All PFN ARTICLES

Growing international attention surrounding ready-portioned cheesecake is less about cheesecake itself and more about a broader shift taking place across the global food industry. Rather than producing ever larger products, manufacturers are increasingly embracing a strategy best described as "downsizing to upscale" - creating smaller, premium products delivering greater value through quality, flavour, sustainability and experience.

New Zealand's journey towards producing its own peanuts has taken another step forward, with scientists preparing to evaluate a new cultivar specifically selected for Northland's climate. Researchers from the Bioeconomy Science Institute say several years of commercial-scale trials undertaken alongside Pic's Peanut Butter, Northland Inc and industry partners have produced encouraging results. Crops experienced very low pest and disease pressure, required no insecticides or fu

Global packaging company, Tetra Pak has moved deeper into the NextGen Food economy with the launch of its first industrial bioreactor, signalling a major shift for a company best known globally for food cartons and processing systems.

At the Vegan Society's 2026 New Zealand Vegan Sausage & Deli Awards, Christchurch-based Harmless Food Co. claimed the Supreme Award with its new Plant Based Bacon, a product judges praised for its flavour, crispness and realistic texture before it has even reached supermarket shelves. The company also collected Gold awards for its Plant Based Steak and Fish Fillet, making it one of the standout performers of the competition.

The United Kingdom has become one of the first countries to publish a government-backed roadmap identifying the food technologies expected to shape its future food system over the next decade. Developed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS), the report highlights precision fermentation, biomass fermentation, cellular agriculture, controlled environment agriculture, molecular farming, gas fermentation and several other emerging production systems

New Zealand food technology startup ANDFOODS has made a strategic decision that may signal a new commercial model for emerging food innovators. Instead of manufacturing its fermented whipped cream in New Zealand, the company has chosen to produce it in China—placing manufacturing alongside its target customers before its first commercial launch in Singapore.

Australian supermarket giant Coles Group has awarded more than AUD$3.5 million to eight emerging food and agriculture businesses, signalling where one of the region's largest retailers sees future growth opportunities.

Monty & Sons has launched a pasta range made from New Zealand-grown durum wheat, creating what is believed to be one of the country's first fully traceable paddock-to-plate pasta supply chains. The wheat is grown by members of the Wairarapa Grains Collective before being milled and manufactured locally.

The company produces whole-cut plant-based meat products using a fermentation-based process built around soy and wheat proteins. Unlike many first-generation plant-based brands focusing heavily on burgers and mince, Chunk has built its range around premium steaks, pulled meat products and diced meat alternatives designed to deliver a more convincing eating experience.

In the aftermath of SIAL Shanghai 2026 this week, one thing is becoming unmistakably clear: Asia’s next food economy is not being built around hype, it is being built around functionality, affordability, portability and industrial scale. Across the exhibition halls, the strongest signals were not celebrity veganism or futuristic lab theatrics. Instead, brands showcased high-protein beverages, shelf-stable nutrition, AI-assisted ingredient systems, functional snacks, low-GI

The narrative that plant-based meat is “dead” keeps colliding with one awkward problem: consumers still want meat-like experiences without necessarily wanting more animals, more emissions, more industrial farming or belonging to a movement. Here comes Steakholder Foods with PERFECTA, a new U.S.-bound range of 3D-printed plant-based steaks, chicken breasts, salmon patties, white fish patties and filet mignon-style cuts looking uncannily close to the real thing.

The plant-based seafood sector may have just crossed a line from “interesting startup category” into something much bigger. Oshi, the company behind the first whole-cut 100% plant-based salmon fillet in the U.S. market, has secured a US$3 million strategic investment from one of Latin America’s largest traditional seafood manufacturers. That’s not just funding. That’s the old seafood economy quietly acknowledging the future may not look like trawlers forever.