Anay Mridul

London

Vegan Food Writer and Journalist at Freelance

Reporter, @GreenQueenHK. Coffeephile. Sheerio. Red Army. Vegan. Journo. Words: @observer, @CNBCTV18Live, @caffeinemag, @NewFoodMag, @FoodMattersLive, etc.

Articles

This Brazilian Startup Is Taking on Amazon Deforestation with Nut Milk

1 week ago | greenqueen.com.hk | Anay Mridul

4 Mins ReadBased in São Paulo, food tech startup Cuíca has introduced a whole chestnut milk that puts the Amazon rainforest and its communities at the heart of its existence. The Amazon, one of the world’s most heavily deforested areas, is quickly approaching a tipping point – research suggests that up to half of the biome could pass that threshold by 2050, thanks to excessive water distress, land clearance and climate disruption.
What Do 2025's Investment Trends So Far Tell Us About Alternative Proteins?

1 week ago | greenqueen.com.hk | Anay Mridul

8 Mins ReadThere’s no other way to put it: 2024 was a bleak year for food tech. Post-Covid geopolitical tensions and higher living costs continued to threaten both shoppers’ wallets and investor sentiment, and startups aiming to futureproof the food system bore the brunt of the impact. It hasn’t gotten any easier, with 2025 bringing its own set of headwinds.
More Plants, Better Seafood: Novotel Debuts Climate-Conscious Menus at All 600 Hotels

1 week ago | greenqueen.com.hk | Anay Mridul

5 Mins ReadOne of the world’s largest hotel chains has made two major climate commitments that will clean up its food supply and help lower its guests’ dietary footprints. Novotel, part of the Accor Group, has unveiled a Plant-Forward goal across its 600 hotels worldwide. Under this ambition, it will make at least a quarter of the dishes on all menus meat-free by 2026. Currently, nearly two in five of its hotels dedicate 25% or more of their menus to plant-forward options.
While Plant-Based Meat Sales Are Faltering, Blended Proteins Are Back in Vogue

1 week ago | greenqueen.com.hk | Anay Mridul

5 Mins ReadAs part of its move towards shifting protein sales in favour of plants, Aldi Nord has quietly released a blended meat burger in its Dutch locations. The discount supermarket’s newest burger contains 60% beef and 40% plant-based ingredients, and it is clearly labelled as a product blending animal and plant proteins. The product is priced at €2.50 per 300g pack, or €8.33 per kg.
5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Thia Ventures’s Mirasbek Kuterbekov

1 week ago | greenqueen.com.hk | Anay Mridul

2 Mins ReadI see huge potential in abiotic technologies such as cell-free manufacturing and chemical synthesis to unlock much better unit economics, beyond what is currently achievable with fermentation or cultivation. The broader category of food as health, which encompasses several verticals from healthier ingredients to supplements, is top of mind for us.
Meatly 'Proves Critics Wrong' with Dramatic Cost Reductions for Lab-Grown Meat

1 week ago | greenqueen.com.hk | Anay Mridul

6 Mins ReadFood tech innovators are continuing to make advancements that close the price gap between cultivated meat and conventional animal proteins. In the UK, Meatly has made waves over the last year after becoming the first company to be approved to sell cultivated meat in Europe, debuting cultivated treats for dogs on shelves in February. That limited-edition, co-branded product – titled Chick Bites – was priced at £3.49 per 50g pouch – or £69.80 per kg.
Why Are Politicians Banning Cultivated Meat? This New Study Gives A Hint

1 week ago | greenqueen.com.hk | Anay Mridul

6 Mins ReadOne country and six US states have so far passed laws that prohibit companies from making or selling cultivated meat within their boundaries. For Italy, the reason behind the ban was a threat to its cultural identity. For policymakers in the US, while the arguments often touch upon food safety concerns, more often than not, they are tied to the same theme: protecting the ranchers. Take Nebraska, the latest state to join the list.
Cultivated Meat for $3.40 Per Pound? Gourmey Explains How Ahead of Singapore Approval

1 week ago | greenqueen.com.hk | Anay Mridul

6 Mins ReadWhen you remove the politics of it all, people aren’t as resistant to cultivated meat as some would have you believe. In a 16-country survey last year, support for the sale of these foods – if they pass regulatory assessments – ranged from 48-69% in Europe. Those who backed a ban on cultivated meat, meanwhile, were largely in the minority. One of the most influential barriers to any potential intake of cultivated meat isn’t cultural, as Italy’s ban seems to suggest.
Milow's Planet-Friendly Solution to Beef & UPFs? Oats, Mycelium & Lego

1 week ago | greenqueen.com.hk | Anay Mridul

6 Mins ReadA result of three decades of research on mycelium, Millow is gearing up for prime time with a future-friendly protein that sits somewhere between tempeh and meat analogues, and is not shy of challenging beef. The Gothenburg‑based startup is repurposing an old Lego production hall to scale up production to industrial levels, backed by a €2.5M grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC).
Future Food Quick Bites: Quorn x Tom Cruise, Impossible Chicken & Cultivated Meat at Indy 500

1 week ago | greenqueen.com.hk | Anay Mridul

5 Mins ReadMycoprotein pioneer Quorn has launched a summer marketing campaign with Paramount Pictures to align with the launch of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. The brand hired a Tom Cruise lookalike to sign autographs in London’s West End while eating its Cocktail Sausages, and also has a Mission Snack Swap ad campaign featuring its farm animal puppets.