Green Queen Media

🫛🥛 LOVE ISLAND’S MAYA JAMA INVESTS IN SPROUD Maya Jama, host of ITV’s ultra-popular show Love Island, has invested in Sproud, the Malmö-based producer of pea milk products. It makes Jama a co-owner and ambassador of the plant-based milk business, which is working to continue its brand expansion amid Europe’s growing appetite for milk alternatives. “I’m really excited to become a co-owner of Sproud. There’s a lot to love – the products taste amazing, and the packaging is eye-catching, too, but ultimately I like what the company stands for in terms of health and sustainability,” said Jama, who also hosted this year’s BRIT Awards and was named on Forbes’s 30 Under 30 list for 2024. “The Swedish connection also really appealed to me,” she added. “My mum is half-Swedish and I have very happy childhood memories of summers in Sweden with my grandparents.” Sproud CEO Sara Berger declined to share details about the investment sum or Jama’s stake in the company, but told Green Queen: “The deal will enable Sproud to expand its marketing and brand efforts. This will feed into its current focus for the business which is to increase brand awareness and continue to grow.” Sproud’s five-strong range of core products comprises unsweetened, barista, sugar-free barista, vanilla, and chocolate flavours, alongside two iced latte SKUs. They’re all based on yellow split peas, which the brand claims gives its milks a better nutritional profile than other dairy alternatives. More information in the full article: https://lnkd.in/e7CtaEZU #GreenQueen #altprotein #altdairy #sustainability #foodsystems

🌍🥩⛽ 40% OF PEOPLE BACK MEAT AND FUEL RATIONS TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE Over the years, a slew of studies have floated the idea of a carbon tax on things like fossil fuels and meat, two of the most highly polluting industries. These ideas – while crucial in a 1.5°C context – have proved to be controversial, receiving (obvious) backlash from Big Oil and Big Meat, as well as some policymakers and a certain set of consumers. A new study, however, provides an alternative. What if we ration these foods? Could that be an effective policy instrument? According to the intercontinental survey – covering over 8,650 people in Brazil, Germany, South Africa, India, and the US – nearly two in five consumers think so. “Rationing may seem dramatic, but so is climate change. This may explain why support is rather high,” said Oskar Lindgren, a PhD student at Uppsala University and lead author of the study. Published in the Humanities & Social Sciences Communications journal, the research compared the acceptance of rationing fuel and “emission-intensive” food like meat with that of taxes on the same products, and found that the levels of support are on par with each other. For example, 39% of people were in favour of fuel taxes, and 38% back rations. The gap with meat was larger, with a third of respondents embracing rations, and 44% saying yes to taxes (as Denmark has done). Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ehEb6yD4 #GreenQueen #emissions #sustainability #climatechange #climateaction

🌱🇬🇧👨🏻🏫 UNIVERSITIES COULD SAVE £1.4M & CUT Emissions By 80% BY GOING VEGAN If British universities transitioned to a fully vegan catering menu, they could save up to £1.5M annually and lower emissions by 80%, with meals using up a third of the water and nearly 90% less land. This is because plant-based meals are 30% cheaper than meat and 21% cheaper than vegetarian dishes, while emitting 84% fewer greenhouse gases compared to meat-rich options, according to analysis by UK consultancy Bryant Research. The firm compiled the climate impact data, wholesale price, and portion sizes of 140 different ingredients to estimate the environmental footprint and food procurement costs for a range of meals at universities. “Our model found that plant-based meals are consistently the most sustainable across various environmental measures, compared to vegetarian and meat-based meals. Crucially, we also found that a plant-based transition provides an opportunity for caterers to reduce their food procurement costs,” Bryant Research director Chris Bryant and political researcher Billy Nicholles said in a joint statement. Bryant Research has outlined four recommendations to bring about these changes: 👉🏻 commit to a phased shift to a 100% plant-based menu by 2030 👉🏻 engage and educate stakeholders (Students’ Union leaders, prospective and current students, catering managers, commercial directors, chefs, sustainability managers) 👉🏻 implement a plant-based by default approach 👉🏻 utilise support services to increase the plant protein ratio like Humane Society International’s Forward Food programme Learn more in the full article: https://lnkd.in/e8hvpc-s #GreenQueen #altprotein #plantbasedmeat #vegan #sustainability #foodsystems

