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

French ‘Veggie Burger’ Labelling Ban Rejected by Country’s Highest Court

Anay Mridul Jan 29, 2025

The French government's proposed labelling ban on plant-based meat products has been cancelled by its top court, echoing a similar decision by its EU counterpart. Veggie burgers are here to stay – yet again. A long-running saga in…
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Fashion

From Food to Fibre: Sustainable Protein Revolution Takes on Luxury Fashion

Anay Mridul Jan 29, 2025

In partnership with an Italian premium fashion mill, Japanese materials innovator Spiber has produced cashmere blends and worsted yarn with its fermentation-derived Brewed Protein. Sustainable protein is on the rise in Japan.…
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Alt Protein

Biden’s Final Food Push: US Government Releases Close to $10M in Sustainable Protein Grants

Anay Mridul Jan 28, 2025

The US Department of Energy has invested $9.7M in three alternative protein projects to decarbonise the food sector and improve industrial productivity. Microbial proteins, fibre-spun vegan meat, and animal-free lactoferrin all became…
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Alt Dairy

‘Look At This F-ing Cake’: Gordon Ramsay Embraces Vegan Butter in New Campaign with Flora

Anay Mridul Jan 28, 2025

In its latest collaboration, Dutch vegan giant Flora Food Group has reeled in Gordon Ramsay to sing the praises of its flagship plant-based butter. Gordon Ramsay has been railing against vegan food for a long time, but the Scottish…
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Alt Dairy

Those Vegan Cowboys Targets US Launch for Animal-Free Casein Ahead of €15M Fundraise

Anay Mridul Jan 28, 2025

Dutch-Belgian startup Those Vegan Cowboys is raising €15M for its recombinant casein as it prepares to enter the US this year, and has teamed up with dairy giant Hochland to test animal-free cheeses. To get its cow-free cheese onto…
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Future Foods

Israeli Cell Ag Innovator Pluri Raises $6.5M, Announces Lab-Grown Cocoa Startup Acquisition

Anay Mridul Jan 27, 2025

Israel's Pluri has secured a $6.5M investment and entered the cell-based chocolate space with the impending purchase of a majority stake in Rehovot-based Kokomodo. After innovating with cultivated meat and lab-grown coffee, Haifa-based…
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Alt Dairy

Nestlé Has A Plant-Based Break: Vegan KitKat Discontinued in All Markets Except the UK

Anay Mridul Jan 27, 2025

In a blow for the vegan chocolate industry, Nestlé has taken its KitKat V off shelves in all markets except the UK. Nearly four years after it was first introduced, the vegan KitKat is going off the market amid poor sales, a setback for…
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Cell-Based News

Trumping America: Which Countries Stand to Win From Cultivated Meat Bans in the US?

Anay Mridul Jan 27, 2025

With Donald Trump having returned to office, 2025 could be a bumper year for cultivated meat bans in the US – here are the countries that could benefit from these policies. Within a day of returning to the presidency, Donald Trump…
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Green Business

Replace Animals with Plants: How Supermarkets Can Save Money and Hit Climate Targets

Anay Mridul Jan 24, 2025

Rebalancing protein offerings to support plant-based diets can help supermarkets reach their climate goals quickly and inexpensively. A plant-rich food system, more sustainable agricultural practices, and low food waste are the most…
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Coffee

Atomo Brews Up $7.8M Fundraise to Expand Café Collaborations with 50:50 Beanless Coffee Blend

Anay Mridul Jan 24, 2025

Seattle startup Atomo Coffee has raised $7.8M in Series B funding to ramp up sales of its 50:50 beanless coffee blend via international partnerships. A leader in the bean-free coffee space, Atomo has secured $7.8M from investors in its…
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Alt Protein

China Opens $11M Cultivated Meat Centre with Support From Local Govt & Businesses

Anay Mridul Jan 24, 2025

In Beijing's Fengtai District, the New Protein Food Science and Technology Innovation Base is aiming to fill the gap in China's cultivated meat and microbial protein ecosystem. China has just opened its first alternative protein…
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Health

In Latest Move Against Ultra-Processed Foods, Non-GMO Project to Launch Non-UPF Label

Anay Mridul Jan 23, 2025

The Non-GMO Project, one of the most well-known consumer verification bodies in the US, is rolling out a new label to help shoppers identify ultra-processed foods. The war against ultra-processed food (UPF) rages on, with a new…
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Policy & Regulation

130 Climate & Consumer Groups Urge EU to Create Plant-Based Diet Action Plan

Anay Mridul Jan 23, 2025

Over 130 organisations have written an open letter to the EU agrifood commissioner, imploring him to develop a plant-based action plan by next year. "The time for change is now." That was the consensus of the Strategic Dialogue on the…
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Cell-Based News

C-Label: Do We Need A Certification for Cultivated Meat?

Anay Mridul Jan 23, 2025

Swiss certification body V-Label has rolled out C-Label, a new accreditation for cell-based products like cultivated meat. But does the industry need it? To help consumers identify and understand how products like cultivated meat are…
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Alt Dairy

What Goes Into Animal-Free Mozzarella? US Startup Reveals Ahead of Launch

Anay Mridul Jan 22, 2025

San Francisco's New Culture has submitted the product label for its mozzarella – made from animal-free casein – for review to the state of California. As it gears up for commercialisation, precision fermentation player New Culture…
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Future Foods

Future Food Quick Bites: Plant-Based Lidl, House of Lords & Powdered Oat Milk

Anay Mridul Jan 22, 2025

Our weekly column rounds up the latest sustainable food innovation news. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Lidl's new plant-based range, a vegan workplace canteen, and the UK House of Lords's nod to cultivated meat. New products…
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Alt Protein

Germany’s Project Eaden Spins $15.6M in Series A Funding for Ultra-Realistic Pork-Free Ham

Anay Mridul Jan 22, 2025

German startup Project Eaden has secured €15M ($15.6M) in a Series A funding round to launch its fibre-spun whole-cut in retail, starting with REWE supermarkets nationwide. Using textile technology to modernise and futureproof the $35B…
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Cell-Based News

Move Over, Beef Tallow: Mosa Meat Files to Sell Cultivated Fat for Blended Meat in Europe

Anay Mridul Jan 22, 2025

Dutch startup Mosa Meat has filed a novel food regulatory application for its cultivated beef fat in the European Union. The maker of the world's first cultivated beef burger has applied for market authorisation in its home region. …
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Alt Protein

The Swiss Are Eating Less Meat, But Also Fewer Plant-Based Alternatives

Anay Mridul Jan 22, 2025

Consumers in Switzerland are reducing their meat consumption, but also buying fewer plant-based analogues, with vegetables and legumes taking precedence among flexitarians. The influence of health on food choices continues to increase…
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Alt Dairy

Funding Troubles: Dutch Plant-Based Cheese Startup Winds Down

Anay Mridul Jan 21, 2025

Willicroft, a plant-based startup that evolved from a decades-old dairy company, has shut down after failing to meet its fundraising goals. Dutch company Willicroft, famous for its bean-based vegan butter and cheese range, has wound…
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Food & Nutrition

These Alternative Food Coloring Startups Are Set To Win Big With FDA’s Ban on Red Dye No. 3

Anay Mridul Jan 21, 2025

The US Food and Drug Administration has banned Red Dye No. 3 after it was found to cause cancer in rats – a positive move for food safety, and alternative food coloring brands. Candy corn, gummy bears, cough syrups and vegan bacon…
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