Author

Anay Mridul 3136 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.

Funding News

Canadian Govt Invests in $11M Scale-Up Project for Whole-Cut Plant-Based Meat

Anay Mridul May 25, 2026

Protein Industries Canada is backing a C$15.1M ($10.9M) project to expand production of whole-cut plant-based meat and seafood alternatives for the local market. As Canadians look to increase their plant-based food intake, many remain…
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Funding News

India’s StrainX Bioworks Raises $13M to Bring Precision-Fermented Proteins to Market

Anay Mridul May 25, 2026

Indian precision fermentation startup StrainX Bioworks has emerged from stealth with $13M in funding, a large-scale facility, and US GRAS determination for one of its ingredients. Taking a "full-stack" approach to precision…
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Alt Fats

Are Lab-Grown Fats the Future of Lipstick? This Palm Oil Alternative Makes the Case

Anay Mridul May 22, 2026

Californian label Tower 28 Beauty has debuted a lip jelly featuring C16 Biosciences's Palmless Torula Oil, a yeast-derived substitute for palm oil. Yeast in your lip care? That is now a reality thanks to a new collaboration between a…
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Alt Protein

Steakholder Foods to Launch Whole-Cut Plant-Based Meat Brand in the US

Anay Mridul May 22, 2026

Steakholder Foods is bringing its 3D-printed, whole-cut meat alternatives to the US with the launch of its new plant-based brand, Perfecta, in the second half of 2026. After years of developing its 3D-printed meat manufacturing…
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Funding News

Irish University Bags $3.5M in Govt Funding to Turn Grass Into Protein

Anay Mridul May 22, 2026

Munster Technological University has received €3M ($3.5M) from Ireland's agriculture ministry to develop biorefinery tech that can convert grass and legumes into protein. Can grass be the next protein frontier? It's a question being…
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Alt Protein

Tesco to Keep Innovating with Plant-Based Meat Despite Missing 2025 Sales Target

Anay Mridul May 22, 2026

Tesco has retired its goal to increase sales of meat alternatives by 300% by 2025 amid a wider market decline, but has pledged to keep innovating in this space while also championing plant-based whole foods. In its 2026 sustainability…
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Alt Dairy

Bike-Thru: Oatly Reinvents Coffee Drive-In with Amsterdam Kiosk Stunt

Anay Mridul May 21, 2026

In its latest coffee-centric brand activation, Oatly has opened a "bike-thru" pop-up in Amsterdam, offering the city's bikers a rotating menu of oat milk creations. Oatly's latest stunt to push its taste-led strategy involves some of…
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Future Foods

Germany Announces Cultivated Meat Innovation Hub & Calls for EU Novel Food Sandboxes

Anay Mridul May 21, 2026

The German government has released a biotechnology roadmap that includes creating an innovation hub for cultivated meat and precision-fermented foods, and advancing novel food regulation. Last year, Germany’s Scientific Advisory Board…
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Funding News

Plant-Based Seafood Startup Oshi Nets $3M in Funding After Fourfold Growth in Sales

Anay Mridul May 21, 2026

Vegan seafood maker Oshi has received $3M in investment from a Latin American seafood major and launched a crowdfunding round to build on its fourfold sales increase and launch a whitefish product. Known for its whole-cut fish-free…
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Chocolate

Barry Callebaut Brings Planet A Foods’s Cocoa-Free Chocolate to US

Anay Mridul May 21, 2026

German food tech startup Planet A Foods is entering the US through its partnership with Barry Callebaut, which has debuted the former's cocoa-free chocolate ingredient, ChoViva. Months after striking a partnership with the world's…
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Alt Protein

In Europe, Plant-Based Proteins Are Now More Affordable Than Meat

Anay Mridul May 20, 2026

The price of meat in the UK, Germany and Spain has climbed sharply since the pandemic, widening the gap with plant proteins like beans and making meat alternatives a more affordable option. Climate change, declining livestock numbers,…
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Alt Dairy

Ya Ya Foods Owner Gets State Funding to Build $56M Plant-Based Milk Facility in Michigan

Anay Mridul May 20, 2026

The state of Michigan has approved a grant for Fenton Food and Beverage, a new company by the owner of Ya Ya Foods, to build a $56.2M plant-based milk factory. Michigan will be home to North America's first manufacturing facility to use…
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Future Food Quick Bites

Future Food Quick Bites: Lärabar Protein, Bigger Steaks & Tattooed Chef Settlement

Anay Mridul May 20, 2026

Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Lärabar's new protein range, Valsoia's dairy-free kefir launch, and Tattooed Chef's $4.5M settlement. New products and…
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Chocolate

Endless Food Co’s Bean-Free Chocolate Bags Major Distribution Deal in Denmark

Anay Mridul May 20, 2026

Danish startup Endless Food Co has signed a distribution partnership with Dagrofa Foodservice, opening a "major new lane" for its bean-free chocolate. In a nod to its chef-founded roots, Denmark's Endless Food Co has notched a…
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Sugar

This Food Tech Company Uses Yeast Fermentation to Cut Sugar in Fruit Juice by 30%

Anay Mridul May 19, 2026

Austria Juice has rolled out a new line of fruit juices with 30% less sugar, produced via yeast fermentation, in line with the EU's Breakfast Directives. With sugar reduction a top priority for brands and consumers alike, one startup…
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Fermentation-Based Alt Protein

South Korea’s Intake Unveils New Brand for Precision-Fermented Yeast Ingredients

Anay Mridul May 19, 2026

South Korean food tech startup Intake is expanding into the B2B sector with the launch of Takein, a brand centred on its yeast-derived protein and fibre ingredients. Seoul-based Intake has unveiled a new ingredient brand, Takein, to…
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Funding News

Brami Secures $33M to Expand High-Protein, High-Fibre Lupini Bean Pasta

Anay Mridul May 19, 2026

US startup Brami has raised $33M in Series B funding to expand its plant-based protein pasta portfolio and bring the range to more stores nationwide. Two ingredients, high in protein and fibre, and centred around beans – those are the…
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Policy & Regulation

US Representatives Propose EUDR-Style Bill to Ban Deforestation-Linked Beef, Cocoa & More

Anay Mridul May 19, 2026

As calls for anti-deforestation laws grow louder, a new House of Representatives bill aims to ban deforestation-linked commodities such as palm oil, beef, and chocolate. While the Trump administration has been lobbying the EU to weaken…
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Cell-Based News

Cultimate Foods: Cultivated Meat Maker Files for Bankruptcy, Remains Hopeful About Future

Anay Mridul May 18, 2026

German cultivated fat startup Cultimate Foods has filed for bankruptcy and initiated a financial restructuring to return the business to the path of long-term growth. The financial abyss facing alternative proteins continues to plague…
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Funding News

South Korea’s Soyft Biome Bags Funding to Upcycle Tempeh Waste Into Plant-Based Dairy

Anay Mridul May 18, 2026

South Korean food tech startup Soyft Biome has received fresh financing to expand the reach of its plant-based products, which are derived from fermented soybean waste. Turning plant-based waste into non-dairy products, South Korea's…
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Alt Protein

Canada’s The Better Butchers to Go Public with Reverse Takeover of Health Logic

Anay Mridul May 18, 2026

Canadian plant-based meat firm The Better Butchers has agreed to a reverse takeover of Health Logic Interactive, with a goal of listing the business on the Canadian Securities Exchange. Vancouver-based meat alternative maker The Better…
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