Green Queen Media

🇺🇸💰⚖️ NEW YORK SIGNS LAW TO FINE BIG OIL POLLUTERS $75B VIA CLIMATE CHANGE SUPERFUND With Donald Trump, who loves fossil fuels and denies climate change, taking presidential office again in three weeks, the state where he made his name is taking on Big Oil for its impact on the planet. New York will penalise oil and gas producers for their contributions to greenhouse gas emissions between 2000 and 2018 to shift the cost of climate adaptation “from everyday New Yorkers to the fossil fuel companies most responsible for the pollution”. Known as the Climate Change Superfund Act, the law was signed by Governor Kathy Hochul this week, and will raise $75B over a 25-year period from fossil fuel producers. For context, three of the largest domestic oil companies – ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Shell – raked in $85.6B in combined profits in 2023 alone. It applies to fossil fuel companies that the state determines are responsible for over a billion tonnes of global greenhouse gas emissions. Although New York is likely to face legal challenges against the act, it has also set up a Climate Change Adaptation Cost Recovery Program to ensure that the money paid by these polluters goes towards adapting the state’s infrastructure to the impacts of the climate crisis. The legislation is modelled on the Superfund law from 1980, which requires that companies pay for the cleanup of toxic waste from oil and chemical spills. This one focuses on the climate impact of fossil fuel production because it’s the biggest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions and has an outsized influence on the increase of extreme weather events. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ebgjQF5C #GreenQueen #climateaction #climatechange #sustainability #policy #emissions #pollution

🇯🇵☕♻️ STARBUCKS JAPAN REPLACES PAPER WITH BIODEGRADABLE STRAWS MADE FROM PLANT-BASED POLYMERS Five years after ditching plastic for paper, Starbucks Japan is bidding adieu to paper for bioplastics. The coffee company is overhauling its straws by swapping paper with a biodegradable, plant-based polymer, marking the company’s latest efforts to greenify its supply chain. The straw is made from Green Planet, a bioplastic made by Japanese materials company Kaneka Green Planet®. The firm’s forks, knives, stirrers and spoons are already used by Starbucks at its stores across the country. Now, its straws are available at 32 locations in the Okinawa Prefecture, ahead of a nationwide rollout in March. Thicker straws for Frappuccino drinks will follow a month later. Starbucks began its transition away from fossil-fuel-derived plastic straws in Japan in 2018, launching paper straws certified by the Forest Stewardship Council in 2020, followed by paper cups for takeaway drinks (which have their own challenges), cutlery from biomass materials, and resin cups for in-store iced beverages. In addition to packaging, Starbucks is also making its physical stores more sustainable, aligning them with vigorous third-party standards across eight environmental impact areas: water stewardship, partner engagement, energy efficiency, waste diversion, renewable energy, responsible materials and sites and communities. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/erQFeSKU #GreenQueen #sustainability #innovation #zerowaste #climateaction #plastics #pollution #foodsystems #circulareconomy

🧊🍱 THE SECRET TO SAVING FOOD WASTE? STICK IT IN THE FREEZER A national survey in the US has found that discarded frozen items account for only 6% of all household food waste, and based on the small share, researchers say stocking freezers could be a great way to prevent the wastage of food that’s otherwise perfectly good. “We found that households with home freezing behaviours are more likely to have less food waste than other households,” said lead author Lei Xu who conducted the study with Brian Roe, a professor at The Ohio State University. The study was based on data from questions added to the National Household Food Waste Tracking Survey, with over 1,050 Americans participating. Respondents were asked to estimate the percentage of all discarded food that was frozen in the previous week, and whether it was originally frozen or placed in the freezer later. The poll found that 85% of households buy frozen foods, and 55% do so to reduce waste. These households were also more likely to shop infrequently (two to three times a month) and have an annual income of under $50,000. The data also showed that households that frequently freeze food waste significantly less of it. Those more likely to freeze fresh items of extra food were aged 45 and above, and living in households with at least three people. This suggests that consumers with a home freezing routine could be more experienced at managing group meals and inspired to slash food waste, according to the authors. The researchers found that of the frozen food that ends up tossed in the trash, 30% more was discarded from the refrigerator instead of the freezer. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ew32-rr2 #GreenQueen #foodwaste #circulareconomy #foodsystems #pollution #zerowaste #emissions

