Morning folks,

While my team took some time towards the end of July, I was busy working overtime on a new digital solution we’re unveiling at Green Queen next week. I can’t wait to share it with you (and the world).

By the time you read this, I will be sitting on a beach, ignoring my phone and taking a much-needed break. So instead of my usual commentary on the latest headlines, I’ve rounded up the best non-foodtech reads I’ve come across in the past month:

• Solar Success: I was so inspired by this excellent Bill McKibben interview by Heated’s Emily Atkins about the future of the climate movement and his upcoming book on rooftop solar. It made me quite hopeful in these very dark climate times. I realized while reading the piece that my knowledge on solar was out of date—the industry has moved on and McKibben, pretty much the OG climate journalist, dispels a fair few misconceptions (especially about battery mining and wattage) while highlighting exciting progress in places like Australia and Germany. For podcast lovers, the interview is available as audio, too.

• Goliath’s Curse: On a less hopeful note, I highly recommend this feature about Australian researcher Dr Luke Kemp and his new book Goliath’s Curse. Kemp, who works at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge, has analyzed 5,000 years of human civilization, including the rise and fall of over 400 societies. His verdict after seven years of study? We are headed towards societal collapse: “self-termination is most likely".” And not because of climate change. Instead, the culprit is wealth inequality. “People are fundamentally egalitarian but are led to collapses by enriched, status-obsessed elites. Today’s global civilisation, however, is deeply interconnected and unequal and could lead to the worst societal collapse yet.” I won’t give away too much more, but I’ve already added the book to my Kindle queue, and you should too.

• Wheat Cultures vs. Rice Cultures: I run a food tech media, and I majored in anthropology in college, so, unsurprisingly, food anthropology is one of my favourite niches. Which is why I was fascinated by Tomas Pueyo’s Uncharted Territories piece about the differences between cultures that farm rice and cultures that farm wheat to make bread. Turns out, this one detail has a range of societal and economic consequences. For example, rice cultures are far more community-minded because rice cannot be farmed without the help of neighbours, while wheat people are more individualistic and take far longer rest periods. For those short on time, here’s the LinkedIn TL;DR. Otherwise, dig into the full post, you won’t regret it.

-Sonalie

💡 Only On Green Queen

🇺🇸 Industry Insights: Former FDA Head Gives MAHA Blueprint to Regulate UPFs. What Does It Mean for Plant-Based Meat?
Ex-FDA commissioner Dr David Kessler has filed a citizen petition asking the agency to revoke the food safety status of processed refined carbohydrates, a move that both helps and challenges the MAHA movement. But what does this mean for plant-based meat?

🇪🇺 Opinion: Confidential by Default? The Transparency Dilemma in Europe’s Novel Foods System
Regulatory consultant Stephen O’Rourke argues why the EU’s current novel food regulation is slow, and what it can learn from competitors.

🤩 Exclusive: This Startup Has Created the World’s First Lab-Grown Leather Jewellery
US biotech startup Cultivated Biomaterials has created Angelry, a line of jewellery made with the cultivated leather from the cells of a sanctuary-grazing cow.

✅ Must-Read Headlines

☕️ Prefer, based in Singapore, raised $4.2 million to expand its fermentation-derived alternatives to coffee and cocoa globally.
💡As a marker of its expansion plans, Prefer has signed commercial deals for its beanless coffee with Ajinomoto in Thailand and CPG brand The Coffee Ferm in Australia and New Zealand.

💵 Californian biotech startup Geltor secured fresh funding to take its biodesigned polypeptides, including precision-fermented collagen, to new markets.
💡Although the amount raised is under wraps, co-founder and CEO Alexander Lorestani said the deal brought the firm’s total funding to $137 million.

🧖‍♀️ Singaporean cellular agriculture startup Umami Bioworks has launched Marine Radiance, a line of cell-cultured marine bioactives, for use in the personal care and nutraceutical industries - further expanding its portfolio beyond food.
💡Marine Radiance features regenerative compound PDRN, usually extracted from salmon sperm and a fast-growing ingredient used in skincare, wound healing, and regenerative medicine.

🌱 Plant-Powered News

🇦🇺 Australian plant-based meat firm v2food has acquired leading US vegan chicken maker Daring Foods for an undisclosed sum, as it sets its eyes on a US debut.
💡Already the number one plant-based meat company in Australia, v2food has also partnered with Japanese food giant Ajinomoto to develop next-gen food solutions for Asia and Africa.

