All PFN ARTICLES

New Zealand has dropped $42 million into a brand-new Biodiscovery Platform, with the goal of turning native biodiversity into export-ready pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and functional foods. Announced by Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti, the seven-year investment will fund the newly formed Bioeconomy Science Institute, which aims to translate cutting-edge R&D into products that actually make it to market.

Australia’s food future just got a shot of adrenaline. Startupbootcamp Australia has unveiled its latest Cluster Connect accelerator cohort and the line-up reads like a bio-food dream list. Mushrooms, cultivated meat, seaweed biotech, native plant supplements, all under the eye of the federal Department of Industry, Science and Resources. It’s no longer just drones and packaging with the focus shifting squarely into biomanufacturing for food.

Fermentation is finally giving vegan cheese its groove. Forget coconut oil blocks and starchy slices: UK and Canadian researchers have shown that mixing pea protein with sunflower and coconut oil can deliver real melt, stretch and firmness, the holy grail of vegan cheese texture. At the same time, European startups are running with microbial cultures to close the “taste gap”.

Swees Plant Based Foods, the Thai maker of the country’s first vegan cheese, has rolled out a new line called CleanBean. Think Beev Steaklets and Chick*n Bites, designed to fry, grill, or simmer in a green curry without a label full of additives.

Japan’s sushi scene may be heading for a quiet revolution. As wild tuna stocks dwindle and prices soar, Mitsui DM Sugar is preparing to launch a plant-based tuna sashimi brand next year that undercuts the market cost of maguro. This isn’t just a vegan niche product — it’s a calculated strike at the heart of Japan’s seafood economy, where raw tuna is both cultural currency and a disappearing resource.

The Australian plant-protein sector is still alive and kicking and valued USD 338 million in 2024 and tipped to push nearly USD 600 million by 2033. The headlines sound good, but scratch the surface and you see what’s really going on: a solid, middle-of-the-road year-on-growth of 6.6% means the sector is maturing, not exploding.

K-food is moving from curiosity to convenience aisle in Australia. South Korea's CJ Bibigo’s frozen gimbap rolls are in Woolworths, and now rubbing shoulders with sushi packs and frozen dumplings. But CJ's isn’t stopping there as mandu dumplings, kimchi, rice balls, corn dogs and even frozen Korean meals are all hitting Australian freezers. Local manufacturing is appears to be the answer. “Made in Australia” mandu (dumplings) went to #1 in Woolworths within seven months, prov

Pasture grown crops like Barley may soon jump from stockfeed and beer kegs into your latte glass. Scientists at Plant & Food Research are turning hull-less barley into smooth, creamy dairy alternatives - milks today, yoghurts tomorrow, with a nutty, fibre-rich profile speaking directly to oat-milk drinkers hunting for something new.

Australia’s supermarket aisles just got a little more European chic. Woolworths has cut a deal with Waterdrop, the Austrian hydration brand that turns plain old H₂O into a functional wellness statement with a dissolving cube. From this week, more than 900 stores nationwide will stock five of its vitamin and electrolyte SKUs - berry, cola, peach, grapefruit, and passionfruit.

Brain fog? Grumpy gut? Say hello to The Ārepa Brain x Gut Powder, the Kiwi brain drink brand’s smoothest innovation yet, only this time in a dry format. This isn’t just another supplement on a crowded shelf. It’s a deliberate step away from liquids into the more portable, spoon-and-shake world of powders, a nod to convenience, travel, and daily ritual.

Japan has perfected the art of turning fruit into treasure. The Miyazaki-grown Taiyō no Tamago mango known as "Egg of the Sun", is ruby red, sugar-loaded, and flawless, is a status symbol that routinely sells for thousands at auction during the early summer. These aren’t just mangoes; they’re objects of desire, cultivated with almost surgical precision under glass, bathed in sunlight reflected by mirrors, and handled like Fabergé eggs. The price? A cool $4,000 a pair at seaso

Asia is fast becoming the launchpad for crossover dessert collabs where food-tech and wellness meet indulgence. Think Euglena’s algae nutrients churned into vegan scoops with Kind Kones in Singapore and Malaysia, or Ajinomoto’s ice cream carrying Finnish Solein protein, functional nutrition in a spoonful. Even bean-free coffee start-up Prefer has teamed with Melvados to sell coconut-latte vegan ice cream across 13 stores, while TurtleTree’s vegan lactoferrin is hitting the RT