All PFN ARTICLES

America’s appetite for white mushrooms is going through a full-blown functional food awakening. The market is forecast to surge from US$13.3 billion in 2024 to US$22.34 billion by 2033, a nearly 6% annual increase driven by wellness-minded consumers seeking nutrient-dense, plant-forward foods doing more than fill a plate.

Three startups have been crowned winners of the inaugural Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein @ NUS × Enterprise Singapore “Sustainable Protein Startup Competition” at the Asia‑Pacific Agri‑Food Innovation Summit 2025 in Singapore. Each of the winners, cultivated meat startup, Magic Valley from Melbourne , Fermeate a photomolecular fermentation startup based in California and Terra Bioindustries from Toronto, Canada and involved in up-cycling agro-industrial by-products, wil

In a world of weather shocks and geopolitical tension, Cellular Agriculture Australia has thrown down the gauntlet — food isn’t just sustenance, it’s national security. Their new white paper “Made & Grown: The Future of Food Biotechnology & Biomanufacturing in Australia” argues that investing in biomanufacturing is no longer optional; it’s a sovereign imperative.

Global food manufacturers and retailers are leaving money on the table in plant-based proteins, slowing category growth and exposing supply chains to avoidable risk, according to a new investor-backed analysis. The report finds most big players still treat plant-based as a side aisle, not a profit engine, which weakens resilience by over-relying on animal protein.

China’s next Five-Year Plan is shaping up less like an agricultural roadmap and more like a national tech manifesto and foodtech is suddenly in the mix. Beijing’s leadership has tied biomanufacturing to its industrial self-reliance strategy, signalling proteins, enzymes, and precision-fermented ingredients now belong alongside semiconductors and EV batteries in the country’s quest for technological sovereignty.

Kiwi, Leaft Foods has taken its green-tech know-how beyond the human plate and straight into the pet bowl. The Rolleston-based startup, best known for pioneering Rubisco extraction for human nutrition, has now applied its leaf-protein technology to create Alfalfa Protein Concentrate (APC), a nutrient-dense ingredient designed specifically for pet food.

Forget kale chips and charcoal lattes, 2026 is about gut health, protein, and stress relief-the holy trinity of food predictions.

..innovators Heliograf and Vert Design Studio have created the world’s first plastic-free, home-compostable soy sauce dropper, made entirely from renewable plant pulp. It breaks down in weeks, not centuries, leaving no microplastics behind. Holy Carp !! It's the new soy sauce fish.

Australian deep-tech player Nourish Ingredients has quietly shifted gears from startup to global operator, establishing a new commercial hub in Leiden, the Netherlands, the same energy-neutral “BioPartner 5” campus housing Europe’s biggest biotech disruptors. Best known for its Tastilux and Creamilux fats, precision-fermented lipids that mimic the sensory and aromatic profiles of animal fats, Nourish is now positioning itself at the centre of the EU food-innovation ecosyste

Lupin milk just got serious. Australian innovator, Wide Open Agriculture (WOA) has developed a lupin milk formulation using its proprietary lupin protein isolate and lodged a Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application to protect it. Think clean flavour, creamy mouthfeel and barista-grade foam without the chalky, “beany” aftertaste that’s dogged earlier attempts.

Enter Squeaky Bean and their new plant-based pies - Braised Veggie and Spanish Chorizo Style - now hitting Tesco shelves just in time for the autumn chill. Each one is golden-crusted, bean-packed, and brimming with fermented vegetables for added gut-friendly flavour.

For anyone who’s ever tried a plant-based fish finger and thought, “Nice idea, but it still smells like beans,” science might finally have your back. Researchers in Brazil have mapped the exact aroma compounds that make real fish smell and taste “from the sea.” Their work with mushroom-based fillets and soy–oat blends at the Federal University of Lavras has decoded the volatile molecules that turn bland into believable.