Green Queen Media

🥡 JUST EAT TRIALS PLASTIC-FREE PACKAGING FOR NON-TOXIC FOOD DELIVERIES In addition to its partnership with seaweed packaging maker Notpla, Just Eat Takeaway.com has collaborated with another British sustainable packaging startup for its newest plastic-free move, this time in Germany. Lieferando, as the platform is known in Germany, has teamed up with British eco materials innovation startup Xampla and Finnish packaging giant Huhtamaki to trial plastic-free takeaway boxes in the country. They’re lined with Morro, Xampla’s proprietary coating, a plastic-free, PFAS-free, 100% biobased alternative made from natural plant polymers. It means Lieferando’s 41,000 restaurant partners can now order the sustainable packaging on its partner webshop. “Morro Coating is designed to seamlessly integrate into existing packaging processes, offering a powerful alternative to plastic. Together, we are setting a new standard for environmentally responsible food packaging,” said Xampla CEO Alexandra French. Founded by Simon Hombersley, Tuomas Knowles and Marc Rodríguez Garcia, Xampla spun out from University of Cambridge in 2018, and has raised $17.6M to date. Apart from the coating, it makes edible and soluble films, as well as microcapsules for fragrances and active ingredients, all under the Morro brand. “We are committed to making responsible choices that not only benefit our partners and consumers, but also contribute positively to the planet, and we’re looking forward to working with Xampla to encourage more partners to adopt plastic-free packaging,” said Jaz Rabadia MBE, global sustainability head at Just Eat Takeaway, which will soon be acquired by South African investment group Prosus for $4.2B. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dbnCteAP #GreenQueen #sustainability #ecopackaging #altmaterials #circulareconomy #innovation #climatechange #emissions

🌱🍗 TINDLE FOODS BETS ON 'CAPITAL PRESERVATION' AMID PLANT-BASED SLOWDOWN For plant-based meat companies, the macroeconomic challenges that come with global tariffs are only compounded by investors’ resistance to the category and consumer criticism over ultra-processing. “The main thing we’re advising founders is to stay focused on what they can control, which is to keep burn in check and extend runway,” one investor told Green Queen last week. It seems like Timo Recker, co-founder and CEO of plant-based food startup TiNDLE Foods, is listening. “Our current priority is on capital preservation and with that, having a clear focus on the growth of our current product portfolio,” he says. He’s responding to a question about the barista oat milk that TiNDLE Foods showcased last year, a product that is currently not on the top of the priority list. “Our long-term goal is still to accelerate the adoption of more sustainable, plant-based foods all over the world, so we remain focused on growing the business and bringing more customers to the category,” he says. Recker is speaking to Green Queen after TiNDLE Foods launched its vegan chicken in over 500 Kroger family stores in the US, marking a ninefold increase in its retail presence stateside over the last 12 months. “We were in about 150 grocery stores this time last year, mainly in the Midwest and the Northeast. Today, that coverage spans multiple regions,” he says. “Our footprint today stands at over 1,300 grocery stores, nationwide delivery offerings through e-commerce partners like Hungryroot and Vegan Essentials, and hundreds of foodservice outlets – and that number continues to steadily grow.” He adds: “Some of our newest retailers as part of the Kroger Family of Stores [are] located in areas like the Pacific Northwest and California, where we previously only had a foodservice presence.” Reada the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/eGfYmsBB #GreenQueen #interview #altprotein #plantbased #foodsystems #sustainability #foodtech

