All PFN ARTICLES

From now on, PlanetFood.News isn’t just reporting news, it’s delivering trend intelligence with an opinion, powered by our sister platform TRENOS.ai. Every PFN story will now run in two layers:

In a move that could become a blueprint for surviving New Zealand’s tightening plant-based market, Grater Goods has officially taken Green Dinner Table under its wing. The two Christchurch-born pioneers have been running parallel tracks for years - Grater Goods with its artisan plant-based deli and products, Green Dinner Table with its chef-designed weekly meal boxes.

I know some folk who swear by a Bloody Mary at 30,000 feet, a little salty, a little spicy, a whole lot of altitude-induced alchemy. But this? This takes the tomato trend to cruising altitude and then parachutes into the realm of absurdity. Introducing the Heinz Tomato Ketchup Smoothie.

Something fishy and frankly fabulous, is happening in the plant-based protein world. Just weeks after selling out its first alternative fish product in under an hour, Slovenian whole-cut disruptor Juicy Marbles has dropped its next act in the form of Kinda Salmon, a thick, unbreaded filet of fungi plant-based salmon goodness aiming to do for fish what its marbled steaks did for beef.

In a move blending science, Brussels bureaucracy, and digestive relief, the European Commission has officially approved a health claim that may give green kiwifruit a new lease on life, not just as a tangy fruit salad staple, but as a certified gut-friendly food.

What happens when a humble family recipe gets its big break on the world stage? In SHICKEN Spice Babies case, it wins, again. The UK-based plant-based brand has just landed another Great Taste Award, this time for its now-iconic Seekh Kebabs, hailed by the Guild of Fine Food as one of the standout flavours of 2025. That’s three years, three awards, and one very proud kitchen.

In a move less about shock and more about shedding the last vestiges of a fading food illusion, Beyond Meat just dropped the 'Meat' according to US reports. That’s right, Beyond Meat will simply be Beyond, and with it comes a recalibration of the alt protein narrative. Out with mimicry, in with meaning.

The global food industry is at a reckoning point, caught between the promise of high-tech solutions and a growing hunger for something far more fundamental: real food. For years, alternative protein innovation has been charging forward. But the more advanced the science gets, the more consumers are left wondering: where did the food go? Now the third wave of food is emerging!

New Zealand’s vegan cheese scene just delivered a full-bodied, pepper-crusted slap to the dairy world with Bûche au Poivre from High Culture Cheese crowned Supreme Winner at the 2025 Vegan Society Vegan Cheese Awards.

In a move rewriting the rules of haute cuisine, French Chef, Alain Passard’s legendary three-Michelin-star restaurant, Arpège, has dropped nearly all animal products from its menu. Out go the foie gras, lobster, and langoustines. In their place? Tomatoes, cabbages, carrots, and a philosophy that’s anything but humble.

Austrian alt-protein provocateurs Revo Foods have dropped their latest fungi-based product, a Minced Fungi Protein made with just four ingredients and not a single shred of soy in sight. It’s lean, clean, and built for the kind of post-animal eater who still wants gains without the conscience.

If you thought France was stuck in a butter-and-brioche time warp, think again. A quiet culinary insurgency is underway in the chilled section of supermarkets like E.Leclerc and it’s got nothing to do with duck confit. Instead, what’s catching eyes (and carts) is a rainbow parade of plant-based meals, soups, and meat alternatives, all scored, stacked, and screaming freshness with a surprisingly French flair.