🌍🧑🏻⚕️ WHO-BACKED NETWORKS TO TRAIN MEDICAL STUDENTS ON CLIMATE CHANGE Even if leaders across Europe and the world take action to limit temperature rises to 1.5°C (which is becoming increasingly unlikely), the climate crisis would still kill 450,000 people in the continent every year. Extreme weather and air pollution are also exacerbating chronic conditions like vector-borne diseases, cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory illnesses, and mental health ailments. This is untenable, and solutions to treat weather-effected Europeans are sorely needed. That’s the basis of the European Network on Climate & Health Education (ENCHE), a network of 25 universities that aims to equip medical students with the knowledge and skills to respond to the impact of climate change on human health, and deliver sustainable healthcare. To treat conditions brought on or worsened by global heating and pollution – like heatstroke, malaria, dengue, asthma, and diabetes, among others – the network will help integrate climate and health teaching into the courses of universities from the UK, Italy, France, Portugal, Switzerland and more, reaching over 10,000 students in the first three years. The effort is spearheaded by the University of Glasgow and supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), along with members of the public-private Sustainable Markets Initiative Health Systems Task Force, which include private pharma and healthcare giants like Novo Nordisk, Bupa, AstraZeneca, and Roche, among others. More information in the full article: https://lnkd.in/eC8MDjFt #GreenQueen #climatechange #health #climateaction #emissions #sustainability

🧫🍣 UMAMI BIOWORKS LAUNCHES PATHOGEN DETECTION TOOL FOR SEAFOOD INDUSTRY The Singapore-based startup has launched Arbiter, a biotech tool to address the challenges of seafood safety and quality via pathogen detection and quality assessments. The move marks what the company calls a “pivotal expansion” of its biotech offerings beyond cultivated meat and pet food to help a number of industry sectors. Arbiter is a nucleic-acid-based testing platform that offers “unprecedented precision, speed, and cost-effectiveness with higher sensitivity, breadth, and quantification than current pathogen detection methods”. It can detect up to 800 unique targets in a single run, with actionable results in under six hours. Apart from equipping seafood companies with the ability to detect pathogens early, it significantly reduces labour intensity, with only 15 minutes of prep time needed for up to 50 samples. Umami Bioworks believes the cost efficacy – each target costs less than $1 – will “democratise and universalise” pathogen diagnostics and quality control. The company acknowledges that while it’s known for cell cultivation, the tool is a strategic move to establish solutions for broader markets. For example, it claims Arbiter can transform disease diagnosis in species like salmon, shrimp, and tilapia, which minimises economic losses linked to infectious diseases. In addition to food safety and quality assurance, the tool offers new capabilities for environmental monitoring to protect aquatic ecosystems from harmful pathogens. We spoke to Mihir Pershad, founder and CEO of Umami Bioworks, about the company’s move, which comes amid its aggressive expansion strategy – apart from Singapore, it either has a base or partnerships in Malaysia, South Korea, India, the US, and the UK, and is pursuing regulatory approval in multiple markets. Read the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/e2_KTATs #GreenQueen #altprotein #seafood #futurefood #cultivatedmeat #sustainability #aquaculture

