Hi Folks,

I’m at the Dubai Future Forum, the largest global gathering of futurists, where my mind is being blown by all the insights, ideas and visions I am surrounded with so I don’t have any insights of my own. But, as we now have more visibility over Donald Trump’s cabinet picks (RFK Jr is in!), here are five good reads from other outlets:

• Grist reports that Trump’s win has decimated any chance of meaningful progress for food and agriculture talks at COP29.

• The Atlantic argues RFK Jr’s nomination could erode trust in public health whether or not he gets confirmed.

• They also provide a good overview of how Trump’s presidency could result in higher food prices across the board, despite his promises to the contrary.

• Civil Eats has compiled responses to Trump’s second term from leading voices in the food movement.

• The newsletter HEATED analyzed climate statements from every one of Trump’s nominees, and it’s terrifying, even his so-called moderate EPA pick.

Until next time,

Sonalie

🇭🇰 Vow Becomes First Company To Launch Cultivated Meat In Hong Kong

Australian cultivated meat startup Vow has received regulatory approval in Hong Kong, where it will debut cultured foie gras at the Mandarin Oriental.

• Vow is the first cultivated meat startup to sell multiple products across multiple markets, following its entry into Singapore six months ago.

• The Singapore approval helped to seal Hong Kong's decision to greenlight Vow's product; this type of collaborative effort is likely to be key to the future of the industry. 

• Its Forged Gras is made with 51% cultured quail blended with ingredients including vegetable and herb-infused coconut oil, sunflower oil, and fava bean protein.

• This marks the fourth regulatory approval for cultivated meat this year. None of these have been in the US, and the country’s impending change in leadership could mean that future food companies begin focusing elsewhere.

💡 Only on Green Queen

❓Roundup: COP29 Digest
Our popular Green Queen COP29 Digest is back, though this year, it’s not daily because the whole thing is a much more subdued event. Our editorial team curates the must-reads, the must-bookmarks and the must-knows from around the interwebs to help you ‘skim the overwhelm’. Catch up: Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3.

🌱 Deep Dive: Why the Internet’s Most Famous Vegan Influencer Invested in A Plant-Based Salmon Startup
Danielle Brown, the face behind HealthyGirl Kitchen, tells Green Queen why she chose to invest in vegan seafood company Oshi.

🌏 Partner Content: Q&A with ADM’s Ana Yaluff
ADM’s Director of Sustainability, Ana Yaluff, talks to Green Queen about working towards a more sustainable food and ag value chain in Asia Pacific. Here’s what she had to say.

📈 Must-Read Headlines

🌱 California’s Plantible Foods secured $30 million Series B funding to expand production of its duckweed-derived Rubi Protein.
💡Rubi Protein is an off-white and odourless protein that can grow anywhere in the world and contains all nine essential amino acids. 

💰 Artificial intelligence startup Shiru raised $16 million Series B funding to broaden its ingredient portfolio and expand its protein discovery marketplace.
💡The company has initiated partnerships with several global leaders, and its protein discovery platform was last month named by Time Magazine as one of 2024’s Best Inventions. 

🇦🇺 Canberra-based Nourish Ingredients is partnering with Chinese fermentation specialist Cabio Biotech to produce and distribute its precision-fermented fat alternative.
💡The partnership will enable global-scale production, and will open the China door for Nourish Ingredients.

🇪🇺 Impossible Foods has received a positive safety assessment from the European Food Safety Authority for its genetically modified heme ingredient.
This marks a major milestone for the company’s long road towards entering the EU market.

🧫 Japanese startup Integriculture has launched a cultivated meat starter kit for startups and researchers to help drive innovation and accelerate R&D in the sector.
💡Limited material access and proprietary secrecy have historically hindered entry into the industry; this product helps to democratise it and level the playing field.

👎🏼 The world’s richest man and Donald Trump’s “first friend”, Elon Musk, has disregarded the impact of beef on climate change, hinting at a red meat renaissance in the US.
💡Musk may be seen by some as a climate warrior for his work on electric vehicles through Tesla, but his assertion that you can eat “as much meat as you want” is inaccurate and dangerous.

🧫 Hot Topic: Cultivated Pet Food

🐶 In feeding trials, half of dogs fed Meatly’s cultivated chicken kept licking the bowl after finishing, and a majority enjoyed it more than their regular diet - a positive sign as the startup heads towards its market launch.

📈 Pet food made with cultivated meat instead of beef fares far better for the planet and its resources, according to a new life-cycle assessment from Bene Meat Technologies.

🧫 Everything Else In Future Food

🍰 Swedish oat milk giant Oatly has teamed up with British rapper Giggs for a limited-edition drop of dairy-free cake and custard kits, highlighting his love for the brand’s hard-to-find vanilla custard.

🍗 Israeli startup SuperMeat reveals how it can cut production costs of its cultivated chicken to under $12 per pound, on par with conventional poultry.

💻 Scientists at Stanford University are using AI to deliver data that they say can speed up the development of better vegan meat alternatives.

🥛 Industry giant DSM-Firmenich has developed two flavour innovations that mask off-notes and replicate the creamy taste and texture of milk in plant-based alternatives, to help bridge the plant-based dairy gap.

📊 Researchers at New York University’s Department of Environmental Studies suggest that, if rich countries make small reductions in meat production, the climate benefits would be massive.

🆕 New Newsletters: have you signed up YET? 🆕

Green Queen Gulf is a new monthly industry newsletter spotlighting the Gulf region’s agrifood innovation. Expect the same insight and curation you love from our team with a new geographical focus → subscribe and share.

Climate Kitchen: a bi-monthly newsletter for climate-curious parents who care about the climate crisis and are looking for hope, inspiration and solutions → subscribe and share.

🌱🍔  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 new vegan parmesan products, an oat milk cocktail listing, and a bunch of AI developments.

📆 Scene & Heard

Explore the 5th Fermentation-Enabled Alternative Protein Summit

🇺🇸 Don’t miss the 5th Fermentation-Enabled Alternative Protein Summit returning to San Francisco on February 24-26, 2025! This unparalleled forum is bringing together 170+ business executives, innovation and R&D decision-makers from leading CPGs and ingredient providers, investors, and late-stage technology enablers shaping the future of alternative proteins. Leave with actionable strategies for achieving cost parity, quality, and taste through scale-driven R&D, infrastructure development, and strategic partnerships, helping diversify food categories with the next generation of ingredients. Discover the 2025 Agenda here.

👩🏽‍🌾 Know an inspiring regenerative farmer? Applications for Top 50 Farmers are open! Open to European regenerative farmers, this program highlights fifty outstanding farms practising or transitioning to regenerative agriculture every year. Benefits of the program include access to new markets, financing, and peer-to-peer mentorship. If you’re a farmer, apply directly here. Know an amazing farmer? Nominate them here.

🏆 The ProVeg Incubator is looking for pioneering founders to apply for the 13th edition of their accelerator programme, starting in April 2025. They're particularly keen to work with startups developing plant-based alternatives to seafood, fish, meat and eggs, with clear differentiation and a strong offering in the areas of functionality, sensory profile, nutrition, or sustainability. Sound like the right fit for you? Apply now.

Want More? Check out Green Queen’s Deep Dive series: 

• Blended Meats Are Here 

• Meat Misinformation Deep Dive

• Ozempic & the GLP-1 Revolution

• Policy Matters: Regulating Future Food Innovation