Author

Anay Mridul 1279 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

European Research Funding for Alt-Protein Reached A Record High in 2023

Anay Mridul Nov 1, 2024

Research efforts for alternative proteins like plant-based and cultivated meat received €290M in funding last year, just as the number of studies on the topic proliferated. The only way for alternative proteins to reach the mainstream…
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Climate Change

Leading By Example: Brits Willing to Take Climate Action If Politicians & Celebrities Do So First

Anay Mridul Oct 31, 2024

A new study has revealed that UK consumers are more likely to curb their carbon footprint if they see their leaders take climate action. Politicians, business leaders and celebrities could be the "missing link" to public climate action,…
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Fermentation-Based Alt Protein

Enifer Eyes Novel Food Approval for Mycoprotein in EU, Singapore & Other Markets

Anay Mridul Oct 31, 2024

Finnish startup Enifer has filed for novel food approval in the EU for its Pekilo mycoprotein, and is planning applications in Singapore, the US, and the UK. Months after closing a Series B funding round and securing loans for a new…
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Alt Dairy

At Long Last, Non-Dairy Milk is Free at Starbucks As New CEO Looks to Turn A New Leaf

Anay Mridul Oct 31, 2024

Coinciding with the holiday season, Starbucks has permanently scrapped its surcharge for dairy-free milks like oat and almond in the US and Canada. Starbucks has announced that it is removing the infamous non-dairy surcharge from its…
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Climate Change

‘Suspicious’ Social Media Accounts Are Promoting Azerbaijan In Face of Criticism Ahead of COP29

Anay Mridul Oct 31, 2024

As COP29 approaches, an investigation has found dozens of "suspicious", likely fake accounts on X that are promoting Azerbaijan, the heavily criticised host of the UN climate summit. Two weeks before world leaders convene in Baku for…
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Policy & Regulation

Scientists Spark Debate After Proposing Less Red Meat, More Plant Protein in Next US Dietary Guidelines

Anay Mridul Oct 30, 2024

Americans should eat less red meat and more plant-based protein, according to scientists advising the US government on its upcoming update of dietary guidelines. If you follow the EAT-Lancet Commission's Planetary Health Diet, you'd…
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Alt Protein

Oddlygood Snaps Up Alt-Milk Maker to Put Plant-Based Portfolio in Rude Health

Anay Mridul Oct 30, 2024

Finnish vegan company Oddlygood, a spin-off of dairy giant Valio, has acquired British plant-based milk brand Rude Health. One of the UK's most well-known brands in the vegan space, Rude Health, has been bought by Oddlygood, the Finnish…
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Future Foods

Future Food Quick Bites: Yelp’s Best Vegan Restaurants, Alt-Milk Launches & Fermentation Wins

Anay Mridul Oct 30, 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 Beyond Meat's European exploits, a big week for plant-based milk in the…
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Climate Change

Ahead of Election Day, 85% of Young Americans Are Worried About Climate Change

Anay Mridul Oct 30, 2024 0

A majority of Gen Z Americans are concerned about the climate crisis, highlighting the importance of the issue on the ballot this year. Two weeks from now, we'll likely know who the next president of the US will be. One of the major…
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Alt Dairy

Love Island Host Maya Jama Joins Swedish Pea Milk Brand Sproud as Investor

Anay Mridul Oct 29, 2024

British TV presenter Maya Jama has become an investor and co-owner of Swedish pea milk innovator Sproud to drive its global expansion. Maya Jama, host of ITV's ultra-popular show Love Island, has invested in Sproud, the Malmö-based…
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Policy & Regulation

Two in Five People Support Rationing of Meat & Fuel to Fight Climate Change

Anay Mridul Oct 29, 2024

Around 40% of consumers back measures like rationing and taxing high-impact commodities like meat and fuel to address the climate crisis. Over the years, a slew of studies have floated the idea of a carbon tax on things like fossil…
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Green Business

If Universities Went Vegan, They Could Save As Much As £1.4M in Catering Costs & Cut Emissions by 80%

Anay Mridul Oct 29, 2024

UK universities could benefit from massive cost and emissions savings if they switched to 100% plant-based catering, a new study has found. If British universities transitioned to a fully vegan catering menu, they could save up to £1.5M…
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Climate Change

WHO Backs European Network to Train Medical Students on Diseases Linked to Climate Change

Anay Mridul Oct 28, 2024

A group of European universities have formed a network to train medical students on dealing with the health and disease impacts of climate change. In Europe, 408,000 people die every year from extreme temperatures. But given the pace of…
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Seafood

Cultivated Fish Producer Courts Seafood Industry with Pathogen Detection Tool

Anay Mridul Oct 28, 2024

Singapore's Umami Bioworks, which is working on commercialising cultivated fish products, has launched a pathogen detection tool for the seafood industry. Here's why. Umami Bioworks, a pioneer in the cultivated seafood world, is taking…
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Vegan

Mr Charlie’s: Mike Tyson, Ric Flair Invest in ‘Vegan McDonald’s’ to Fuel Expansion

Anay Mridul Oct 28, 2024

Los Angeles-based vegan fast food chain Mr Charlie's has secured an investment from Carma HoldCo, parent company of sports legends Mike Tyson and Ric Flair's brands. Mr Charlie's Told Me So, home of the McDonald's-spoofing vegan Frowny…
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Alt Protein

Chunk Foods Brings Whole-Cut Steak to US Supermarkets

Anay Mridul Oct 25, 2024

US food tech startup Chunk Foods is rolling out its whole-cut vegan steak products at independent retailers, before a wider launch in 2025. Chunk Foods, which makes plant-based steak products that replicate the whole muscle structure of…
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Zero Waste

Are US State Bans on Food Waste Really Not Working?

Anay Mridul Oct 25, 2024

Several US states have introduced food waste bans. But of the first five, only one state's approach has worked, according to one study. But there's more than meets the eye. To curb the US's gnawing food waste problem, a number of states…
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Cell-Based News

EU Commission & Member States Call Hungary’s Proposed Cultivated Meat Ban ‘Unjustified’

Anay Mridul Oct 25, 2024

In a detailed opinion, the EU Commission has rejected the evidence provided by Hungary to justify banning cultivated meat, alongside a number of other member states. At the EU’s Agriculture and Fisheries (Agrifish) Council meeting in…
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Alt Protein

In Europe, Sales of Plant-Based Meat & Dairy Grew by 6% – But Price Parity Holds the Key

Anay Mridul Oct 24, 2024

Despite the industry's headwinds, retail sales of plant-based food in six major European markets increased by 5.5%, and lower prices can help bring a windfall for companies in this space. There have been a few too many doomsday-like…
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Future Foods

MeliBio Bags Pre-Series A Investment to Expand Bee-Free Mellody Honey

Anay Mridul Oct 24, 2024

Californian food tech startup MeliBio has secured a "strategic investment" as part of a pre-Series A round to accelerate the growth of its vegan honey. As it makes inroads on its precision-fermented honey, San Francisco-based MeliBio…
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Vegan

Health is ‘Main Reason’ Americans Eat Plant-Based Meat Now – Cheaper, Tastier Products Are Key for Growth

Anay Mridul Oct 24, 2024

Americans are attracted to meat analogues mainly for their health benefits, but to overcome the sales slump, plant-based companies must offer better-tasting and cheaper products. The health halo created by meat producers is fluttering.…
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