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

Tofu, Tempeh & Alt-Milk Take the Reins As UK Sales of Plant-Based Meat Slide

Anay Mridul Dec 24, 2024

Brits are buying fewer meat alternatives out of a fear of ultra-processing, which has made traditional proteins like tofu and tempeh the darlings of the UK plant-based industry. In March, the UK's biggest supermarket made a prediction…
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Alt Protein

Climate Tech Startup Absorbs $5.2M for Sunlight-Fed ‘Carbon-Negative’ Proteins

Anay Mridul Dec 24, 2024

Arborea has closed a €5M ($5.2M) investment round to build a facility for its Biosolar Leaf system, which industrialises photosynthesis to create high-value microalgae proteins. Anglo-Portuguese startup Arborea is building a…
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Food & Nutrition

FDA Updates Criteria for ‘Healthy’ Claim on Food Labels to Help America Eat Better

Anay Mridul Dec 24, 2024

The US Food and Drug Administration has updated the labelling requirements for companies to market their foods as 'healthy' for the first time in 30 years. To combat the "ever-growing epidemic of preventable diet-related chronic…
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Consumer Trends & Insights

Legumes Take Centre Stage in France, Where Rising Prices & Nutrition Concerns Drive Dietary Change

Anay Mridul Dec 23, 2024

French consumers are eating more legumes, vegetables, and vegan meat and dairy – but concerns about prices and health are major barriers to the latter. Veggie burgers have been at the centre of a fierce debate in France, where…
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Alt Protein

Loma Linda Maker Pulls Out of Acquisition Deal with Above Food, Citing Inflation & Covid-19 Disruptions

Anay Mridul Dec 23, 2024

Atlantic Natural Foods, the parent company of Loma Linda and Tuno, has terminated an agreement to be acquired by fellow plant protein maker Above Food. Three years after first announcing the deal, Canadian plant-based ingredients…
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Fermentation-Based Alt Protein

EU-Funded Project to Create Upcycled, Whole-Food Plant-Based Meat to Take on UPFs

Anay Mridul Dec 23, 2024

Sustain-a-bite, a project funded by the EU and Switzerland, aims to develop minimally processed plant-based products from whole grains and food waste. As ultra-processed food (UPF) takes over people's apprehension about the way they…
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Vegan

Why the Portugal Government Voted to Create A National Plant-Based Strategy

Anay Mridul Dec 21, 2024

The Portuguese government has committed to developing a national plant-based action plan as part of its climate strategy. Here's how it happened. Already considered one of the most vegan-friendly countries in the world, Portugal is…
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Future Foods

Ingredients Giant Tate & Lyle Strikes Deal to Develop Next-Gen Plant-Based Sweeteners

Anay Mridul Dec 20, 2024

Tate & Lyle has collaborated with BioHarvest Sciences to develop plant-based sweeteners that are better for human and planetary health. British ingredients giant Tate & Lyle – which manufactures the sugar substitute Splenda –…
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Fermentation-Based Alt Protein

Onego Bio Files GRAS Notice to FDA to Sell Animal-Free Egg Protein in US

Anay Mridul Dec 20, 2024

Finnish food tech startup Onego Bio has submitted a formal notice to the FDA, asserting the safety of Bioalbumen, its precision-fermented egg protein. Onego Bio is targeting the US as the first market for its recombinant egg protein,…
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Vegan

Vegans More Likely to Face Contempt & Harm Than Meat-Eaters – How Should Brands Respond?

Anay Mridul Dec 20, 2024

A new study shows that meat-eaters recognise that vegans are health- and environmentally conscious, but also view them with fear and contempt. There seems to be a sort of emotional rivalry between people who eat meat and those who…
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Vegan

Grace Dent: ‘Part-Time’ Vegan Food Critic Replaces Gregg Wallace on Celebrity MasterChef

Anay Mridul Dec 19, 2024

Grace Dent, the Guardian food critic who describes herself as mostly vegan, will replace Gregg Wallace on Celebrity MasterChef UK. MasterChef is getting its first vegan judge – almost. Food critic Grace Dent is replacing long-time…
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Alt Dairy

Oatly Shuts Singapore Factory As Part of Asset-Light Strategy, Affecting A Total of 59 Employees

Anay Mridul Dec 19, 2024

Swedish oat milk giant Oatly has announced the closure of its production facility in Singapore, a move that will see a total of 59 workers laid off. In its latest move to streamline operations and reach profitability, Oatly has…
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Alt Dairy

All G Achieves Self-Affirmed GRAS Status for Animal-Free Lactoferrin in US

Anay Mridul Dec 19, 2024

Australian biotech startup All G has received a second regulatory approval for its precison-fermented bovine lactoferrin in a month – this time in the US. Just weeks after becoming the first company to be cleared to sell cow-free…
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Climate Change

Climate, Food, Health & Economic Crises Are Interlinked – What’s the Best Path Forward?

Anay Mridul Dec 19, 2024

A major UN report calls out governments for ignoring the connections between biodiversity, water, food, health and climate change – and suggests how best to address these crises. Environmental, social and economic crises like…
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Alt Materials

These 8 Fashion Tech Material Startups Are Futureproofing Textiles

Anay Mridul Dec 18, 2024

As awareness about the environmental and welfare detriments of the textile industry grows, a new crop of startups is developing novel alternatives to change the way we dress and live. If things continue the way they are, the fashion…
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Climate Change

Australia & UK Lead Climate Arrests As Governments Use Anti-Terror Laws to Curb Protests

Anay Mridul Dec 18, 2024

Crackdowns on climate activists have increased alarmingly over the last decade, with Australia and the UK arresting protestors three times more than the global average. As climate protests become more frequent amid a lack of action by…
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Future Foods

Swiss Startup Brews $10M in Funding to Repurpose Dairy Factory for Beer Waste Protein

Anay Mridul Dec 18, 2024

Switzerland's Yeastup has closed a $9.9M Series A round to turn a dairy factory into one that produces proteins and functional ingredients from spent brewer's yeast. Turning beer industry waste into high-value ingredients, Swiss startup…
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Future Foods

Future Food Quick Bites: Beyond Smash, Santa Loves Oatly & Vegfest Vietnam

Anay Mridul Dec 18, 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 two Beyond Meat debuts in the UK, Oatly's Christmas-themed ad campaign,…
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Climate Change

Despite Rise in Global Climate Finance, the Food System’s Share Falls to Just 2.5%

Anay Mridul Dec 18, 2024

While public climate finance increased between 2017 and 2022, the amount flowing to food and agriculture declined during this time. There's a critical gap between the money the food system needs to safeguard itself from the climate…
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Alt Dairy

Latest Breakthrough Brings Animal-Free Mozzarella Maker Closer to Price Parity with Dairy

Anay Mridul Dec 17, 2024

New Culture now needs much less animal-free casein to produce its mozzarella compared to conventional cheese, a critical step in its path to match the price of dairy. Californian startup New Culture has achieved a significant cost…
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Health

Conagra Rolls Out ‘GLP-1 Friendly’ Labels on Food Packaging to Attract Ozempic Users

Anay Mridul Dec 17, 2024

Conagra Brands will introduce an On Track label on some of its Healthy Choice ready meals to cater to users of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic. Will a 'GLP-1 Friendly' packaging label convince you to buy a product? That's what Conagra…
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