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.

Alt Protein

Burger King Debuts Plant-Based Crispy Chicken Burger in Austria

Anay Mridul Sep 9, 2026

Burger King has expanded its vegan menu in Austria with a crispy chicken burger, a first for the fast-food giant, featuring The Vegetarian Butcher's plant-based alternative. Extending its long-standing partnership with The Vegetarian…
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Green Business

NotCo Sells Brazilian Business & Reportedly Closes Mexican Arm Amid AI Pivot

Anay Mridul Sep 9, 2026

Chilean food tech unicorn NotCo has offloaded its Brazilian business and reportedly shuttered its division in Mexico as part of its shift from plant-based manufacturing to AI-led product development. Three months after agreeing to sell…
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Funding News

‘Hot Girl Soda’: Female-Founded Feisty Bags Funding for Fizzy Plant Protein Drinks

Anay Mridul Sep 9, 2026

Feisty, the viral mother-daughter drinks startup, has raised £500,000 ($677,000) in its first funding round to revamp its brand and launch new flavours of its plant-based protein sodas. Clear, sparkling drinks are leading the next wave…
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Research & Scientific Studies

UK Scientists Use AI to Identify Nearly 800 Plant Proteins for Sustainable Food

Anay Mridul Sep 8, 2026

Scientists at the UK's government-backed National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre have used artificial intelligence to pinpoint hundreds of plant-based proteins that can act as emulsifiers in food and personal care products. The…
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Alt Dairy

Revo Foods Turns Apricot Kernels Into Protein-Packed Dairy-Free Cottage Cheese

Anay Mridul Sep 8, 2026

Austrian fermentation startup Revo Foods has expanded beyond meat alternatives with a new high-protein cottage cheese alternative that valorises apricot seeds and beats its dairy counterpart in taste tests. High-protein, superior taste,…
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Alt Protein

Veg-Led Food & Plant-Based Alternatives Can Coexist, Says Redefine Meat After Doubling UK Footprint

Anay Mridul Sep 8, 2026

Redefine Meat has secured listings for its 3D-printed meat alternatives at nearly 400 Tesco stores, marking a significant expansion less than a year after entering UK supermarkets. "We don't think the future of plant-based food has to…
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Alt Fats

Nourish Ingredients Signs European Manufacturing Deal to Scale Up Animal-Free Dairy Fat

Anay Mridul Sep 8, 2026

Australian fermentation startup Nourish Ingredients has teamed up with SD Guthrie to expand production of its dairy-free fat, Creamilux, in Europe, with an eye toward reaching hundreds of tonnes annually over time. As it works to close…
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UPFs

Fewer Americans Consider Processing Levels Before Buying Food, Shows Survey

Anay Mridul Sep 7, 2026

The share of Americans who factor a food's processing levels into their purchasing decisions has declined this year, though uncertainty around the healthfulness of ultra-processed food continues. The consumer and policy focus on…
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Alt Protein

Mushroom Squared Goes Beyond Plant-Based Meat to Offer Wellness-Minded Functional Proteins

Anay Mridul Sep 7, 2026

US startup Mushroom Squared is expanding beyond meat alternatives to focus on functional, minimally processed protein products that target a range of wellness areas. With ultra-processed foods and meat alternatives losing favour with…
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Alt Protein

Freezing Lentils Can Unlock Meat-Like Fibrous Textures with Minimal Processing

Anay Mridul Sep 7, 2026

Scientists at ETH Zurich have developed a freeze-structuring technique to turn whole legumes into gels with a texture similar to animal muscle fibres, offering a minimally processed path to meat and seafood alternatives. The bean…
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Vegan

Beans Lead UK’s Plant-Based Food Growth As Shoppers Shun Meat & Vegan Alternatives

Anay Mridul Sep 7, 2026

Legumes, tofu and tempeh are driving the resurgence of the UK's plant-based protein sector, with conventional and vegan meat falling out of favour due to health and price concerns. As meat prices continue to climb and vegan alternatives…
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Climate Change

Trump’s Beef Tariff Plan Protects the Largest Driver of Global Deforestation

Anay Mridul Sep 4, 2026

Beef production is responsible for over two-fifths of deforestation worldwide, with the majority coming from the Brazilian industry, new research shows. With beef prices on an upward trajectory, and with no end in sight, US President…
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Alt Protein

Steakholder Foods Rolls Out 3D-Printed Whole-Cut Meat at US Supermarkets

Anay Mridul Sep 4, 2026

Retailers in the Northeastern US are now stocking whole-cut plant-based meat and seafood products from 3D-printed protein producer Steakholder Foods under the Perfecta brand. Americans can now get their hands on 3D-printed meat…
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Plastic Pollution

This Hong Kong Future Lab Was Made Using Recycled Plastic Bottles

Anay Mridul Sep 4, 2026

Hong Kong circular design studio ReEdit has opened a Future Lab built on waste materials like recycled plastic bottles, which also upcycles spent coffee grounds from its café into new objects. In Hong Kong’s Wan Chai district, plastic…
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Alt Dairy

Oatly Opens Immersive Matcha Pop-Up Ahead of London Fashion Week

Anay Mridul Sep 4, 2026

Swedish oat milk pioneer Oatly has launched a 10-day immersive matcha-themed pop-up at London-based lifestyle shop Goodhood in time for the city's Fashion Week. Oatly's love affair with fashion is getting a matcha-tinged makeover. …
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Alt Dairy

Plenish Introduces Four-Ingredient Protein Oat Milk Fit for the UK’s Clean-Label Era

Anay Mridul Sep 3, 2026

Plenish, the clean-label plant-based dairy brand owned by Carlsberg Britvic, has expanded its Clean Protein range with a four-ingredient oat milk that contains no oils or additives. The furore around ultra-processed foods has piqued…
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Funding News

Australia’s OMG Group Nabs Fresh Funding to Help Expand Protein Oat Milk Line

Anay Mridul Sep 3, 2026

Oat Milk Goodness, the Australian plant-based milk brand co-founded by cricketer Steve Smith, is set to roll out three new protein SKUs with support from a new capital placement for its parent company, OMG Group. Joining the influx of…
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Funding News

MOA Foodtech Raises $3.8M to Expand AI-Led, Waste-Fermented Egg Substitute & Yeast Enhancer

Anay Mridul Sep 3, 2026

Spanish startup MOA Foodtech has secured €3.3M ($3.8M) to scale up and expand distribution of its fermentation-derived egg replacer and yeast enhancer for use in meat analogues, snacks, pet food, and more. European fermentation startups…
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Consumer Trends & Insights

GLP-1 Users Plan to Spend More on Protein & Fibre – Can Food Companies Capitalise?

Anay Mridul Sep 3, 2026

The share of global GLP-1 users is set to expand rapidly, which will bring about changes in how we eat. Protein and fibre will only grow in importance, underscoring a key opportunity for food companies. The weight-loss drug boom will…
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Alt Dairy

Humble Edition: Planet Oat Releases Five-Ingredient Oat Milk with Banana Purée

Anay Mridul Sep 2, 2026

US plant-based dairy brand Planet Oat is leaning into the clean-label trend with a new Humble Edition oat milk that contains just five ingredients and is free from additives, but is also light on the nutrition front. Can bananas and…
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Future Food Quick Bites

Future Food Quick Bites: Alpro x McDonald’s, Leon Shiitake Burger & Vegan Hospitality

Anay Mridul Sep 2, 2026

Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Alpro and McDonald's matcha collab, Leon's partnership with Fable Food, and Sainsbury's kid-friendly plant-based milks. …
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