💰🌱🍔 MR CHARLIE’S: MIKE TYSON, RIC FLAIR INVEST IN ‘VEGAN MCDONALD’S’ Mr. Charlie’s Told Me So, home of the McDonald’s-spoofing vegan Frowny Meal, has received a “strategic investment” from Carma HoldCo, the parent company of several brands from cultural icons. The plant-based fast-food chain, which has locations both in Los Angeles and in San Francisco stateside, as well as in Sydney, Australia, is now eyeing expansion both domestically and internationally via a franchise model. This will be facilitated by the investment from Carma HoldCo, whose portfolio brands specialise in the cannabis and wellness sector. These include TYSON 2.0, founded by boxing legend Mike Tyson; Ric Flair Drip and Wooooo Energy from wrestling icon Ric Flair; and Evol by the rapper Future. Mr Charlie’s says it has several locations lined up in the US, and wants to use the investment to rapidly grow its footprint. To do so, it has developed a franchise model targeting area developers and master franchisees in large US territories, with plans in place for international expansion. It has leveraged its partnerships with data-driven delivery platforms like Uber Eats and Postmates to use robust market data to pinpoint ideal locations for franchise expansion. This would allow for faster rollouts of new branches, and more effective penetration of local markets. In a joint statement, founders Aaron Haxton and Taylor McKinnon  said Mr Charlie’s would be helped by Carma HoldCo’s experience in building disruptive brands. “Both Carma and Mr Charlie’s are about creating meaningful change – whether it’s providing second chances to our employees or delivering plant-based food in a fun and novel way,” they noted. More information in the full article: https://lnkd.in/eAvKMMqM #GreenQueen #altprotein #plantbasedmeat #futurefood #fastfood #sustainability #foodsystems

🌍🔥 FOREST FIRES ARE SHIFTING NORTH AND CAUSING RISING CARBON EMISSIONS Fires have long been a natural part of forest ecosystems, but something is changing. A new study shows that forest fires have become more widespread and severe amid global heating, particularly in the high northern latitudes such as Canada and Siberia where fires are most sensitive to hotter, drier conditions. The implications of this are alarming, not just for the ecosystems affected or the cities engulfed by smoke downwind, but for the planet’s ability to store carbon and regulate the climate. The trend contrasts with declining fire extent in savannah grasslands, which may reflect the expansion of farming and changing rainfall patterns. The steep rise in fire emissions from forests outside the tropics is a clear signal that the capacity of Earth’s forest to store carbon is at increasing risk. Forests, particularly in northern regions, absorb and store CO₂ from the atmosphere. But as fires expand and become more severe, these vital carbon sinks are weakened. This undermines the global effort to tackle climate change as forests offset emissions from human activities that burn fossil fuels. Forest fires are no longer just a natural occurrence. As they shift north and intensify, these fires are a clear symptom of human-caused climate change. Read the full article written by Matt Jones, Crystal Kolden and Stefan Doerr here: https://lnkd.in/edgdCKQA #GreenQueen #climatechange #emissions #climateaction #wildfires #biodiversity

🧫🥩 Exciting news for cultivated meat! Swiss cultivated meat startup sallea, which has created edible scaffolds for manufacturers to produce whole-cut meat and seafood from animal cells, has raised $2.6M in a funding round led by Founderful. 🌱 Visit our website to discover more food innovation: https://lnkd.in/eqEx5DT #GreenQueen #sustainability #foodsystems #futurefood #altprotein #innovation #foodtech

💰🌿 Royal Cosun takes a big step in sustainability! They’ve invested $3.5M in planetary to scale up the development of cost-effective ingredients derived from fermentation, convert their feedstock into mycoprotein ingredients, and create new applications for plant-based food. 🌱 Visit our website to discover more food innovation: https://lnkd.in/eqEx5DT #GreenQueen #sustainability #foodsystems #futurefood #altprotein #innovation #foodtech

🎉 Exciting news from New Wave Biotech! The London-based company has won the €20,000 EIT Food Accelerator Network Tech Validation Award to validate its technology with research organisation CPI. It has created an AI-powered software to help precision fermentation companies optimise their downstream processing. 🌱 Visit our website to discover more food innovation: https://lnkd.in/eqEx5DT #GreenQueen #sustainability #foodsystems #futurefood #altprotein #innovation #foodtech