Green Queen Media

🌎🌱 THE LATEST THREAT TO YOUR GUT? GLOBAL WARMING The growing popularity of Ozempic, GLP-1-supportive food and drink products, and documentaries like Netflix’s Hack Your Health has put gut wellness in full focus for consumers today. For example, in 2024, Google searches for ‘gut health’ and ‘microbiome’ hiked by 35% and 31%, respectively. Awareness about fibre consumption also took centre stage, with 64% of Americans and 70% of Brits looking to increase their consumption of the nutrient. This has coincided with a plethora of new research about what impacts the gut microbiome, and how to best keep it healthy. One new study by Michigan State University posits that climate change could worsen things for gut health, primarily by altering food quantity and quality and environmental microbiota. “Climate-change-induced variability in food supply, shifts in elemental and macromolecular composition of plant and animal food, the proliferation of enteric pathogens, and the direct effects of high temperatures on gut physiology might alter gut microbiota in undesirable ways, increasing the health burden of climate change,” wrote study author Elena Litchman. Rising emissions and temperatures can reduce the nutritional quality of crops, and subsequently lower nutrient concentration and increase carbon-to-nitrogen ratios, which makes food less digestible. Current projections show that over 100 million people might become protein-deficient by 2050. “The combined effects of multiple stressors, such as high temperature and droughts, might cause further declines in protein, micronutrient, and macronutrient content in food plants,” wrote Litchman. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ewrvHdpF #GreenQueen #climatechange #emissions #health #nutrition #research

🌎🍎 MINIMUM DIETARY DIVERSITY: UN'S NEW TOOL TO FIGHT ZERO HUNGER SDG In a move to highlight dietary quality over calorie consumption, the United Nations Statistical Commission has adopted a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator seen as key to ending malnutrition. The Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD) indicator was adopted by the United Nations Statistical Commission at its 56th session in New York this month, and will help track progress towards SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). The tool is under the joint custodianship of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and adds to the almost 250 indicators monitored under the global SDG framework. MDD represents the variety of foods we consume, operating as a yes/no indicator of whether women (aged 15-49) and children have consumed at least five out of 10 defined food groups in the previous 24 hours. The idea is to focus not just on calorie consumption, but nutritious, health-promoting foods. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eqZy8feX #GreenQueen #foodsecurity #zerohunger #women #children #futurefood #sustainability

🌱🥩 ‘RIVALLING TOFU’? JUICY MARBLES ROLLS OUT WHOLE-CUT PORK WITH NUTRI-SCORE A Building on its new Meaty Meat range, Juicy Marbles has released a whole-cut pork analogue that boasts a Nutri-Score A rating and high protein and fibre content. Available on the company’s website, it’s said to be the “first whole cut of pork in the plant-based category”, and is a follow-up to Lamb-ish, which was launched last month as the first offering in the Meaty Meat lineup. They are precursors to the brand’s retail launch in the US. Both products are 26% cheaper than Juicy Marbles’s most accessible cut of plant-based meat yet, priced at $10 per 180g pack. And while the whole-cut aspect would speak to consumers looking for better-tasting meat alternatives, it’s also keying into demand for more nutritious products, with 36g of protein per serving. The range is positioned as a “new kind of kitchen staple” to rival tofu as a go-to option for home cooks. The company suggests that, like tofu, the products have a “deliberately ambiguous shape”. But the Meaty Meat lineup can be sliced, chunked, shredded or cooked whole to add juiciness and up to 2.5 times more protein than tofu to any dish. “Mimicking real cuts too closely can limit their perceived versatility in the kitchen. That’s why we went deliberately ambiguous with Meaty Meat’s shape. We wanted to give our customers more freedom while shifting the perception of plant-based whole cuts in general,” said Luka Sinček. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e2vw64wx #GreenQueen #altprotein #plantbasedmeat #vegan #futurefood #nutrition #foodtech #innovation #sustainability

🌿🥛🥩 UPF & RAW MILK CRAZE HIKE DAIRY SALES, BUT PLANT-BASED ALTERNATIVES ARE HERE TO STAY Whether it’s the US or Europe, dairy seems to be having a renaissance, and that too at the expense of better-for-the-planet alternatives like oat, almond or soy milk. In the UK, while conventional dairy sales increased by 6% in January, plant-based analogues only saw a 1% hike – and the latter category suffered with volume declines in nearly all subgroups. Vegan cheese was particularly poor-performing, with retail spending down by 26% and volumes falling by 31%, according to NielsenIQ data cited by the state-backed AHDB - Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board. Across Europe, less than one in five people (18%) avoid animal products. And moving forward, only a quarter would like to phase out meat and dairy, while 12% would like to increase their consumption of these products. Meanwhile in the US, sales of dairy milk grew by 2% in 2024, with whole milk intake up by 3%. In contrast, the country saw a 6% decline in plant-based milk consumption. So why is this happening? And does this spell disaster for plant-based dairy? Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eNkdgfXF #GreenQueen #altprotein #altdairy #futurefood #nutrition #sustainability #emissions

