The Americas
How AI can now help with salad selection
US-based fast-casual restaurant chain Just Salad has launched Salad AI, a personal recipe assistant for app users, suggesting custom salad options that align with their lifestyle, nutritional goals and taste preferences. The Salad AI system operates by analyzing responses from a simple survey on the Just Salad app. It then generates four custom-built recipes that support guests’ health objectives, complete with unique salad names, selected flavours, full ingredient lists with nutritional details and personalized dressing recommendations. Founder and CEO Nick Kenner hopes the new system will both enhance the dining experience and drive customer retention.
Restaurants set to shell out more for eggs in 2025
Americans can continue to expect high prices for eggs this year, new estimates show, due to the ongoing avian flu outbreak and inflation. Egg prices are estimated to increase about 20% in 2025, compared to about 2.2% for food prices in general, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s price outlook. Some restaurateurs, especially those that rely heavily on eggs for menu items ‒ like brunch spots ‒ are already raising prices, with others waiting to see how the situation develops.
Asia Pacific
K-Food demand propels South Korean food firms to record revenues
South Korean food companies are thriving internationally, thanks to the growing global demand for K-food. Orion, famous for its Choco Pie and snacks, and Pulmuone, known for healthy products like tofu and dumplings, joined the “3 trillion won club” in 2024, which is roughly equivalent to $2.14 billion, bringing the total number of members to 11. Once seen as a low-value domestic industry, South Korea’s food sector is booming, with agricultural and food exports hitting a record $9.98 billion in 2024, a 9% increase from the previous year. Exports have grown consistently since 2015, driven by K-food’s global appeal.
China opens $11M cultivated meat innovation centre in Beijing
China has launched its first alternative protein hub in Beijing’s Fengtai District with a $10.9M investment. Backed by the Fengtai District government and meat processor Shounong Food Group, the center focuses on cultivated meat and microbial protein R&D. It features advanced cell culture and microbial protein production lines and hopes to transform lab research into commercial products like cultivated steak and fermented tofu meat. This initiative could have knock-on impacts on the ‘future food’ sector, according to Mirte Gosker, managing director of the Good Food Institute APAC. “China’s heavy involvement [in this sector] has the potential to single-handedly drive down global production costs and turn niche products into mainstream staples,” she said to Green Queen.
Europe, Middle East, Africa
130 groups urge EU to develop plant-based action plan
More than 130 climate and consumer groups have called on EU agrifood commissioner Christophe Hansen to create a plant-based action plan by 2026. In an open letter, signatories including Greenpeace and Four Paws stressed the need for policies to promote plant-based diets, which would not only encourage healthy eating and reduce emissions, but also boost self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on imports. Shifting to plant-based diets could also save €1.3T annually in healthcare and environmental costs, the letter emphasized.
UK cafe chain lists carbon impact of meals on menu
Jersey cafe chain Cafe Ube has started listing the carbon footprint of its menu items as part of a government-run pilot scheme. Dishes are measured on a scale from A to E, with A the most carbon-friendly and E the least. Recipes included in the pilot have been analyzed using carbon accounting software to calculate a dish’s carbon footprint across farming, processing, packaging and transport. Environment Minister Deputy Steve Luce said he hoped the scheme would educate people on the environmental impact of their food choices and help them to make “carbon-conscious” choices. Cafe Ube manager Rochelle Oosthuizen told the BBC that if the scheme had good traction, it was “definitely something that we would advocate other cafes getting involved in”.
Elly Earls