🇺🇸⚖️ INVESTORS TO FOOD TECH FOUNDERS ON TARIFFS: DON’T PANIC, BUT BE PARANOID It’s only mid-April, but ‘tariff’ could already be the word of the year come the end of 2025. What began as a campaign promise has quickly turned into global turmoil, as US President Donald Trump levies taxes on most foreign goods, threatening widespread price hikes for consumers and possibly fatal disruptions for many businesses. The food tech sector faces threats from several areas. Tariffs on everything from raw materials and produce to equipment are likely to result in greater costs for businesses, which would likely pass that on to the consumer. The unprecedented tariff war has quickly and alarmingly escalated this week, with each country upping their tariffs in retaliation. As things stand, goods imported from China will be charged a 125% tax in the US, while China’s rate for American imports stands at 84%. Nothing is certain, and the market volatility is bad news for the food tech sector. Venture capitalists have been cooling on food tech investments over the last few years, and there are fears that the tariffs would drive them further away. VCs have highlighted how the trade war between the US and these countries is likely to lower valuations, decrease exits, and give investors pause in terms of deployment – and this would cause a ripple effect on the food tech ecosystem, too. So what’s the best course to chart for startup founders in the food tech ecosystem? Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e-kWwG4T Matteo Leonardi, Grey Silo Ventures Adam Bergman, EcoTech Capital Heather Courtney, Alwyn Capital Nadav Berger, PeakBridge Steve Simitzis, Solvable Syndicate Seth Bannon, Fifty Years #GreenQueen #foodtech #foodsystems #altprotein #futurefood

🇪🇸📣🌍 Heura Foods just brought the heat to Spanish Parliament! Bernat Ananos Martinez spoke before the Congreso de los Diputados, calling for food policies that prioritise plants, sustainability, and innovation in Spain’s future. 🌱 Visit our website to discover more sustainable innovation: https://lnkd.in/eqEx5DT #GreenQueen #sustainability #foodsystems #futurefood #altprotein #innovation #foodtech

🇬🇧🔬🥩 From growth to game-changing meat! Gail Francis, former Naylor Nutrition growth lead, is now VP of Commercial at Ivy Farm Technologies, one of the UK’s top cultivated beef startups. 🌱 Visit our website to discover more sustainable innovation: https://lnkd.in/eqEx5DT #GreenQueen #sustainability #foodsystems #futurefood #altprotein #innovation #foodtech

🌊🐟 BettaFish and Hooked Foods are making waves! Through EIT Food’s Fast Track to Market Initiative, these vegan seafood pioneers are receiving €248K and €221K to roll out ready-to-eat seafood products and high protein ingredients across Europe. 🌱 Visit our website to discover more sustainable innovation: https://lnkd.in/eqEx5DT #GreenQueen #sustainability #foodsystems #futurefood #altprotein #innovation #foodtech

📺🥩 Mission Barns takes cultivated pork to CBS! With its FDA greenlight secured, Mission Barns went live on national TV to share the vision for its cultivated pork fat and what it means for the future of food. 🌱 Visit our website to discover more sustainable innovation: https://lnkd.in/eqEx5DT #GreenQueen #sustainability #foodsystems #futurefood #altprotein #innovation #foodtech

✅ Cultivated Meat Gets Regulatory Nod in Australia & NZ - that and more inside Green Queen Media's #FutureFoodWeekly 🇦🇺 Vow Gets FSANZ Regulatory Approval in Australia & New Zealand 🐟 Plant-Based Seafood Has A ‘Comms Problem’, Says Revo Foods CEO Robin Simsa 💵 How Nourish Ingredients Is Reshaping Future Food Economics 😋 Expo West 2025 Tried & Tasted: Our Favourite Future Food Eats Future FoodsAlt DairyAlt Protein 💰 5 Minutes with A Future Food VC: Grey Silo Ventures’ Matteo Leonardi ❓ The Banana Benchmark: Can ‘Equivalency’ Carbon Labels Help Us Make Better Food Choices? 🇸🇪 EU Grants €50M Loan for Lantmännen to Build Pea Protein Factory for Meat Alternatives 🇨🇳 Exclusive: CellX Debuts World’s First Morel Mycelium Jerky with New US Brand Mourish 🥕 Actual Veggies’s Veggie Burger Displaces ‘Legacy’ Brand at Fortune 100 Cafeterias 🇸🇬 TurtleTree Debuts Lactoferrin Supplement to Boost Iron Regulation ☕️ Zero Sugar, 5g Protein: The EVERY Company's Sustainable Syrup Pumps Up the Macros in Your Daily Latte 🇯🇵 IntegriCulture Showcases Cultivated Duck Products for Restaurants & Supermarkets 🇨🇭 Cosaic's ‘Natural’ Emulsifier Contains Fermented Yeast – And Nothing Else 🌱 Heura Foods & SWAP Food Say Collaboration – Not Competition – Is the Future of Plant-Based Mea 👩🏻💻 Could Extended Reality Be A Silver Bullet for Plant-Based Meat? 🇺🇸 Milk Aisle Consensus: Democrats & Republicans Unite in Push for Non-Dairy Options in Schools 🥛 Understanding ‘Switching Potential: Better Taste & Access Could Unlock Thirst for Plant-Based Dairy 🇧🇷 Brazilians Cool on Beef as Health Risks Take Precedence Read the full version here: https://lnkd.in/egnFeDmu #GreenQueen #altprotein #futurefoods #cultivatedmeat #innovation #sustainability #climatechange -------- Want to see more posts like this? Hit the 🔔 button on our profile so you don't miss any updates. Or subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest in alt protein and sustainability: https://lnkd.in/eG25dcNw