🇸🇬 🍫☕ PREFER TAKES ON COCOA-FREE CHOCOLATE AFTER BEANLESS COFFEE SUCCESS Would you have a mocha made without the coffee and the chocolate if it tastes the same anyway? Prefer | bean-free coffee, which is making planet-friendly alternatives to carbon-heavy food commodities, is betting on it. The Singapore-based startup made splashes last year with the market launch of its beanless coffee, which utilises waste bread, soy milk pulp, spent brewer’s grain, and fermentation to offer an alternative to your morning latte that won’t hurt the planet. Coffee is one of the most carbon-emissive food items – in fact, its GHG impact is surpassed only by red meat, and dark chocolate. There is already a glut of companies working on novel meats, whether plant-based, fermentation-derived or cultivated. But now, more and more startups are cropping up to tackle the cocoa industry. Prefer has joined that list, with a cocoa-free chocolate prototype now in the works. While most details are under wraps here, co-founder and CEO Jake Berber says the firm is venturing into the cocoa world for the same reason that propelled its beanless coffee innovation. “The price of cocoa is skyrocketing – we believe our solution solves a globally impactful problem,” he tells Green Queen. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/euE5gtzX #GreenQueen #cocoafreechocolate #foodtech #sustainability #innovation #futurefoods #climateaction

🇬🇧🍴🌱 UNITY DINER: EARTHLING ED’S POPULAR VEGAN RESTAURANT IN LONDON ANNOUNCES CLOSURE While Veganuary is usually a celebratory month for plant-based businesses, it spells a bittersweet end for one of London’s most beloved vegan restaurants. Unity Diner, an eatery and cocktail bar veganising fast-food classics, will close its doors on February 1 after more than six years of operations, becoming the latest casualty in the UK’s embattled hospitality sector. Co-owned by animal activist and vegan influencer Ed Winters – popularly known as Earthling Ed – the restaurant’s news has been met with an outpouring of grief from customers and fellow restauranteurs. It has over 40,000 followers on Instagram, demonstrating its popularity in the London vegan ecosystem. But in a statement posted to the social media platform on December 30, Unity Diner confirmed it was closing after price hikes in a hospitality environment still reeling from the effects of Covid-19. “Sadly, we’ve not been spared from the economic situation affecting the hospitality sector here in the UK, and with soaring costs since Covid and our landlords now wanting to increase the rent, the time has sadly come for us to call it a day,” it wrote. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e9djQGer #GreenQueen #vegan #sustainability #plantbasedmeat #foodsystems #vegandining

🍽️ HOW MICROPLASTICS DAMAGE THE GUT MICROBIOME AND OVERALL HEALTH There are 14 million tonnes of microplastics on the ocean floor and 24 trillion pieces of microplastic on the ocean surface, damaging water bodies and affecting the survival, growth and fertility of aquatic life. But these particles have also been discovered in the human body, which they enter mainly through food and beverages, as well as inhalation. A new study by Indian researchers focuses on their impact on the gut microbiome. Published in the Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology journal, it outlines how microplastics are present in personal care items, paint, sewage sludge, car tyres, and more, but ingestion is their primary route inside the human body. Fish and seafood are considered among the main sources of ingested microplastics, whose concentration in the ocean reaches up to 102,000 particles per cubic metre. Additionally, sea salt, table sugar, fruits and vegetables, and tap water allow microplastics into the body. The study argues that these adversely affect our gut health, a key focus point for today’s food industry. According to the researchers, the presence of microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract (where they remain for a long time due to their resistance to digestion) can lead to gut dysbiosis, a state of imbalance between beneficial and harmful bacteria. Microbial dysbiosis can lead to many health impairments, like poorer gut function and immunity, and a greater risk of gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and autism. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eUEDnR9A #GreenQueen #microplastics #plastic #pollution #health #emissions