🧀 US dairy leader Schuman Cheese and olive oil cheese producer Good Planet Foods have formed GPV Foods, a joint venture to meet the demand for improved non-dairy products.
💡The partnership comes amid middling retail performance for vegan cheese in the US; could it change the game?

📉 Beyond Meat posted another disappointing quarter with sales falling by nearly 20%, prompting the plant-based company to lay off 6% of its staff and refresh its identity.
💡The lowlight of Beyond Meat’s Q2 performance was US retail, where revenues plunged by nearly 27%, reflective of the wider decline in sales of plant-based meat in American supermarkets.

🍳 Eat Just’s market-leading vegan egg, Just Egg, finally debuted in the UK, with distribution handled by VFC parent Vegan Food Group. The rollout marks the product’s European debut, as well as its first foray outside North America. 

🧀 Californian startup Plantishh Bio unveiled what it claims is one of the world’s first lines of synbiotic plant-based cheeses—Paneer, Panela, Feta, and Queso Fresco—now featured in select Bay Area restaurants.

🍦 Tokyo-based startup Kinish launched The Rice Creamery, a new dairy-free ice cream brand that’s available in local retailers and earmarked for a US debut.

🗽 New York City’s three-Michelin-star eatery Eleven Madison Park has reintroduced meat to its menu, with chef-owner Daniel Humm saying the all-vegan menu wasn’t as profitable or welcoming.

🚀 Key Research & Consumer Insights

☕️ With plant-based milk now a mainstream option for coffee drinks, a team of researchers from South Korea’s Dongguk University analysed the sensory performance of various nut milks in search of the best latte. Here’s the winner.

❓ According to a new report by the EU-backed EIT Food Consumer Observatory, Europeans view meat in four overarching ways. And, for cultivated proteins to succeed, companies need to tap into consumers’ emotions.

👍🏼 Alternative proteins are a critical lever in the shift to a truly renewable food system, which is necessary to sustainably feed the rising global population, argues a new report from the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.

🐶 Scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Colorado-based startup Bond Pet Foods have discovered that recombinant chicken proteins brewed through precision fermentation provide a multitude of health benefits for dogs.

👎🏼 A new YouGov poll reveals that tofu is America’s fourth most-hated food. In fact, proteins, especially seafood, make up a majority of the top 10. Here’s what else they despise.

🥩 While health is the largest dietary driver for teens, 14% think eating meat is cool, compared to just 2% who say the same for vegan diets, according to a new Austrian study published in the Current Developments in Nutrition journal.

🤓 Not all ultra-processed foods are unhealthy, according to the American Heart Association, which calls for a nuanced categorisation of these products.

📊 In a new US study, scientists analysed dozens of papers to define a flexitarian diet and found that it differs greatly from national dietary guidelines.

🚀 Everything Else In Future Food

🌱 Bel Group has partnered with First Dates and Million Pound Menu star Fred Sirieix to prove how close vegan cheese is getting to dairy.

🇩🇪 German retail giant Rewe Group has set a ‘protein split’ goal in a new strategy, and calls for a national protein plan as part of six food policy demands.

🤖 Two MIT graduates have developed an AI-powered 3D printer that converts household food waste into functional objects like cup holders, coasters, and decorative items.

🌱🍔  Future Food Quick Bites 

In our weekly column, Future Food Quick Bites, we round up the latest news and developments in the alternative protein and sustainable food industry. This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Pamela Anderson’s vegan pickles, Oatly and Häagen-Dazs’s ice cream collab, and Actual Veggies’s Indian-inspired burger.

📆 Scene & Heard

SXSW 2025 Voting Is Live!

🌱 The plant-based protein movement is at a crossroads—some brands are doubling down on pure plant innovations, while others are embracing Balanced Proteins, combining meat and vegetables to meet taste and sustainability goals. Green Queen’s Sonalie Figueiras, Fable Foods’ Michael Fox, and Food System Innovations’ Tim Dale are heading to SXSW 2025 to talk about whether plant-forward options will remain niche or reach mainstream success, and they need your vote! You have until August 24th - cast your vote here!

🇪🇺The European Vegan Summit is happening 9th-11th September, where leaders of change from around the world will set new directions for politics, science and activism. Sign up here.

🇸🇬 The Bezos Centre and Enterprise Singapore are offering a new grant opportunity, which will offer startups a premier slot on stage at Singapore International Agri-Food Week and the opportunity to secure 150,000 SGD in cash. Find out more here.

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