🏥🥗 SODEXO EXPANDS PLANT-BASED MEALS PROGRAMME TO 400 U.S. HOSPITALS To help Americans stay healthier, spend less money, and be kinder to the planet, Sodexo is expanding its plant-heavy menus across all US hospitals it caters to. To do so, it’s diversifying its partnership with Greener by Default, a behavioural choice agency that advocates for menus that prioritise plant-based food over animal options. The expansion builds on the success of their campaign with NYC Health + Hospitals, which rolled out its ‘plant-based by default’ scheme at all 11 public hospitals in the city to great success. That initiative has served over two million patients since its 2022 launch, with a 90% satisfaction rate. Sodexo’s menus position vegan meals as the default option for one meal per day at 131 hospitals already, but this will now be extended to an additional 200 hospitals this year, and bring the total to 400 by 2026. “Our collaboration with Greener by Default is driven by our shared goal to advance and promote plant-based dining in hospitals across the US through effective choices,” said Molly Matthews, MBA, FACHE, CEO of Sodexo’s healthcare and seniors divisions. “The continued success of patient menus that position plant-based options as the default demonstrates how small, cost-effective shifts can have an outsized impact, while still preserving freedom of choice for diners and ensuring their access to nutritious, sustainable foods that don’t compromise on taste,” said Greener by Default co-founder and CEO Katie Cantrell. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eN9bggwB #GreenQueen #health #nutrition #plantbased #vegan #altprotein #futurefood #sustainability

🇰🇷🍇 INVESTORS BET $9M ON KOREAN STARTUP’S PRECISION-FERMENTED GRAPE YEAST PROTEINS Seoul-based food tech leader INTAKE is expanding its alternative protein portfolio to include precision fermentation, raising ₩13.5B ($9.2M) in its latest funding round to advance this effort. The parent company of plant-based meat maker Innocent and sugar-free konjac jelly brand Sugarlolo, Intake has developed a yeast strain from locally grown grapes with 1.5 times higher protein than conventional yeast, designed to replace whey protein. It’s also working on recombinant meat and egg proteins. The Series C round was led by CJ Investment Inc., HB Investments, Woori Venture Partners US, KDB Industrial Bank Capital, J CURVE INVESTMENTS, and Wonik Investment Partners, and takes its total raised to $20M. “As consumer interest in healthy eating habits continues to rise, industry attention toward advanced alternative food technologies is surging,” said Kim Hyun-kyu, a senior analyst at CJ Investment. “Intake, led by food science entrepreneurs from Seoul National University, has successfully developed patented alternative food ingredients and commercialised them.” Intake’s whey protein replacer is currently in its early commercialisation phase, but the company has its sights set on the North American market for 2026, given “it is the largest and most advanced market in the whey-related protein segment”. It will use the Series C funds to supercharge this effort, with a focus on accelerating the R&D and global infrastructure expansion specifically for the microbial protein business. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eHRbp-ST #GreenQueen #altprotein #precisionfermentation #futurefood #foodtech #foodinnovation