⚡ FUTURE FOOD QUICK BITES ⚡ This week, Future Food Quick Bites covers Octonuts California’s new cashew products, Gail’s new eco store, and Europe’s most vegan-friendly cities. 👉 Swipe left for the details. 🛒 New Products and Launches Bake Me Healthy Octonuts ChicP | B Corp™ Tiba Tempeh | B-Corp™ GAIL's OatMlk ⚖ Company, Policy and Research updates Priniv, Blue Tree Technologies Ltd. Accor Sara Lee Bread, US Hunger Aberystwyth University, Sun Bear Biofuture Omio, Tripadvisor BSF Enterprise Louis Dreyfus Company, BASF Find out the latest in the alt protein space here: https://lnkd.in/eHCZh2QT #GreenQueen #altprotein #futurefood #funding #investment #foodtech #sustainability -------- 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/eqEx5DT

🌎🎉💚 HAPPY NEW YEAR! Cheers to new beginnings, greener goals, and a brighter future! Thank you for your support in 2024. Let’s continue to inspire change and make sustainability the heart of everything we do in 2025. #GreenQueen #newyear #newyear2025

📖🌱🍽️ EDITOR’S PICKS: GREEN QUEEN’S 10 FAVOURITE FUTURE FOOD STORIES OF THE YEAR It has been a big year for the future food sector. These are our editor’s picks of the 10 best stories on Green Queen in 2024 (in chronological order), featuring a public tasting for cultivated meat, an interview with a US senator, and Portugal’s plant-based strategy. 1️⃣ Beyond Meat unveils IV lineup 2️⃣ Vow CEO talks regulatory approval for cultivated quail 3️⃣ Meatable hosts EU-first cultivated meat tasting 4️⃣ A trip to Starbucks’ Farmer Support Centers 5️⃣ Bezos Earth Fund talks alternative protein 6️⃣ Alternative protein = EVs? 7️⃣ Massachusetts senator on highlighting alternative proteins in economic bill 8️⃣ Behind UPSIDE Foods’ lawsuit against the Florida ban 9️⃣ India’s BioE3 policy and its implications for future food 🔟 Portugal to develop plant-based strategy Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ekQxxtdF #GreenQueen #altprotein #futurefoods #foodtech #sustainability #innovation #cultivatedmeat #plantbasedmeat #policy #foodsystems

🇬🇧💰 UK PUMPS £15M IN SURPLUS FOOD FUND TO REDUCE WASTE AND HUNGER After six years of campaigning and multiple promises from politicians, the UK has finally established a fund to tackle food waste and hunger. The £15M Farm Gate Food Waste Fund would hand grants starting from £20,000 to food redistribution non-profits in England to reduce the massive amount of food waste created on the farm level (especially around Christmas) by delivering it to homeless shelters, food banks and charities. Government data suggests that about 300,000 tonnes of edible food is either wasted or converted to animal feed before leaving farms every year in the UK. At the same time, around 11% of Brits go hungry. The fund aims to prevent around 27,000 tonnes – equivalent to 60 million meals – from going to waste and instead help feed those in need. “Nobody wants to see good food go to waste – especially farmers who work hard to put food on family tables across the country,” said Mary Creagh, the circular economy minister under the Labour administration. “Our new fund will help the charitable sector to work more closely with farmers, helping to find new opportunities to get their world-leading produce to those most in need within our communities.” Learn more in the full article: https://lnkd.in/eGCe8Wgy #GreenQueen #foodwaste #zerowaste #surplus #circulareconomy