🤖 NOTCO USES AI TO CREATE GLP-1 BOOSTER AS 'NATURAL OZEMPIC ALTERNATIVE' While weight-loss drugs may have transformed the food system – companies from Nestlé to The Coca-Cola Company have launched product lines that (explicitly or otherwise) support GLP-1 users – innovative food companies are also offering products that can help deal with the after-effects of GLP-1, or act as a natural alternative. This is the promise of the new GLP Booster by NotCo, the AI-driven food tech company best known for its plant-based products and collaboration with Kraft Heinz. The Chilean startup has been diversifying from its CPG focus to offer AI technologies to businesses all over the world, and as part of this tech-forward strategy, it’s targeting the GLP-1 boom with a food-based precursor to the weight-loss drugs. The botanical powder, as the New York Post describes it, can be added to any food to help you feel satiated and eat less, replicating – to some extent – the effects of Ozempic and the like. These drugs work by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone naturally found in the body. This incretin hormone is naturally released in the gut after eating food, and can be boosted by fermented foods and dietary fibre. This helps regulate blood sugar, makes you feel satiated, and manages weight. “By mimicking the body’s endogenous GLP-1, these drugs suppress appetite, slow gastric emptying, and influence reward mechanisms in the brain. Bottom line, they work,” Matias Muchnick, co-founder and CEO of NotCo, explained in a social media post. NotCo says it will appeal to people apprehensive about these drugs’ side effects – which include gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, and vomiting, and mental health problems like anxiety and irritability, among others – as well as the Ozempic rebound. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e2wUSMNt #GreenQueen #ai #health #nutrition #futurefood #innovation

📣 EXCITING EVENT AHEAD! Our founder and editor-in-chief, Sonalie Figueiras, will be speaking at #SynBioBeta2025 — where synbiology’s future takes shape! Join her on May 5–8 in San Jose, CA, to meet pioneers, explore innovative breakthroughs, and discuss biotech’s next chapter. Register now and get $100 off with code SBB25-Future: bit.ly/SBB2025 #GreenQueen #biotech #innovation #synbio

🌎🎸 MASSIVE ATTACK’S BRISTOL CONCERT BREAKS RECORD AS LOWEST-CARBON LIVE MUSIC EVENT Nearly seven months after Massive Attack hosted 32,000 people at a music festival it hoped would serve as a playbook for low-carbon live music, a new report suggests it succeeded in doing so. The concert was named Act 1.5 after the 2015 Paris Agreement, where world leaders pledged to keep post-industrial temperature rises below 1.5°C, and featured an electric-powered stage, 100% plant-based catering, and no car park. All this helped Massive Attack cut energy emissions by 98% compared to a standard outdoor live music event (lowering on-site electricity emissions by 81% versus a show running on diesel generators), and food emissions by 89%. In fact, in absolute numbers, offering exclusively vegan dishes rendered the largest reduction in emissions (26,800 kg of CO2e). “This show proved to be the cleanest, greenest festival event ever staged – but in terms of popular take-up of clean practices, it feels like we and others working on this stuff are attempting to create smart productions within dumb regulation,” said Mark Donne, lead producer of the Act 1.5 show. Carly McLachlan, associate director at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, which published the report, added: “A willingness to do things differently was demonstrated by the audience and crew members alike.” Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e_MZEb_d #GreenQueen #climatechange #climateaction #emissions #carbonfootprint #sustainability

🌿🍔 ODD BURGER’S PLAN TO THWART TRUMP TARIFFS AMID US EXPANSION? GO LOCAL As America’s trade war with the world continues, one burger chain is opting for a shrewd strategy to expand its US business and avoid the financial impact of tariffs. Ontario-based Odd Burger, a vegan fast-food company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, is set to open the first of 20 franchised locations in Washington state this year, with another 40 planned for Florida in the future. To mitigate the financial blowback that comes with President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on Canadian imports, the firm is looking to replicate its localised supply model for the expansion, sourcing American ingredients and building a facility within the US. “Our experience in Canada has shown that a vertically integrated, localised supply chain is key to controlling costs and maintaining high-quality food production,” said Odd Burger co-founder and CEO James McInnes. To support the expansion, the company has secured a $2M non-brokered private placement, which itself comes two weeks after it announced a 6% quarterly revenue growth in Q4 2024, with losses cut by 80%. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/enn95DFt #GreenQueen #altprotein #futurefood #plantbased #vegan #foodsystems

🌎🛒 NO SUPERMARKET HAS A METHANE PLAN, BUT US RETAILERS ARE THE WORST CLIMATE OFFENDERS According to a new report focused on methane emissions, the world’s biggest supermarkets are failing us on climate action, with the situation particularly bad in the US. None of the top 20 retailers – from Lidl in Germany, REWE Group and Tesco in Europe to Walmart, Kroger and Costco Wholesale in the US – report how much methane they produce, or have targets to reduce their emissions of the harmful gas. Methane is 86 times more potent than CO2 over a 20-year period, and is the primary contributor to the formation of ground-level ozone, a greenhouse gas linked to a million premature deaths every year. Agriculture is the main source of human-caused methane emissions, with livestock farming responsible for the majority of this share. Meat and dairy also make up a third of retailers’ emissions, though in an assessment of their methane contributions across 18 indicators, the Changing Markets Foundation and Mighty Earth found that only one of these supermarkets – Tesco – scored higher than half of the points available (51 out of 100). In fact, the average score was just 20. “Methane emissions are a major blindspot of supermarkets. Our scorecard reveals a complete lack of action, with the most powerful players in the food supply chains completely ignoring their government’s commitments to cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030. This must change urgently,” said Madeleine Haughton-Boakes, senior campaigner at the Changing Markets Foundation. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/efi79yag #GreenQueen #emissions #climatechange #sustainability #climateaction

🇸🇪🥩 Re:meat raises €1M to launch Re:meatery! The Swedish cultivated meat startup just closed an oversubscribed €1M round to open its new facility, focused on scaling production of next-gen meat. 🌱 Visit our website to discover more sustainable innovation: https://lnkd.in/eqEx5DT #GreenQueen #sustainability #foodsystems #futurefood #altprotein #innovation #foodtech