant-based meat sector has proliferated in the last few years, with the number of products on sale in retail channels growing by 14% from 2022-23, according to alternative protein think…
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Food & Nutrition

54% of Europeans Avoid Plant-Based Meat Because It’s Ultra-Processed, with 65% Concerned About Health Impact

Anay Mridul Feb 14, 2024

A new 17-country survey says that 65% of Europeans are concerned about the health implications of ultra-processed foods, with over half of respondents avoiding plant-based meats because they are ultra-processed. With an increasing focus…
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Fermentation-Based Alt Protein

New Culture Earns ‘World’s First’ Self-Affirmed GRAS Status for Precision-Fermented Casein

Anay Mridul Feb 14, 2024

US precision fermentation company New Culture has obtained what it claims is the world's first self-affirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status for animal-free casein in the US, paving the way for its market entry with Nancy…
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Future Foods

Future Food Quick Bites: Vegan Earthshot Prize, Dr. Praeger’s Turns 30 & A Neat Rebrand

Anay Mridul Feb 14, 2024

In our weekly column, we round up the latest news and developments in the alternative protein and sustainable food industry. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Dr. Praeger's new veggie-forward offerings, Applewood Vegan's…
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Health

Supergut’s Marc Washington is Meeting The Moment: ‘We’re Very Much Here for the Ozempic Era’

Anay Mridul Feb 14, 2024

Marc Washington, CEO of superfood brand Supergut, speaks to Green Queen about riding the Ozempic wave, the importance of prebiotic fibre, boosting GLP-1, and formulating plant-based products. For Marc Washington, it was a…
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Seafood

Food Colonialism: How the Norwegian Salmon Industry is Hurting Food Security in West Africa

Anay Mridul Feb 13, 2024

A new investigation reveals the adverse effects of Norwegian farmed salmon on malnutrition, food insecurity and loss of livelihoods in West Africa. Seafood producers in Norway – the world's largest supplier of farmed salmon – are…
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Health

Why Are We Still Killing Horseshoe Crabs? An Alternative Has Existed for Decades

Anay Mridul Feb 13, 2024

The US Pharmacopeia has finally released draft guidelines to allow the use of human-made alternatives to horseshoe crab blood – a critical element in biomedical and pharmaceutical testing. After failing in 2020, can the guidance pass this…
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Alt Protein

Is Marbling the ‘Holy Grail’ for Plant-Based Steak?

Anay Mridul Feb 12, 2024

As more and more companies focus on whole-cut plant-based meats, some are relying on fat to produce highly desired marbled textures for consumers – could it be the new 'holy grail' for vegan steak? Last year, scientists at Texas…
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Chocolate

California Cultured Joins Forces with Japanese Chocolate Giant Meiji for Cell-Based Cocoa Products

Anay Mridul Feb 12, 2024

US startup California Cultured will see its cell-based cocoa incorporated in products by Japanese chocolate giant Meiji, with a 10-year commercial partnership for the former's Flavanol Cocoa Powder. West Sacramento-based food tech…
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Climate Change

New Zealand: Huge Climate Win for Maōri Leader in Case Against Dairy & Fossil Fuel Polluters

Anay Mridul Feb 10, 2024

New Zealand's Supreme Court has ruled in favour of Māori leader Mike Smith's climate case versus fossil fuel and dairy companies, which include Fonterra. In a landmark win for environmental rights, the New Zealand Supreme Court has…
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Alt Dairy

Cultured Cheddar Slices: Stockeld Dreamery Bets on Fermentation for ‘Third Wave’ of Vegan Cheese

Anay Mridul Feb 9, 2024

Swedish vegan dairy startup Stockeld Dreamery has launched fermented Cheddar slices called Melt, which it describes as part of the 'third wave' of plant-based cheese. Stockeld Dreamery is bringing fermentation to sliced cheese with its…
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Vegan

One Planet Pizza’s Joe Hill: ‘Selling A Million Vegan Pizzas Took Me By Surprise’

Anay Mridul Feb 9, 2024

One Planet Pizza co-founder Joe Hill tells Green Queen about the company's uphill battle in the face of Brexit, war and a pandemic; going on The Apprentice; his trouble with misinformation about veganism, and selling a million pizzas. …
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Future Foods

Can Microalgae Change the Way You Use Fat Forever? This Michelin-Starred Chef Thinks So

Anay Mridul Feb 9, 2024

With seed oils on the back burner and olive oil questioned for its climate impact, one company is banking on microalgae, and to convince you, it has sought the help of a three-Michelin-starred chef. We're having a fat moment. People are…
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