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

Italy’s The Bridge, A Decades-Old Plant-Based Pioneer, Acquired by Investment Firm Ambienta

Anay Mridul Apr 2, 2026

Italian plant-based dairy pioneer The Bridge has been acquired by asset manager Ambienta, with the founding Negro Marcigaglia family reinvesting in the 32-year-old company. One of Italy's most well-established plant-based food companies…
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Policy & Regulation

Less Meat, More Plants: MAHA Groups & American Heart Association Counter US Dietary Guidelines

Anay Mridul Apr 2, 2026

The American Heart Association's new dietary recommendations prioritise plant proteins over meat, countering the national guidelines, just as MAHA-aligned groups urge a shift away from processed meat. The backlash to the Trump…
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Fermentation-Based Alt Protein

Exclusive: All G Earns FDA Approval to Sell Cow-Free Lactoferrin Protein in US

Anay Mridul Apr 2, 2026

Australian startup All G has received a 'no questions' letter from the US FDA for its precision-fermented lactoferrin ingredient, which it will begin selling "within months". All G, a Sydney-based startup using microbial fermentation to…
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Funding News

Create Wellness Bags $20M to Expand Vegan Gummies & Powders in Red-Hot Creatine Market

Anay Mridul Apr 1, 2026

US startup Create Wellness has raised $20M in Series B funding to expand its creatine supplements in gummy and powdered drink formats, leaning into the GLP-1, women's health, and longevity categories. As creatine transitions from a…
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Future Foods

Nestlé & UN University Launch Global Academy to Advance Sustainable Food Systems

Anay Mridul Apr 1, 2026

Nestlé has teamed up with the United Nations University to establish the World Food Academy 4 Sustainable Food Systems, which aims to support youth in the future food sector, particularly in the Global South. The world's largest food…
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Future Food Quick Bites

Future Food Quick Bites: EcoButter Chocolates, La Vie Sneakers & Bold Bean Co

Anay Mridul Apr 1, 2026

Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Savor's United Airlines showcase, La Vie's foray into fashion, and Bold Bean Co's sales milestone. New products and…
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Alt Protein

Beyond Meat Bets on ‘Less Controversial’ Products to Recover from All-Time Sales Low in 2025

Anay Mridul Apr 1, 2026

Beyond Meat's revenues fell to a record low in 2025, with the company hoping its move into other categories and debt restructuring deal will support its path to "sustainable operations". After two rounds of delays, Beyond Meat – or…
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Funding News

3 Future Food Projects Get $4.7M Dutch Govt Funding for Cultivated Meat & Fermentation

Anay Mridul Mar 31, 2026

The Dutch Research Council has awarded €4.1M ($4.7M) to three cellular agriculture research projects looking to scale up cultivated meat and precision-fermented foods. Extending its role as one of Europe's future food leaders, the…
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Funding News

Standing Ovation Bags $34.2M from Bel, Danone & French Govt to Launch Animal-Free Casein

Anay Mridul Mar 31, 2026

French precision fermentation startup Standing Ovation has raised €30M ($34.2M) in Series B and non-dilutive funding to commercialise its cow-free casein protein, starting with the US. The French government and two of the country's…
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Alt Dairy

Swiss Court Bans Use of ‘Milk’ on Plant-Based Alternatives, Rejecting Danone’s Appeal

Anay Mridul Mar 31, 2026

The Swiss Federal Court has rejected Danone's appeal to allow it to use the word 'milk' in the labelling of its Alpro This Is Not M*lk product, echoing a decision in the UK earlier this year. The plant-based industry's fight for…
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Chocolate

From Chocolate to Supplements, Kokomodo Eyes 2027 Regulatory Approval for Cell-Based Cacao

Anay Mridul Mar 31, 2026

Having partnered with some of the world's largest ingredient companies, Kokomodo is seeking clearance to sell its cell-based cacao by next year, paving the way for its use across a range of products. Kokomodo is advancing its path to…
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Alt Dairy

Tasty Awards: Can Plant Ahead Capture the Biggest White Space in Vegan Cheese?

Anay Mridul Mar 30, 2026

Plant Ahead's Jeffrey Strah makes the case for why the company can transform the dairy-free mozzarella category with a product that's "unlike anything" he's seen in his 47 years in the cheese industry. At the 2026 Tasty Awards by…
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Alt Protein

Jury Asks Impossible Foods to Pay Influencer $3.25M in Trademark Lawsuit

Anay Mridul Mar 30, 2026

Impossible Foods has infringed two trademarks held by influencer Joel Runyon and his company Impossible HQ, a jury decided, awarding the latter $3.25M in damages. Plant-based meat leader Impossible Foods has lost a trademark lawsuit…
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Alt Dairy

After Cultivated Meat, Mississippi Becomes First US State to Ban Cell-Cultured Dairy

Anay Mridul Mar 30, 2026

Mississippi has enacted the US's first ban on the sale of cultivated dairy products, with Governor Tate Reeves allowing the bill to pass without his signature. A US state has outlawed a food category that is nowhere to be seen yet. …
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Green Business

Vegan Discovery Platform Abillion Shuts Down Amid Funding Struggles & AI Threat

Anay Mridul Mar 30, 2026

Abillion, a platform that enabled people to review and rate plant-based products and restaurants, has closed down after failing to "overcome the realities of the current fundraising environment". Despite surpassing its 2024 investment…
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Chocolate

California Cultured Targets 2026 Launch of Cell-Based Cocoa Powder After US GRAS Filing

Anay Mridul Mar 27, 2026

US startup California Cultured has secured self-affirmed GRAS status for its cell-based cocoa powder and notified the FDA of its determination. It's currently fundraising and eyeing a launch later this year. Having already landed deals…
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Alt Protein

With A Rebrand & Clean-Label Push, Can Beyond Meat Revive US Interest in Plant Protein?

Anay Mridul Mar 27, 2026

Beyond Meat is undergoing a transformation, the latest instance being the expansion of its Clean Label Project Certified portfolio, which now covers over 20 products, including its new protein drinks. Building on its repositioning as a…
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Funding News

‘Cash-ew Cheese’: France’s Jay&Joy Raises $2.3M to Boost Scale-Up & European Expansion

Anay Mridul Mar 27, 2026

French dairy-free cheese startup Jay&Joy, which also owns Les Nouveaux Affineurs, has raised €2M ($2.3M) to expand its presence across the UK and Europe. From Camembert to Brie, cheese is one of France's most famed exports. One…
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Australia

Australia’s National Science Agency, CSIRO, Ends Work on Food Innovation Despite Climate Promise

Anay Mridul Mar 26, 2026

Amid CSIRO's financial challenges, the Australian national science agency has decided to end work on food ingredients and processing, but reaffirms that agrifood will continue being one of its largest units. One of Australia's most…
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Australia

‘Where the Sector Needs to Go’: Why Australia’s Leading Future Food Non-Profits Joined Forces

Anay Mridul Mar 26, 2026

Australian future food advocacy groups Food Frontier and Cellular Agriculture Australia have merged to accelerate research, policy breakthroughs, and regulatory progress for sustainable proteins. Since the highs of 2020-21, the…
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Cell-Based News

Exclusive: Aleph Farms’s Cultivated Meat Matches Beef in Consumer Taste Tests

Anay Mridul Mar 26, 2026

In a blind taste test, consumers rated Aleph Farms's cultivated meat as just as good as beef on the flavour and texture scale, with half saying they'd order it in a restaurant. To get meat-eaters to bite into a steak made from cultured…
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